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Joey Abarta plays bodhran with the Celtic band Blue Ghillies. He picked it up when
his grandmother brought one back from Ireland, and he has been obsessed with Irish music ever since. When he’s not playing
at sessions in Los Angeles or teaching bodhran, he’s studying uilleann pipes, though he admits he can’t keep his fingers
off any Irish instrument.
Gary Allegretto was entranced by the sound of the harmonica since he was a small
child. During stints as a forest firefighter and ranger in the Southwest, and a city-dweller in New York and Los Angeles, he sought
out and played with the top names in blues harmonica as his own fame grew. Twelve years ago he formed the L.A. band The Sugardaddys,
and recently released his CD Throwing Heat. Blues critics have hailed the recording as refreshing, edgy, and honest, with original
writing and virtuoso performances that transcend the blues stereotypes. He is the founder and director of the charitable organization
Harmonikids, which provides harmonicas to special-needs children and teaches them to play.
Website: www.Harmonikids.com..
Allyson Allen, a multiple California Arts Council grant recipient, is recognized
as a master traditional African-American quilt artist. She is currently the Doll Workshop instructor in Los Angeles, Riverside,
and San Bernardino counties for the Drew Medical University’s Community Outreach Projects. The dolls are distributed to
clinics and orphanages in Mexico and Africa for HIV-infected children.
Connie Allen recently made music her full time career with a day job entertaining
in Old Town, San Diego, and evenings teaching dulcimer or performing with her partner Bill Dempsey. Her dancing fingers express
many voices for the dulcimer from traditional roots to classical and jazz. She shares her instruments with thousands, introducing
the joy of making music to the young and not so young.
Website: www.billandconniemusic.com
Ross Altman decades ago traded his life as an English professor for one as a political
folksinger and music historian of leftist movements. For the past 17 years he has performed more than 300 gigs a year. He has
shared the stage with Arlo Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Sam Hinton, and Johnny Walker. But he has also sung with the very people who
created the music he sings: the disadvantaged and disenfranchised.
Patti Amelotte earned her Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance degree from Chapman
College in 1983. Since that time she has developed a large private business teaching piano in South Orange County. She has been
performing and teaching the hammered dulcimer since 1985. In 1990 she won the California Hammered Dulcimer Championship.
Karen Ashbrook started playing dulcimer in 1976 when she built one as a high school
project. She is a Maggie’s Music label artist and has a book and CD set, Playing the Hammered Dulcimer in the Irish Tradition,
from Oak Publications. Based in Maryland, Karen teaches and performs Irish, Belgian, and French music with Paul Oorts and the
avant-garde contra dance band Cabaret Sauvignon. Performances include RTE 1-Irish National Television, the Smithsonian Institution,
National Geographic, NPR’s “All Things Considered,” and the White House.
Website: www.karenashbrook.com
Rachel Aucoin, despite her classical piano background, is considered one of the top
Québecois accompanists today. She has played at festivals like Augusta (West Virginia), Pinewoods (Massachusetts), Ashokan
(New York), City Stages (Alabama), and elsewhere in the contra dance scene. She is much appreciated for her percussive, colorful
yet sensitive style, and for her second passion of teaching.
Tom Axworthy, is an active performer in many ethnic, specialty and classical chamber
music groups. His instrument performances have been heard on numerous film and television soundtracks, including The Hunchback
of Notre Dame and Robin Hood: Men in Tights. He has participated in recordings for the Musical Heritage Society,
Nonesuch, Dargason, Titanic, and Word Records. He has performed as soloist on shawm and recorder with the Los Angeles Philharmonic
Orchestra.
Michael Ballard has been dancing, singing, and playing music since he could walk
and talk. Using bodhrán, bones, spoons, etc., he has played at Renaissance Fairs, parades, and pubs for about twenty years.
He has performed with various groups in styles ranging from klezmer, mariachi and folk to rock-and-roll.
Tina Louise Barr is a virtuoso on the autoharp, winning international awards
for her innovative abilities. Self-taught since she was a teenager, she credits Mother Maybelle Carter as the primary influence
in her own unique style. She performs and teaches across the United States, and has recorded in Nashville. Tina is also a staff
writer for Autoharp Quarterly.
Website: www.cdbaby.com/tlbarr
Sam Bartlett is an irrepressible banjo, guitar, and mandolin player known to dancers
across the country for his innovative approach to traditional Irish and American music. He has toured nationally with the percussive
dance company Rhythm in Shoes, and is currently performing and touring with the Reckless Ramblers and the Monks. He was a three-time
gold medalist on banjo and mandolin at the Midwest Fleadh Cheol, and Sing Out! magazine has declared him a member of
the “rhythm players hall of fame.”
Jim Beloff is a virtuoso on the ukulele, and has written a book on its history. He has
authored, compiled, and/or published twelve songbooks for the uke in his effort to bring this instrument to the public. He has
recorded two CDs, produced a compilation album of ukulele recordings, and made a video entitled The Joy of Uke. In 1999
he introduced a new variety of the instrument, called the FLUKE, and has sold over 10,000 of them.
Website: www.fleamarketmusic.com
Molly Bennett leads her life in the Mile High City of Denver, with a dance studio
and a staff of fifteen. Ceili dancing abounds and music lessons continue at Swallow Hill Music Associations and the Colorado Free
University. Drop in and take a turn around the floor or the score.
Chris Berry started playing Beatles songs on the guitar in 1989, and quickly moved
on to Mississippi John Hurt, Mance Lipscomb, Reverend Gary Davis, Dock Boggs, and Roscoe Holcomb. He plays at coffee houses and
contra dances in the Long Beach area, and has appeared in Living Tradition’s concert series, the Claremont Spring Folk Festival,
and the Santa Barbara Old-Time Fiddlers Convention, where he has won several first prizes in advanced guitar. He is also the artistic
director for the guitar area of the Festival.
David Bragger is an old-time music instructor and schoolteacher. He teaches traditional
fiddle, banjo, and guitar to people of all ages and levels. His students have been winning first- place awards (beginning-advanced)
at local festivals. His other musical adventures include directing punk-rock music videos, performing with street magicians in
India, and studying the old-time fiddle tunes of masters such as Tom Sauber and Tommy Jarrell.
