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"Oceans Apart" - Steve Colby &
John Good - Banjo, Guitar, Whistle
Ed Pearlman
- Scottish Fiddle
Seamus
Connolly - Irish Fiddle
Brad Leftwich
- Old Time Fiddle
Paul
Anastasio - Swing Fiddle
Abby Newton - Cello
Cosima & Christopher Luther -
Bluegrass, Jazz, & Fiddle Duets
Larry Edelman - Dance Calling, Mandolin, Guitar,
Southwestern Tunes
Loretta Thompson - Scottish Fiddle, Guitar
Neil Pearlman
- Cape Breton Piano
Topher Gayle - Mandolin, Guitar, Song Writing
Steve Scott - Cello, Bass
Jennifer Sordyl- Beginning Fiddle
Arlene Patterson - Fiddle, Guitar, Piano, Theory
Frank Fyock - Orchestra, Composition
Tina Gugeler - Hammered Dulcimer
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 "Oceans
Apart"
Steve Colby - Banjo, Guitar
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Steve is a multi instrumentalist and vocalist whose
interest in music began at the ripe old age of five or so. His
musical interests are diverse but within the past fifteen years
have focused on Celtic, folk, folk-rock and old time Rock n’ Roll.
While his first love is the banjo (both tenor and five string),
Steve also plays guitar, mandolin and Irish bouzouki. His musical
style evolved from the great folk/Celtic music era of the 1950's and
1960's. Over the years he has performed in over two thousand shows
ranging from the large stage to intimate settings. He is a firm
believer in the concept that the audience should hear the lyrics and
is selective about the songs he performs, so they convey meaningful
and memorable messages.
John Good - Whistle, Flute, Singing
- Born in Wales and
instructed in Classical Music since childhood. John is also a multi
instrumentalist, a songwriter and poet. He received a Master’s in
music composition at twenty-one and has practiced his trade —
arranger, performer, studio musician, teacher — in Europe and the
United States, ever since. Of his twenty-three years in America he
says: “In San Francisco it was Jazz, in L.A, New Wave and in Phoenix
… it’s Celtic!”
Visit Oceans Apart Website. |
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 Ed
Pearlman - Scottish Fiddle -
Ed Pearlman
has taught and performed Scottish fiddle for 30 years, throughout
the US and in Canada and Scotland. He teaches fiddle in Portland,
Maine and performs often with son Neil and the band Highland Soles (www.highlandsoles.com) featuring
his wife, dancer Laura Scott and family. Ed directed the Boston
Scottish Fiddle Club for 18 years, working closely with great
Scottish and Cape Breton fiddlers, including Aly Bain, Alasdair
Fraser, Buddy MacMaster, Natalie MacMaster, and many others, in 15
annual Scottish Fiddle Rally concerts (CD available on Greentrax
Records). Ed has taught fiddle in Scotland at the Blazin Fiddles "Blazin-In-Beauly"
fiddle camp, is a regular instructor at the Ohio Scottish Arts
School and Maine Fiddle Camp, and has directed music at Pinewoods
and Ashokan camps. His two solo CDs (1987 and 2008) have received
acclaim from the Boston Globe and from fellow musicians.
Ed is the music columnist for Scottish Life magazine.
Visit Ed's
Website. |
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- Irish Fiddle - Séamus is one of the world's most respected master Irish musicians.
Séamus is not only a talented and world recognized performer but
also a fantastic teacher as well. His teaching method is a
refreshing combination of the basic tune, ornamentation and history. A native of Killaloe, County Clare, Ireland, he now resides in Groton, Massachusetts. Séamus won the Irish National Fiddle Championship 10 times, a feat unequalled by any other musician. He was also the winner of the internationally acclaimed "Fiddler of Dooney" Competition, and he was named "Traditional Irish Musician of 2002". Séamus has had the honor of representing Ireland on three "Masters of the Folk Violin" tours organized by the National Council for the Traditional Arts. He has performed at most major festivals in the United States, including the National Folk Festival, Smithsonian Festival of American Folklife, Wolf Trap Irish Folk Festival and American Roots Fourth of July Celebration at the Washington Monument. He also performed on the "Folk Masters" radio series, which was broadcast nationwide on National Public Radio. As a performer, teacher and lecturer, he has traveled to Australia, Spain, France, England, Canada, Alaska, and Ireland.
