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Ask any teenager about their favorite pastimes, and practicing Celtic music may not be a likely response. But not when it comes to Potomac resident Adam Bern, 17, and Silver Spring resident Caroline Kemper, 16.

The two have teamed up to bring the traditional folk music to the Washington area with Kemper on the Irish harp and Bern on the fiddle. In June, they will perform at the Washington Folk Festival at Glen Echo Park.

When asked why he likes the upbeat music, Bern quoted Duke Ellington: "If it sounds good, it is good."

The duo met under the tutelage of musicians Karen Ashbrook and Paul Oorts, who run Celtic music summer camps for children and teens out of their Silver Spring home.

Ashbrook advises that when it comes to Celtic music, the first thing to know — besides the fact that the "C" is hard — is that it encompasses music from a variety of countries and cultures, not just Ireland and Scotland. Depending on the region, the style can vary widely, but harps and fiddles are popular in many countries, she said.

Bern, Ashbrook said, is accomplished at picking up on the differences that characterize the styles.

"What you need to be able to do to play the traditional fiddle is you have to have a really good ear, because it's not written down the way it's actually played," Ashbrook said. "The written version is a real approximation. [Bern] listens very well and he's really good at picking up those nuances."

Bern, a student at the Landon School, got interested in the style as a child as he travelled with his parents to folk festivals around the Washington area.

Kemper became involved in a different way — her father, Rick, is a harp maker. He started making harps about 10 years ago, around the same time his daughter asked him to build her one, Rick Kemper said.

"What I really love is when you build a harp for someone who is really talented, to hear them perform and perform well on it, you had a part — albeit a small one — in an exceptional performance," Kemper said.

The experience of watching his daughter perform on his own harps — he's now made more than 100 — is particularly rewarding, he said.

"I just love the way it sounds," said Caroline Kemper, a Montgomery Blair High School student. "And it's been a big part of my childhood."

Ashbrook described Kemper as "very accomplished." "I'm just absolutely thrilled they're playing together," Ashbrook said. "It allows them to do more than just melody – they can create interesting arrangements."

Playing as a duo provides a new level of focus to their practice, two said.

"We're trying to show our appreciation of Celtic music and bring it to other people," Bern said.