Michael Patrick Breen is originally from the village of Derradda near Newport,
County Mayo, Ireland. He has taught Irish dance in Ireland and the U.S. and is a Prize winning Set, Ceili and Step dancer. He
has won Irish Regional and four U.S. National Championship Team Titles and Southern California Men’s Championships. He has
performed with The Chieftains; at the Auray International Folk Festival in Brittany, France; on the Carnival Cruise Line; at the
Sahara Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas; Cabaret Shows; and has appeared on U.S., English, Scottish and Irish National TV. Michael
is Director of the Los Angeles Irish Set Dancers, founded in July 2000. The group hosts regular Irish Ceilis, weekend workshops
and weekly set dancing classes.
Website: www.irishdancelosangeles.com
Pat Broaders, born in Dublin of Wexford parents, began playing traditional Irish music
at the age of 12. He attended the Chatham Street School of Music, where he began on the whistle and later moved to the uilleann
pipes. While in Ireland, Pat began singing and was a member of the group An Beal Bocht, which toured Europe with the Chieftains.
He relocated to Chicago in 1991 and has been actively involved in the Irish music community ever since. In 1998 he began playing
the bouzouki, and studied briefly with Donal Lunny.He has performed and recorded with Dennis Cahill, Liz Carroll, Martin Hayes,
Larry Nugent, Paddy O’Brien, and John Williams.
Website: www.bohola.com
Linda Brockinton started playing flute at age 11, turning to mountain dulcimer
in 1988. Her unique fingerpicking style, influenced by her musical background and love of classical guitar, led her to win the
2001 National Mountain Dulcimer Championship. Traditional hymns and Celtic music are her favorites, reflected in the three dulcimer
books and six CDs she has produced. She teaches flute and dulcimer privately and at festivals across the country.
Website: www.lindabrockinton.com
Ron Brown is an avid fan of traditional music and Irish Traditional Music in particular.
In addition to his volunteer work on the Board of Directors of CTMS, Ron is Vice Chairman of the Celtic Regional Arts Institute
of California (CRAIC). A native of Southern California, he lives in Long Beach with his wife and two daughters.
Claudio Buchwald was introduced to old-time country music at age eleven, and has
been playing every since. While living in New England he became involved with square and contra dancing, and playing for dances
has been the mainstay of his musical life. He’s been a member of The Backwoods Band, Evening Star, The Capital Quicksteps
Orchestra, and currently The Monks. He plays fiddle, banjo, guitar, and piano, and is a big fan of the double fiddle sound.
Christa Burch is a gifted singer and bodhrán player whose expressive voice
has been winning over Celtic music fans along the West Coast for more than a decade. She performs both as a solo singer and as
part of the a capella duet Lintie, often working with acclaimed Scottish fiddler Alasdair Fraser and the San Francisco Scottish
Fiddlers. She has appeared on the radio program “West Coast Live,” periodically performs real-time Internet concerts
at Kulak’s Woodshed with Nouveau-Celtic band Blackwaterside, and indulges her love of dance by working with contra dance
bands The Syncopaths and Outré Limitz. Christa is working on her debut solo recording, which should be completed mid-summer
2004.
Website: www.christaburch.com
Leone Burger has been a Scottish country dancer for twenty years, and a fully certified
teacher for the past ten. She specializes in teaching beginners, and loves to introduce people to the joy of moving in time to
the music of Scotland, whether it is the lively steps of jigs and reels or the elegance of strathspeys. She lives in the San Fernando
Valley with her husband and fellow-teacher, Robert.
Bob Burns has been a professional musician since 1956, performing primarily on guitar
and banjo. In 1992 he teamed up with Melody Burns as “Banjo Bob and Melody,” performing children’s programs.
His favorite styles include traditional American, folk, children’s, and Gospel. Bob has produced ten recordings, and also
plays jazz trumpet. He was recipient of the Chamizal Lifetime Achievement award in 1999.
Melody Burns is a singer who started her career in the late 80s touring with a professional
choir. She is one half of “Banjo Bob and Melody,” performing music for children. Her favorite styles include folk
music from the 60s and 70s, spirituals, and labor songs. She has recorded two albums.
Joanna Cazden is a singer/songwriter and voice therapist who has participated in
the Festival since 1987. In April 2003 she performed with Pete Seeger, Jay Unger, Happy Traum, and others, celebrating their ensemble
album Folksongs of the Catskills. She writes “The Voices In My Head” column on singing and singers for the journal
FolkWorks. When not making music, Joanna treats damaged voices at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
Website: www.voiceofyourlife.com
Randy Chang, a Hawaiian historian and dance instructor for over 25 years, began his
training as Kumu Hula (hula teacher) at the age of 12. He has made it a mission of his school to perpetuate Hawaiian values, keep
the culture alive, and understand the wisdom of the ancestors. He is President of the Kumu Hula Association of Southern California.
Recently he won several trophies (for dance both ancient and modern, and Hawaiian language) at the E Hula Mau Competition, and
his group appeared at the Folk Alliance Conference in San Diego.
Website: www.randychang.com
John Chittum began dancing at the age of 10, starting with international dance in
the early 50’s. This eventually led to performing dances of Greece, Macedonia, Bulgaria, and the Shakers during his youth.
His experience in Scandinavian dance began in 1991, and he has studied with instructors from Norway, Sweden, and Finland. He dances
with Skandia, and has been teaching a Scandinavian dance class for the past three years.
Sean Cleland, born in Milwaukee to Irish-American parents, moved to Chicago in 1963
and began studying classical violin. In 1972, flute player Noel Rice introduced him to the world of traditional Irish music. Four
years later Sean began lessons at the Francis O'Neill Club with fiddle player Liz Carroll. In 1977 he competed in his first Fleadh
Cheoil, winning in the under-16 fiddle division. This was the first of many Midwest and North American Fleadh Cheoil fiddle titles
to his credit. In the 1980s he ventured out from playing traditional music and founded the alternative Irish/Celtic rock group
The Drovers, recording three critically acclaimed albums. He has also appeared in two major motion pictures, Backdraft (1991)
and Blink (1994). Sean has played with artists such as Tommy McGuire, Jack Murray, Tom O'Malley, Johnny McGreevy, Michael
Flatley, Seamus Cooley, and Joe Shannon.