Visit Séamus' Website. |
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 Known for the purity of his sound and his devotion to tradition,
Brad has been sharing his love of old-time music with audiences for some 30 years. His virtuoso fiddling has been acclaimed by critics in such journals as Billboard, Fiddler Magazine, Bluegrass Unlimited, and The Old-Time Herald. He is also an accomplished banjo player and singer. Brad is especially regarded for his teaching of traditional fiddle and banjo style. He is a frequent staff member at the major workshops and teaching camps throughout the country. He has a book on Round Peak style clawhammer banjo published by Mel Bay, and two old-time fiddle teaching videos released by Homespun Tapes. Visit Brad's Website. |
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Swing Fiddle - Paul began studying the violin at age nine. He moved from classical training to the world of American popular and fiddle music, performing in a
Bluegrass band and competing in many fiddling contests while still in his teens. An opportunity to perform and study with the legendary
Jazz violinist Joe Venuti in the mid-1970s helped shape Paul’s swing
Jazz style. At about the same time, Paul’s friendship with electric mandolinist Tiny Moore resulted in a successful audition with country music legend Merle Haggard. Jumping at the chance to join The Strangers, Paul was able to tour the U.S. and Europe for six unforgettable months. Paul is not only a fine performer but a respected popular music historian and teacher as well, with close to forty years spent researching the role of the violin in American popular music. He has studied and performed with the top fiddlers in popular music, including Western swing and country legends Joe Holley, Cliff Bruner, Johnny Gimble and Buddy Spicher. Paul has taught at Mark O’Connor’s Fiddle Camp, Johnny Gimble Swing Week, Centrum’s Festival of American Fiddle Tunes, The Swannanoa Gathering and Augusta Heritage Swing Week. Paul’s discography, with sound bites, can be found on the Web at www.SwingCatEnterprises.com |
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Cello - A perpetual regular at RMFC, Abby is well known for her
groundbreaking work in the revival of the cello in American and
Scottish traditional music. In the mid-seventies, she began
performing with John Cohen and Jay Ungar in the Putnam County String
Band, making it the first modern string band with a cello. At the
same time, she began an active and continuing recording career,
performing on over 100 recordings of prominent folk artists. Abby's
solo CDs "Crossing to Scotland" (1997) and "Castles, Kirks, and
Caves" (2001), have earned her critical acclaim both in the US and
abroad. She has appeared on Prairie Home Companion and in 2001,
Fiona Ritchie, of the nationally syndicated NPR show Thistle and
Shamrock, did a feature program on Abby's music and her influence on
the folk cello movement. In addition to many workshops conducted in
Scotland promoting the use of the cello as both a melodic and
rhythmic instrument in traditional music, Abby has taught in the US
at Gaelic Roots, the National Strings Workshop, the Swannanoa
Gathering and Rocky Mountain Fiddle Camp. Mel Bay published her
first collection of Celtic tunes for cello and the second is in the
works. The combination of her teaching, performing and publishing
have inspired many amateurs and professionals to enjoy playing
traditional music on the cello. Visit Abby's Website. |
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 Cosima & Christopher
Luther - Bluegrass, Jazz & Fiddle Duets - Co-founders of RMFC, C&C have been studying various
fiddle styles, including Jazz, Swing, & Bluegrass, for over 18
years. Professionals since age 8, they have competed in and
won several fiddle competitions. Classically trained, they
graduated with
their respective Masters degrees in violin performance at the
Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California in
Spring of 2008. Christopher will start his Doctoral degree
(DMA) in viola this fall. Cosima is conducting several youth
orchestras in Southern California as she embarks on a career as a
freelance musician in Los Angeles. Worldwide appearances
include Europe and Asia. In 2007, Christopher produced and
release his first CD, "Personality," which includes Cosima on
several tracks;
available here. Visit
Christopher on MySpace. |
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- Dance Caller, Mandolin Southwestern Tunes - Larry Edelman has traveled throughout the U.S. and Europe playing, teaching, and calling for traditional dancing. Larry’s colorful calling delights both novice and veteran dancers through his humor, enthusiasm, skillful teaching, and knowledge of dance history. He currently plays fiddle, mandolin, and guitar with
The Percolators, Poultry in Motion, and the Soda Rock Ramblers. Larry has taught at dozens of music and dance camps and festivals including the Festival of American Fiddle Tunes, Ashokan, Augusta, Pinewoods, Lady of the Lake, and many more. Again this year, Larry will be conducting his very popular Southwest tunes workshop for all instruments.
Visit Larry's Website.
See Larry & The Percolators on YouTube. |
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- Fiddle & More - Loretta Thompson is a high-spirited musician and singer whose versatile performances captivate audiences everywhere. Dynamic fiddling and a radiant voice echo the fervor of her Scottish-Irish and American heritage. She possesses a passionate and spontaneous enthusiasm for traditional music and dance which shines in every aspect of her life. Combining fiddle, guitar, and whistles with moving vocals, Loretta entertains with repertoires in Celtic music, American Historic and Nostalgia, Old Time Country, and more. She literally fiddled her way across Scotland and Ireland and is embraced wherever she travels for her talented fiddling and enthusiastic charm. Loretta has been featured for many years at local, state, and national Scottish and Irish gatherings, Celtic Festivals, and in concerts with a long list of leading Celtic entertainers. Loretta majored in music education and conducting, has experience as a full-time public school orchestra director, clinician, and general music teacher, and is a member of the Evergreen (CO) Chamber Orchestra. Loretta is a full-time entertainer, composer, private teacher, and plays for all forms of Scottish and Irish dance.