Website: www.bohola.com
Seamus Connolly is one of the world’s most respected master Irish musicians.
A native of Killaloe, County Clare, Ireland, Seamus is the only person to date to win the Irish National Fiddle Championship ten
times. He began playing fiddle at age 12. In 1976 he emigrated to the U.S., settling in the Boston area. He began traveling extensively
to perform, teach and lecture. He has appeared on radio and television, and has many recordings to his credit, including two solo
CDs. He has also co-produced a book of Irish tunes with accompanying CD. Seamus is an adjunct instructor in the Music Department
of Boston College.
Website: www.bc.edu/centers/irish/gaelicroots/director/
Tom Corbett has almost 30 years of experience playing mandolin and guitar. He has toured
with John McEuen of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, the Acousticats, and is currently playing with his own band to promote his CDs Upstairs
at Charlie’s and Cloudless Blue Sky. His latest recording features guest performances from David Hidalgo,
Herb Pederson, Phil Salazar, Robin and Linda Williams, Greg Leisz, and Tom Ball.
Website: www.tomcorbett.net
Dan Crow is one of America’s most beloved family entertainers and recording artists.
Appearing regularly on Nickelodeon and the Learning Channel, Dan writes and plays songs for Winnie the Pooh and Dumbo and children
all over the world. He presents more than 200 school concerts a year and is a recipient of the “Professional Artists in
Schools” Lifetime Achievement Award. As a talented musician and storyteller he shares his love and respect for nature, humor,
and the value of friendship in his songs and tales.
Website: www.dancrow.com
Patrick D'Arcy, after a spell during his teens searching for “that sound” on
the guitar, eventually realized that “that sound” was in fact the sound of the Irish uilleann pipes. Music was always
a lively element in the house when he was growing up; this background, and some training at the Royal Irish Academy of Music,
have led him to a very fulfilling life shared with the pipes. In late 1993 he emigrated to the US. As with many other émigrés
who rediscover their heritage, this led him to delve deeply into his musical roots. Recordings of Séamus Ennis, Tommy Reck,
and Willie Clancy were very influential in forming his style. Annual visits to Ireland followed, where he learned from pipers
such as Mick O’Brien, Robbie Hannan, Jimmy O’Brien-Moran, Brian McNamara, and Seán Potts. Patrick is a founder
member of the Southern California Uilleann Pipers Club. He has played concerts, festivals and events for audiences all over the
United States and Ireland.
Websites: www.UilleannObsession.com and www.SoCalPipers.com
Bill Dempsey began his career as a trombonist studying classical music and jazz. He
has picked up several other instruments and added a strong traditional component to his performances. For the last several years
he has performed with Connie Allen, and he produced their first CD, The Waves We Left Behind.
He has performed professionally for 40 years and taught music for 30 years.
Website: www.billandconniemusic.com
Kat Eggleston is a compelling songwriter, musician, and traditional singer. She sports
an intricate, percussive guitar style and a striking alto voice. Her passionate, sometimes humorous lyrics create images of conflict
with arresting realism. Raised on Vashon Island in Washington, Kat learned to sing harmony from her mother, and studied classical
piano for eleven years. After earning an BFA in acting from the Interplayers Ensemble in Spokane, she spent 1983 travelling in
the South Pacific. From 1984 to 1990 she performed solo and with the Ferryboat Musicians, Four Women at Play, Fool Moon, and David
Bromberg, as well as serving on the Board of Directors of Victory Music.
Website: www.bohola.com
Frankie Farrell International Dance Band
Dave Firestine plays mandolin, bouzouki, bodhrán, tenor banjo, and guitar
with a driving rhythm that makes feet start tapping. He plays in three bands: Round the House and The New Potatoes (both fairly
traditional Irish bands), and The Privy Tippers, an old-time string band. On the New Potatoes’ CD Last Night’s
Fun, he is the one on the back of the case dressed as a nun. He is also known as the jam meister at the Carp Camp at the
Walnut Valley Festival, held each September in Winfield, Kansas. Dave has been teaching workshops at festivals for many years
and believes that good music should be fun to learn, play, and share.
Website: www.dave.firestine.com
Bill Flores is a multi-instrumentalist, accomplished on dobro, guitar, saxophone, pedal
steel, mandolin, button accordion, fiddle, and banjo. He has played music professionally for over 25 years, well versed in a variety
of styles, including blues, Cajun, old-time, bluegrass, Celtic, and Norteño. He has taken part in many music festivals
and has performed or recorded with artists such as Bob Dylan, Stevie Ray Vaughn, and Mike Seeger.
Richard Forest, born in 1957 in Montreal, started playing guitar and piano in 1971,
followed by the fiddle in 1975. He inherited his love for the latter instrument from his mother, who came from a family of violoneux.
In 1979 he founded the group Tradison, specializing in Québecois music. Their recordings “Tradison de Passage” and “Inedit” feature
his own compositions in traditional style. He has appeared at the Festival of American Music, Pinewoods, Old Songs, and other
festivals both in North America and Europe.
Jim Garner started playing folk fiddle and mandolin when he joined Veselo’s band
in 1976, and has played international folk music ever since. In 1983 he joined Kriss Larson’s Interfolk Band, which evolved
into the Scandia Gammaldans Band, but he still loves to play Balkan, Celtic, and American folk music as well.
Jon Gindick started playing harmonica when he was knee high to a warthog, and is now
one of America’s best known blues and country harmonica players and teachers. He has published numerous books, CDs, and
videos that teach the style, and runs “Harmonica Jam Camp”, a three-day seminar held in cities around the world. B.B.
King has called Jon “one of the world’s foremost teachers of blues and country harmonica”.
Website: www.gindick.com
Susie Glaze is a native Tennessean, and identifies Jean Ritchie as her mentor and inspiration.
Her debut solo CD, Home On The Hill, has received rave reviews from folk as well as mainstream publications. She appeared
as a featured performer in the Broadway debut of “Big River” and won the 1999 Topanga Banjo & Fiddle Contest and
Folk Festival award for traditional singing. In 2003 she appeared with Jean Ritchie at the Conner Prairie Living History Museum’s
White River Folk Festival.
Website: www.susieglaze.com
Ellie & Leela Grace are percussive dancers, singers, multi-instrumentalists
(mandolin, guitar, fiddle, and banjo), and songwriters who grew up traveling across North America performing with their parents Paul and Win as
the Grace Family. At a still-young age they have nearly twenty years of experience in performing, choreographing, and teaching
percussive dance styles that include Appalachian clogging, Irish step dancing, and rhythm tap. Leela and Ellie’s music has
a strong grounding in traditional American and old-time string band styles, but often crosses over into the contemporary folk
realm. They have recently released an acclaimed duo CD after having recorded three albums with the Grace Family. As a duo and
as solo artists, they have appeared at national folk festival, collaborated with highly-respected performers, and inspired young
and old alike as teachers of music and dance.
Website: www.GraceFamilyMusic.com
Paul Grace was playing guitar and singing Kingston Trio songs at the age of fourteen.
But he has been a singer all his life—church choirs, barbershop quartets, choral groups, and school musicals. He was a radio
D.J. for KOPN Radio in Columbia, Missouri, for 10 years, programming two shows in folk and Cajun music. Paul plays the mandolin
and guitar in a cross-picking style, and he plays a rhythmic Appalachian or shuffle-style fiddle. He plays in duo with his wife Win.
Email: pgrace@coin.org
Website: www.GraceFamilyMusic.com
Win Grace sang and studied piano as a child, but knew she had finally found her instrument
when she first saw the autoharp being played in concert. She taught herself to play it in the standard pinch style, and later
went on to develop a cross-picking or thumb-lead style. When her husband Paul was learning to play the
fiddle, Win took up button accordion. She has recently been learning le pied—the French Canadian/Metis traditional seated
clogging. One fan wrote that Win’s voice and its down-to-earth quality represented, to him, “the voice of the Midwestern
woman.”
Website: www.GraceFamilyMusic.com
David Greenberg, an internationally renowned baroque violinist, has specialized
in the Cape Breton and 18th-century Scots fiddle styles for over a decade. He brought them together in three groundbreaking CDs
with his 1990s group Puirt A Baroque, garnering Canada’s East Coast Music Award and a Juno nomination. Ongoing collaborators
include pianist Doug MacPhee (traditional Cape Breton, Tunes Until Dawn, 2000), harpist Kim Robertson and cellist Abby
Newton (traditional Scottish, Ferintosh, 2003), and Glaswegian keyboardist David McGuinness (music on the wilder side, Spring
Any Day Now, 2003). In addition, David co-authored the definitive treatise on Cape Breton fiddle style, the DunGreen
Collection (1996), with his wife Kate Dunlay.
Website: www.dungreenmusic.com
Georgiana Hennessy is a founding member of Atlantic Crossing, playing fiddle
and accordion and singing music of Ireland, Scotland, Eastern Europe, and the U.S. In her other life she is a biochemist. Atlantic
Crossing has recordings of Appalachian and traditional Irish music.
Website: www.riverrunusa.com
Butch Hibben began playing the saw in the 1980s when he got tired of never having
a contribution to make to the song circles he attended. He got a book on unusual musical instruments and decided the saw was the
most intriguing, though he found no instructions on how to play it. After nearly six months of trying, he finally coaxed out an
almost musical sound. He soon befriended other sawyers, learning some of the finer points of saw playing, while maintaining his
unique style. He encourages others to take up saw playing and hopes that his workshops will help people avoid the “non-productive” period
between picking up saw and bow and actually producing music.
Website: www.sharingfamilystories.com
Jean Hibben has been playing and teaching guitar for more than thirty-five years. She
plays backup to her husband’s saw playing, and he plays backup to her performances in gospel and folk music. She won a third
place at the 1996 Topanga Banjo & Fiddle Contest, and has one CD as part of the String Sisters. Jean is currently pursuing
a PhD in folklore.
Frank Hoppe is a long-time fiddler for local contra dances and host of “Bluegrass,
Etc.” heard on KCSN 88.5 FM (and streaming live at www.kcsn.org) on Sundays from 6 to 10 a.m. He’s also an avid dancer
and collector of traditional American music.
Bill Howard's stories range from the silly to the mystical, from fables to epics, and
come from all over the world. As an educator he has used story and song as integral teaching tools in his high school and college
classrooms. He has also trained storytellers and presented programs on the art of storytelling for school districts, colleges,
community groups, and libraries throughout Southern California.
Brenda Hunter discovered hammered dulcimer in 1993, and the world of traditional
music soon after, although her introduction to music began in early childhood with her family’s love of singing together.
She studied piano, violin, saxophone, guitar and voice, and has played a wide spectrum of music from rock to Renaissance, Celtic
to classical. She won the National Hammered Dulcimer Competition in Winfield, Kansas in 1996. She performs as a soloist and with
her Celtic band, Banshee in the Kitchen.
Website: www.brendahunter.bizland.com
James Hutson has been a leader of traditional and historical country dances since
1989. He has led the California Dance Co-operative’s South Bay English country dance series regularly since 1997, and has
taught English country dance at many festivals and special events. Most recently he was Dance Master at the 2003 Southern California
Jane Austen Ball.
Sabin Jacques began playing Québecois accordion at age 15. Since 1985 he has
performed with various traditional dance groups and has toured throughout Europe. He has participated in festivals in California,
Alaska, Louisiana, Maine, and Massachusetts, and is regularly invited to France to give advanced workshops. Since 1992 he has
performed with the renowned Acadian singer Edith Bulter.
Frank Javorsek has been playing music for forty years and teaching for over thirty
years. He plays and teaches banjo, guitar, fiddle, and mandolin in a variety of styles, focusing primarily on old-time and bluegrass.