Visit Loretta's Website. |
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 Neil Pearlman - Cape
Breton Piano, Step Dancing - Neil is emerging as one of the traditional music
scene's most innovative young artists. Legendary Cape Breton fiddler
Jerry Holland said that watching Neil's hands on the piano is "like
watching two spiders... on crack!" His unique approach seamlessly
blends Cape Breton piano traditions with Jazz harmony and funk/rock
grooves. The result is a exciting new sound that remains true to its
traditional roots. An accomplished Cape Breton step dancer, Neil
grew up playing music and dancing in the family band Highland Soles.
As a pianist and dancer, Neil has performed with a many of the best
musicians on the traditional scene today, including Natalie MacMaster, Kimberley Fraser, Frank Ferrel, Maeve Gilchrist, Mike
Vass and Ed Pearlman. In 2008, Neil released a duo CD with Ed
entitled "On the Edge." Neil is currently studying at Columbia
University in the City of New York, where he is a member of the Jazz
department and Bluegrass band and performs throughout the city. Neil
continues to tour with his father Ed Pearlman in addition to a number of other
bands and musical projects.
Visit Neil on MySpace. |
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 Topher Gayle
- Mandolin, Guitar, Songwriting
- Topher plays guitar, mandolin, mandola, ukulele, string bass and percussion. Long ago, he studied
composition at Boston University. Now, he plays Bluegrass,
contra-dance, swing, rock & roll, country, and blues in several San
Francisco Bay area bands. His versatility has also made him a
popular accompanist to several local singer/songwriters. He gives
private lessons in guitar and mandolin, and has presented workshops
at music camps. He enjoys recording original tunes in his home
studio, building musical instruments, and abusing music genres.
Topher's written instructional books, and is the creator of The
Original Mandonator. Visit Topher's Website. |
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 - Cello, Bass - Steve is a talented
multi-instrumentalist who has broad professional experience,
including chamber/symphonic, Jazz and Dixieland, folk, and Celtic.
He has performed at many Celtic, Jazz and folk festivals in the
Northwest, and has numerous recordings to his credit, with his own
bands and as a studio player. An experienced dance musician,
Steve's playing is driving and rhythmic, and he continues to expand
the cello's possibilities in traditional and folk music. Steve
is highly regarded as a teacher, and has been named to several
"Who's Who" lists in education. Steve also brings with him over 25
years of pro bass experience with various bands and symphony
orchestras, and has something to offer everyone. |
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- Beginning Fiddle - Jennifer was literally "raised in the music business" along with her 8 brothers and sisters in the family music store in the Midwest. These days you'll find her enthusiastically teaching fiddle and beginning violin at three rural charter schools in Southern Arizona. She especially loves teaching the Montessori preschoolers and their parents, in the arts community of Tubac, where she sponsors regular jam sessions as well as playing professionally with an "eclectic-traditional" string band at a local Bistro. |
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Orchestra, Composition - Frank is the director of the orchestra at Denver School of the Arts and conductor of the Jefferson Young Artists Orchestra. He is a composer and song writer and has directed choirs, orchestras, and drum & bugle corps. He has his own recording studio and played fiddle professionally with a touring country band for ten years. After his stay at RMFC in 2001, he wrote "Escapes for Fiddlers," a collection of original solo fiddle tunes, which will be available at the camp store.
He will again be teaching his fascinating and popular course in
music history and composing. |
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- Fiddle & Guitar - A native of Glasgow, Scotland, Arlene's creative approach to teaching is well known. A regular clinician for the Suzuki Association of America, she is also a national judge for Scottish fiddle competitions and performs for dancing and Scottish events with her husband, pianist Bruce Patterson. Her day job is general music teacher in an elementary school. Come to class prepared to have fun.
 Bruce Patterson
Bruce died tragically in a car accident
Tuesday morning, April 28 (report
here).
There will be an appropriate remembrance of Bruce at camp.
Click here for
Obituary, Memorial Fund, and to offer condolences to the family. |
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- Hammered Dulcimer - Tina first heard a hammered dulcimer in 1986 while living in Ketchikan, Alaska. It quickly became her passion and soon it seemed everyone on the island had heard Tina and her band, BearFoot. Since moving to the Denver area in 1990, Tina has become a full time musician, performing solo and in small combos with fiddle, guitar or piano, and in several local contra dance bands. Along with her busy performance schedule, she teaches students on the dulcimer and bodhran. Tina has published a book of her arrangements, “Arrangements for the Hammered Dulcimer." She has taught at several festivals including Dulcimer Festival in Fort Collins, CO, Irish week at Augusta in Elkins, WV, the California Traditional Music Society Annual Summer Solstice Festival, Winterfest in Irving, TX, the Sawdust Festival in Bennington, OK, and was a jam session leader and teacher at the Southwest Dulcimer Festival in Dewey, AZ. Over the years, Tina has won many local and regional competitions, and in the year 2000 she won the U.S. National Hammered Dulcimer Championship. She appears on recordings by Denver's High Strung and the dance band Contrafusion.
Click here to
see a video of Tina. - Visit
Tina's website. |
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From the archives:
Artists 2008
Artists 2007
Artists 2006
Artists 2005
Artists 2004
Artists 2003
Artists 2002
Artists 2001 |
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