Frank and his wife Tammy owned the Blue Ridge Pickin’ Parlor (now in Granada Hills, California) from 1980 to 2000, and produced
nineteen Follow Camp Bluegrass Festivals. Frank hosted a bluegrass show on KCSN 88.5 FM, for which he received the IBMA Broadcaster
of the Year Award. He is the author of two mandolin instruction books, and has completed a series of beginners’ book/CD
packages to be published later this year.
Athan Karras’s name is synonymous with Greek dance. He has appeared on Broadway,
television, and in numerous motion pictures. He has published many articles and recordings of Greek dance and music. He founded
the Intersection Folk Dance Center in Los Angeles, and also produced many festivals and dance events in the U.S. and Canada. He
is currently an instructor of Greek dance and culture at Loyola Marymount University, and serves as the U.S. coordinator for Mazoxi,
an annual Greek dance conference held on Crete.
Jimmy Keane is regarded by by many as the premier exponent of Irish music on the piano
accordion. He has won the All-Ireland accordion title for the last five years. He is also a composer and arranger. Born in London
of Irish-speaking parents—his father was a sean nos (old-style) singer—Jimmy moved with his family to Chicago in 1960.
In his early teens he was already playing with fellow Chicagoans Liz Carroll and Michael Flatley. Over the years he has also performed
and recorded with Eileen Ivers, Seamus Egan, Mick Moloney, and Robbie O’Connell. With the latter two he recorded the critically
acclaimed albums There Were Roses and Kilkelly. However, it was not until he started playing with bohola that
his style “really started to gel and this big huge raw and powerful sound came out of nowhere.”
Website: www.bohola.com
Bill Knopf has been playing banjo and guitar since 1963. After graduating from UCLA
with a music degree in 1971, he helped form Hot Off The Press, a local bluegrass band. He toured with Doc Severinson for five
years, then led his own band at Disneyland for another five. Over the years he has recorded six albums, and has written over twenty
instruction books. His performances have enhanced many sound tracks for television and films. Bill currently teaches at the Blue
Ridge Pickin’ Parlor in Granada Hills, and performs solo, or with Kathy Craig or the Tom Corbett Band.
Leo Kretzner met the mountain dulcimer in 1975, and neither has been the same since.
He has played traditional Appalachian, Irish, country blues and folk rock music. Besides his lively and expressive playing, Leo
is known for his informative and friendly workshops. He has played and taught all around the country, and now lives in Claremont,
CA. He has several records, ranging from the classic Dulcimer Fair to the more recent and contemporary Not So Still
Life.
Abby Ladin grew up immersed in a community of traditional music and dance. Her mother
was a charismatic international folk dance instructor, her father a supporter of the American folk music revival. As a dancer,
Abby toured nationally for eleven years with Rhythm In Shoes, reinventing traditionally based percussive dance and live music.
She has taught at camps, schools, and workshops. Abby plays bass fiddle in the old-time dance band the Monks, and also performs
with her sister Evie and husband Sam Bartlett in the ensemble “tongue & groove.”
Evie Ladin had her first banjo put into her hands at age 8 by Joel Cohen of the New
Lost City Ramblers, then took lessons from Bob Carlin. For eight years she was based in Bloomington, Indiana, touring nationally
with the music and dance ensemble Rhythm in Shoes. Now in the San Francisco Bay Area, Evie appears as a versatile dancer, banjo
player and vocalist with the Stairwell Sisters and several other groups. Her Stairwell Sisters CD came out last year.
Website: www.stairwellsisters.com
Michael Lampert received his B.A. in music theory and composition from Drew University
and his Master’s from the New England Conservatory of Music. A blues and jazz specialist, his CD, Jacaranda, on Sojourner
Records, was named one of the five best jazz mandolin recordings of all time by Scott Tichenor on the website Mandolincafe.com.
His latest CD, … West of the Moon, is due to be released later this summer.
Website: www.michaellampert.com
Kriss Larson has played accordion since the age of 12, adding folk dancing in 1981.
His first folk dance band played Balkan and international music, but then he started a Scandinavian dance band in 1983. He has
been playing Scandinavian music at dances, camps, workshops, and festivals ever since. He has played for the King of Sweden, played
on the main stage at the Kaustinen Folk Festival in Finland, and has performed as part of a Scandinavian band for an NBC-TV show
pilot.
Brad Leftwich has been performing for more than thirty years on fiddle, banjo, and
voice, focusing on the old-time traditions of southern Appalachian and Ozark music. He has played both solo and with bands such
as Plank Road; Leftwich & Higginbotham; and Tom, Brad & Alice. There are numerous recordings of his playing, and he has
published instructional materials . Brad has played at the White House, and at many festivals and concerts.
Website: www.tombradalice.com
Mark Lewis is first and foremost a storyteller. He is an art director for film and television,
and spent a year in the Concepts Division of a major toy manufacturer. He has acted in several films and national commercials,
and was a featured performer on the CBS hit series “Northern Exposure”. His thirty years of professional experience
have won him two Emmy awards and a performance on the “Tonight Show”. He has performed across the United States, Europe
and the British Isles.
Website: www.laughingmooninc.com
Steve Lewis began playing clawhammer banjo over 25 years ago. He has played banjo at
numerous festivals, dances, and workshops and for his captive fourth-grade students. Steve produced the California Dance Co-op’s
third-Saturday contra dance from 1989 to 2001. As banjo player in various bands, such as Turtle Creek and Southern Exposure, he
has played regularly for dances throughout Southern California. Steve also leads an old-time jam session at the CTMS Center for
Folk Music on the first Sunday of the month.
Olga Loya, a Latina teller of tales from San Jose, CA, has performed storytelling and
taught workshops for seventeen years. She uses stories as a way of examining such themes as healing, racism, and multiculturalism.
She has been a featured teller at the Guadalalajara Festival and the Jonesborough National Storytelling Festival. Loya has five
videos, a cassette tape, an award-winning book called Magic Moments, and stories in anthologies to her credit.
Website: www.olgaloya.com
Otoño Luján is an artist, musician, arts administrator, and educator
who received his BFA from California Institute of the Arts. As a professional musician he has performed across the country and
in Canada, recording two CDs with his own band and in taking part in other collaborations. He has developed and taught arts education
programs for all ages, and currently teaches button accordion classes in Pasadena, California.
Website: http://lospochos.com
Lisa Lynne is a veteran musician and performer who tours full time with her Celtic Harp.
A multi-instrumentalist for the past eighteen years, she has twelve albums to her credit including several on the Wyndham Hill
and New Earth labels. She is the first musician-in-residence at the City of Hope Cancer Treatment Center, where she teaches patients
and staff the joys of playing the harp.
Website: www.lisalynne.com
Stuart Mason, a West Virginia native, draws on thirty years of musical adventuring
to produce “neo-traditional” music that is true to its roots yet relevant to the ear of today’s listener. He
teaches acoustic guitar techniques for traditional Irish and American music. Recently he appeared on stage at the Feakle International
Music Festival in Ireland with the Rattlesnake Creek String Band and distinguished East Clare fiddler Vincent Griffin. Currently
he performs with the Growling Old Geezers.
Website: http://helmintoller.com/stuartmason
Michael Mendelson, after many years as a guitarist, switched to fiddle because
it was louder and easier to carry. He has earned a master’s degree in folklore from UCLA, taught music, repaired violins,
written scholarly articles, and worked with such fiddle greats as Benny Thomasson, Hugh Farr and Tiny Moore. He has written thirty
fiddle tunes, many published in his book Tunes From the Western Edge. His recent CD, A Fiddler’s Notebook,
has eighteen original tunes.
Website: www.slidingscalemusic.com
Mesmera has spun her veils through 25 years of parties, events, seminars, and classes.
She has been featured in Time, InStyle, and L.A. Weekly, and has appeared on television and in films. Mesmera is an inspiring
performer and instructor, sharing the fun way to enhance vitality, presence and beauty. At quarterly drum and dance circles, she
teaches basic Mid-East drum rhythms on dumbek. Her next music and dance adventure is Brazil, in November 2003.
Website: www.mesmera.com
Susan Michaels has been calling contras, squares and family dances for fifteen years
and has toured extensively through the western US and Canada. For grownups, Susan offers contemporary and traditional dances that
are smooth and interesting. For kids and families, it’s all about fun and learning that our rich dance heritage is not dorky.
Susan hasn’t written any books or received any awards but she’s a damn good caller.
Peter Michaelsen has played folk music for forty years, focusing for the last
twenty on the fiddle music of Scandinavia. He plays both “normal” fiddle and Norwegian Hardanger fiddle. Peter was
awarded a bronze medal in the Swedish National Zorn Competition, and has played with several well-known groups, including the
Boda and Falun Spelmanslags. He is on the staff of several annual music and dance camps in the U.S., has toured nationally, and
played for countless dances and workshops.
France Bourque Moreau lives in Montreal and for the past 30 years has been
leading workshops on French-Canadian and international folk dances for children. Her repertoire includes hundreds of dances and
singing games. She has written several books on the use of folk dance in elementary schools. She has been active in the Orff music
education movement and other international organizations involved with the transmission of folk heritage to children. She recently
produced a CD of French-Canadian dances and songs for children, Danse, mon cœur, danse!, with some of Quebec’s
finest folk musicians and singers.
Website: www.bourque-moreau.com
Yves Moreau lives in Montreal and is recognized as one of North America’s foremost
exponents of Bulgarian dance and folklore. He has travelled through Bulgaria and the Balkans almost annually since 1966 to research
dance and record music. He regularly conducts workshops and lectures across North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. He has
coordinated several projects for Folklore Canada International and has produced numerous recordings of Balkan folk music,
among them a recent anthology of the legendary Bulgarian accordionist Boris Karlov.
Website: www.bourque-moreau.com
Cliff Moses hails from San Antonio, Co. Bexar, in Texas, and is one of the founding
members of St. James’s Gate. He is one of the few recognized Irish-traditional musicians on the hammered dulcimer. He has
twice been awarded second place in the All-Ireland music competition in the category for non-traditional instruments. He has appeared
at the Paddy O’Brien Festival in Co. Tipperary, and twice on Radio Telefís Éireann (RTÉ). In addition
to The Coming of Spring and six albums with St. James’s Gate, Cliff has a new solo CD with guest Irish musicians
Seamus Connolly, Tony Smith, and Josephine Keegan.
Website: www.cliffmoses.com
Amber Roullard Mueller has been playing Appalachian music and clog dancing
since 1985. She has played fiddle with For Old Times’ Sake for the past fourteen years. Amber also plays bass and fiddle
in the Growling Old Geezers String Band, piano with Irish band Paddy O’Furniture, and bass with the Belles. She and her
husband Jim Mueller enjoy playing for dances and attending music camps.
Jim Mueller has been playing the fiddle since 1977, primarily exploring Southern fiddle
styles. He plays with For Old Times’ Sake and the Growling Old Geezers String Band, and has performed at dances and festivals
throughout California and the U.S. Jim served as co-director of Live Oak Music Festival for ten years, and also hosted two weekly
folk music programs on KCBX. In his spare time, Jim is a professor of mathematics at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo.
Keith Murphy is a native of Newfoundland, and this has been the source for many of
his songs over the years. His light, expressive singing is equally suited to the French Canadian songs which comprise another
important part of his repertoire. Instrumentally, Keith fills many chairs. He is well known for his Irish-style DADGAD guitar
playing as well as his expertise on mandolin and piano. French Canadian foot percussion is a frequent part of his compelling rhythmic
presence. He is a much sought-after accompanist for both dances and concerts. Keith’s most recent project is the publication
of a book of original tunes entitled Black Isle Music.
Website: www.blackislemusic.com
Irene Myers’s love of the fiddle began at age 10, and she has been playing Nordic
folk music for nearly thirty years. She has studied with many Swedish tradition bearers here and in Sweden, given scores of workshops
of her own, and performed at folk dances, music and dance camps, and festivals. She has performed with the Boda Spelmanslag in
Sweden, and was heard on “A Prairie Home Companion.”
Website: www.irenemyers.com
Mary Anne McCarthy has played the hammered dulcimer for 20 years. She especially
enjoys playing Irish traditional music and helping beginners find their way around the dulcimer. Since 1996 she has been a member
of the South Bay band Sharps & Flattery.
Ryan McKasson has been playing the violin for twenty-two years. His traditional fiddle
experience began at age 14 with the renowned teacher Carolann Wheeler. At the Valley of the Moon Scottish Fiddling School in 1993
he was exposed to the fiddle styles of Alasdair Fraser and Buddy MacMaster, who have since been his greatest influences. In 1996
he won the National Scottish Fiddle Championship Junior Competition, and in 1997 was the youngest to win the National Scottish
Fiddle Championship Open Competition. Ryan released his debut Scottish fiddle recording in May 2004 with his sister Cali McKasson
Patty McCollom is happy to be part of this wonderful CTMS festival. She plays and
gives lessons in clawhammer banjo, tin whistle, and bodhrán. She performs with the Irish band Atlantic Crossing, an old-time
band Lilies of the West, and a contra dance band Swamp Mamas. She says, “It is always great to hear from the nice folks
that I meet at festivals—contact me via my website.”
Website: www.musicbypatty.com
Jeremiah McLane, an accordionist and pianist, studied both instruments in academic
settings, earning his master’s in contemporary improvisation at the New England Conservatory of Music. Now living in Vermont,
he is a founding member of Nightingale, the Clayfoot Strutters, and Big Table, three pivotal and popular bands with traditional
roots. His second solo recording, Smile When You’re Ready, was nominated by National Public Radio in their “favorite
picks” of 1996, and his most recent release, Hummingbird, received the French music magazine Trad Mag “Bravo” award
for 2003. His musical contributions can be heard on over thirty-five albums, including Jay Ungar’s and Molly Mason’s “Harvest
Home.” He has composed music for theatre and film, including Sam Shepard’s A Lie of the Mind.
Website: www.jeremiahmclane.com
Mary Rose Ogren O'Leary, a long-time shape-note singer, has taught for many
years at the Summer Solstice Festival. She lives in Eagle Rock, California, where she hosts shape-note singing on the first Sunday
of the month. Mary Rose is currently a returning student working to become an elementary-school teacher.
Stephen O'Leary has enjoyed shape-note singing for many years, and has been on staff
as a teacher at the Summer Solstice Festival for several years. Come join Stephen and co-instructor Mary Rose Ogren O’Leary
on Saturday morning at the Festival in the Songs 1 area. By day, Stephen is a professor at the Annenberg School for Communication
at USC.
Christina Ortega was an aspiring opera singer from Southern California when a
move to Colorado put her on the path toward alternative forms of acoustic music—from Cajun and Celtic to bluegrass prison
songs and similarly tragic hillbilly themes. Best remembered as the frontwoman for Denver’s Velveeta Sisters, she was named
Rocky Mountain Region Female Vocalist of the Year in 1997. Eventually she turned her attentions to the lamentations of traditional
Mexican folk songs and American cowboy music. Now back in her native Southern California, she fronts a band composed of Tom “Chuy” Corbett
(lead guitar & mandolin), Otoño Luján (button accordion), and Graham Harris (upright bass).
Website: www.christinaortega.com
Kira Ott has been playing traditional Irish music in the LA area for the last four years.
She studied classical viola from the age of 9, but found her true passion in the discovery of the traditional Irish fiddling styles.
She is a regular in Los Angeles’ Irish sessions and has played with several local bands. She now enjoys playing tunes and
singing the occasional song with her long-time friends in the Blue Ghillies.
Website: www.blueghillies.com
Cathy Barton Para and Dave Para have been performing folk music from
Missouri and the Ozarks region on a variety of stringed instruments since the mid-1970s, though they are also collectors of river
songs, Civil War songs and tunes, and lately, music from the era of Lewis and Clark. They have made over ten recordings, their
most recent being “Most Perfect Harmony”: Lewis and Clark: A Musical Journey. For the last eight years they
have played on steamboats on rivers from the Cumberland to the Ohio to the Arkansas, and they have made five European tours. 2004
marks twenty years of their association with CTMS and the Summer Solstice Festival.
Website: www.bartonpara.com
Terry Parkhill follows his wife, Marsha Parkhill, from concert to festival, as any
dutiful camp follower should. During this time he has come to enjoy line dancing, storytelling, and regional music. Terry can
play the radio, bellow with enthusiasm, and when told to “go fly a kite,” he does.
Gigi Lynn "Gee" Rabe, an accordionist since 1975, has won major awards for her performance.
Her styles range from Western classical to jazz, French and Italian pop, tango, and Bulgarian. Specializing as well in music of
the Caribbean, she started the steel band program at Cal State Northridge. She holds music degrees from UCLA and Cal State Long
Beach, and is currently finishing a Ph.D. in ethnomusicology at UCLA, writing her dissertation on ska music.
Sue Raimond has 39 years’ experience performing on harp, voice, and violin. Her
focus is harp therapy to ease pain and distress in humans and animals. Her tours have taken her to Tufts University, UC Davis,
UCSD, and the Army. Sue has eleven CDs, two books, and an award-winning film.
Jerry Rockwell has been playing, teaching, and promoting the mountain dulcimer since
1970. He is also a custom builder of this unique American folk instrument, and has written instructional texts. In college at
Ohio State University he studied music theory and composition. Jerry lives and works in the Appalachian foothills of southeast
Ohio, and regularly teaches dulcimer at workshops across the country.
Website: www.jcrmusic.com
Jessica Ruiz is a classically trained clarinetist. Born in New York, she attended
Manhattan School of Music. After graduation she went on to study music at University of Southern California, where she graduated
with honors. Jessica discovered Jewish music while still in high school, and has been lucky enough to work with some of the country’s
top Klezmer musicians. Her current focus is on Balkan music.
Ty Rust International Dance Band
Maggie Sansone, praised as “the most exciting and innovative hammered dulcimer
player performing today,” has been featured on “Sunday Morning” (CBS-TV) and “All Things Considered” (NPR).
She teaches and tours throughout the U.S. and is founder and CEO of Maggie’s Music, an independent label with over fifty
CDs distributed worldwide, nine Mel Bay Publications, and twelve recordings including Mystic Dance, Merrily Greet the Time,
and A Traveler’s Dream.
Website: www.maggiesmusic.com
Gregg E Schneeman has been playing and teaching the bowed psaltery for over 25
years. His recordings, instructional video, and enthusiasm for the psaltery have encouraged many to enjoy this less-heard instrument’s
haunting sound. “Gaining in popularity, the bowed psaltery is the easiest to play bowed stringed instrument.”
Gaili Schoen was born with perfect pitch and a great love of music. She has been playing
and composing music since the age of 4. After hearing Steve Lewis play banjo in 1988, her interest turned to traditional and old-time
music, and eventually they teamed up with fiddler Daniel Slosberg, forming contra dance band Turtle Creek. Gail composes music
for film and television, and teaches piano.
Website: www.gailischoen.com
Mary Ann Sereth started playing violin at 7, and studied classical music through
college. In college she sat in with traditional bands and played fiddle with the Student Entertainers to make money. She has played
in Scottish country dance bands for about 30 years. More recently she has taken up Scandinavian and English dance music, adding
mandolin and bass to her instruments. Together with flutist Bonnie Insull she has started a band called “Festivities” to
play music of all types.
Stan Shapin has been playing old-time banjo and collecting tunes and songs for over
30 years. He has won awards in both Midwest and West Coast singing and banjo contests. Stan has performed at the Old-Time Café,
given house concerts in the Los Angeles area, and made many appearances in the Midwest. Stan is also an experienced old-time dance
caller and banjo teacher. He is the Artistic Director of the banjo and mandolin areas at the Summer Solstice Festival.
Steve Shapiro plays tenor banjo with the Celtic band Blue Ghillies. He started playing
folk music in high school, but his interest in stringed instruments developed when he started contra dancing in the mid-1970s.
Since then Steve has played in a number of contra dance bands. He plays Appalachian fiddle, five-string banjo, and mandolin. He
is president of FolkWorks and co-publisher of FolkWorks newspaper.
Website: www.FolkWorks.org
Frank Simpson, a native of Dublin, Ireland, moved to California in 1986. He plays
Irish flute and tin whistle and performs with the groups Blackthorn and Crannog. Frank has performed on many television and movie
sound tracks including the IMAX movie The Discoverers. He also teaches tin whistle and flute throughout Southern California.
Daniel Slosberg started fiddling when he was five years old. Forty years later,
he is still amazed by the music a wooden box with strings can make. He plays locally with the band Turtle Creek and tours nationally
with his one-man show, “Pierre Cruzatte: A Musical Journey along the Lewis & Clark Trail.” Last year, Native Ground
Music—www.nativeground.com—released his first CD.
Websites: www.cruzatte.com
Nick Smith, in addition to coordinating the storytelling area of the Festival, serves
on the CTMS Board of Directors, as well as on the boards of two other non-profits in the folk arts. He also acts as coordinator
of the Caltech Folk Music Society and the San Gabriel Valley Storytellers, and performs as a storyteller.
Dave Soyars has been involved in many facets of music since childhood, but the one
constant has been Irish traditional music, which he has played professionally for over ten years. He has played bass and acoustic
guitar in many folk, rock, and folk/rock bands, and has traveled around the United States as both a musician and road manager.
He will be releasing his first CD as a singer/songwriter later this year.
Jeff Spero has played piano professionally in genres ranging from folk to rock to country.
Known for his energetic style, he has played for dances and festivals throughout Southern California. Jeff has performed with
fiddlers Richard Greene, Kathleen Keane, Laura Light, Michael Mendelson, and Tom Sauber. In addition to his musical contributions,
he is co-editor of the book (Southern) California Twirls and is currently working on his second book featuring contra
dances written throughout the state. He calls for many regional contra dances.
Website: www.jeffandgigi.com/contra
Jan Tappan has played Scottish traditional fiddle music for the past 21 years, primarily
in California, but also on the east coast as well as Scotland. She has been on the CTMS Board of Directors since 1989, and was
founding director, now currently music director for the Scottish Fiddlers of Los Angeles. She established a mail order catalog, Fiddlers
Crossing to provide a resource for Celtic music, recordings and videos.
Seth Tepfer is “Atlanta’s Dance Magician,” calling contras, squares,
and other folk dances for adults and children since 1997. Known for his infectious energy and short walk-throughs, Seth’s
warm enthusiasm is contagious and gets everyone moving, smiling, and having a great time. He has delighted participants at dance
weekends across the country, including Seattle’s Dancing Fool, Tampa’s Snow Ball, and NEFFA.
Website: www.DanceRhapsody.com
Matt Tonge is a founding member of Atlantic Crossing and has played guitar and bass
for 23 years. By day he is an electrical engineer, but he spends his evenings playing traditional music.
Website: www.riverrunusa.com
Cathy Traut-Hessom says that learning to play the mountain dulcimer has been
one of the best things she ever did in her life. She began playing in the early 80s, has participated in music festivals in California,
Arizona, Washington, and Texas, and met many wonderful folks along the way. She enjoys jam sessions, singing and flatpicking,
and also plays with the band The Chinchillas.
Website: www.thechinchillas.org
Hal Wakcher has been involved in folk music for 40 years. He studied classical piano,
guitar and harmonica, starting to play guitar at age 13. With an emphasis on folk music, he became influenced by the music of
Bob Dylan and the blues. Hal is a member of the CTMS Board of Directors.
Don Wallace was raised in a musical family in Tennessee, developing a love of old-time
country music. His other favorite is “pocket music” played on spoons and jaw harp. He is a retired LA Fire Captain
and community activist, and he loves sharing his love of music with his wife and sons and extended family.
Mimi Wright has been learning ballads and songs, mostly southern Appalachian mountain,
for about 40 years. She has learned from Library of Congress and other recordings, and has taken several classes with Sheila Kay
Adams in recent years. She has done workshops at the Roots Festival for several years now and enjoys the chance to meet others
interested in traditional singing.
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