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Eisteddfod - NYA Festival of Traditional MusicPerformers - 2008 |
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Concert Emcees
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Atl-Tlachinolliia a group which performs song and dance from Aztec traditions. |
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Basket Landingis a young, energetic folk group which includes Joan Stein, lead vocals; Nate Zaur, vocals, guitar, banjo, string bass, and piano; and teenagers John Powers, mandolin; Amy Powers, banjo; and Kevin Anderson, bass guitar, and hand drums. They perform a wide variety of material from primarily the American traditions. |
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Norris Bennetthas played banjo, mountain dulcimer, guitar, and autoharp in 14 different countries from Europe to the far east. Born in Ocala, FL and raised in Buffalo, NY, he has been a devotee of the high mountain sound of the music of the southeastern United States, for most of his life. He is lead vocalist of the Ebony Hillbillies. |
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Ralph Bodingtonis a superb performer of banjo tunes and ballads from the old-time Southern mountain tradition. He has a laid-back, easy style that comes right out of the old tradition. We are happy to welcome him back. |
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Colleen Clevelands a descendant of Scottish and Irish settlers in the Adirondacks. Her family's songs and stories from the old country include some unique versions of the ancient ballads or story-songs. Sara Cleveland, Colleen's grandmother, was a nationally known ballad singer of her generation, and Colleen learned many songs from her. |
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Pat Conteis a master instrumentalist and fine singer of American traditional material, particularly from Black tradition. He has a secret — his Secret Museum of recordings from the '20s and '30s, vinyl treasures of ethnic music from every corner of the world that he has collected over the years. A five-CD set of music from this collection has been issued by Yazoo. Pat will introduce you to a whole world of music you didn't even know existed. |
 | Jeff Davis (tentative)is a great singer of material from the mountains (north and south), the coast, from Canada, very much in the old styles, and a master instrumentalist on everything that has strings. |
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DisCantowas founded in 1997 to represent and to reveal the musical culture of Italy, in particular ethnic music from the area of Abruzzo. DisCanto's repertoire includes songs of harvest, lullabies, night songs, funeral wails, and popular dances. They are an immensely exciting group with fine vocal harmonies, plus an array of instruments including guitar, mandolin, violin, cello, accordion, percussion, and brilliant traditional Italian bagpipes. We are very happy to welcome this superb ensemble |
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Craig Edwardsbrings together a broad range of American roots music, finding the common thread of rhythmic power, poetry, and passion that’s sustained these musical cultures for so long. Old-time fiddle and banjo, delta blues guitar, Cajun and Zydeco accordion, solo and group singing, and Irish and French Canadian dance tunes form the core of his music. |
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Jerry Epsteinis a fine singer of (mostly) unaccompanied traditional song of the Eastern US and Canada, and a pretty fair concertina player. He has taken the American traditional songs and ballads to far-flung places around the world, including Australia, New Zealand, China, and Russia. |
 | Alan Friendplays old time music on a variety of instruments (banjo, guitar, concertina) and is also a singer of ballads. He is a founding member of the Chelsea String Band. |
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Howard Glasseris the founding father of the Eisteddfod and Festival Director Emeritus. He recorded an important and impressive collection of songs in Scotland from the original source singers in the 1960s. He generally provides us with samples of his collection and his stories of the people he collected from. A noted calligrapher, Howard designed the Eisteddfod-NY logo. |
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Len Grahamis an award-winning traditional singer from Northern Ireland, universally acknowledged as among the finest to be found in the old style. |
 | Martin Grosswendt (tentative)is a multi-instrumentalist and singer long known as an interpreter of 1920s and '30s blues. He is equally at home playing the old-time music of the Southern Appalachians or the Cajun and Creole music of Southwest Louisiana. He plays six- and twelve-string guitar, five-string banjo, mandolin, fiddle, bass, Cajun accordion, and Dobro. Martin is music co-director and teaches at Banjo Camp North and Old Time Music Camp North, and has performed and taught at numerous festivals. |
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Jodee Jamesbrings a new energy to the music of Wales and the other Celtic lands. Singing ancient tales and ageless themes of love, loyalty, longing and mystery, with a voice that is touching and intimate, Jodee conjures the very essence of tradition, whether of this century or many centuries before us. |
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David Jonesis a master of English traditional song: everything from the ballad tradition to the lyrical and agricultural songs, to the English Music Halls. He is always a welcome regular at the festival. |
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Dónal Maguirehas been singing and playing in public for thirty years. While Dónal has been primarily associated with unaccompanied singing, he has significant other "strings to his bow". Dónal is a fine interpreter of contemporary material, as well as an excellent singer of traditional material, and can accompany himself on a range of stringed instruments. He is universally recognised as one of the finest players of Irish dance music on mandolin and tenor banjo. |
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Dan Milnerhas been involved in Irish traditional song all his life as a singer, author, collector, organizer and teacher. He is best known for his book of folk songs, The Bonnie Bunch of Roses, published by Oak; his classic Folk-Legacy maritime song recording, Irish Ballads & Songs of the Sea with Louis Killen, Mick Moloney, Bob Conroy and others; and for the weekly traditional music club he ran for 10 years at Malachy McCourt's Bells of Hell and The Eagle Tavern in New York. |
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Barry O'Neillis the most laid-back, unassuming singer ever to utterly fascinate an audience with his very unusual repertiore of songs from the streets of New York, to Eastern Canada, to the Victorian parlor. |
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John Roberts and Tony Barrandare the recipients of the 2008 Eisteddfod Award for service to traditional music and dance.John is a superb English singer who plays guitar, fiddle, concertina, and hurdy-gurdy, as well as being a fine musicologist and music editor. John and Tony have performed to great acclaim in every corner of the US and Canada for more than 35 years. Their numerous recordings are available from Golden Hind Records. Tony is an active teacher, singer, and scholar. Currently on the faculty at Boston University, his courses include "English Ritual Dance and Drama" and "Folk Songs as Social History." Much of Tony's work has focused on various forms of the seasonal display dances now known generically as Morris and Sword dancing. |
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Dave Ruchsings a cappella or with banjo, guitar, mandolin, or dulcimer, songs that combine with stories and humor to captivate audiences young and old. He is equal parts historian, entertainer, educator, comedian and folklorist. He finds his material in obscure songbooks, old recordings, scholarly journals, and sometimes from his own children. Dave will be presenting
"Traditional and Historical Songs of New York State," a special talk
funded by the Speakers in the Humanities Program,
made possible by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the New
York State Legislature.
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Steve Suffetis best described as an old-fashioned folksinger. His repertoire is a mixture of railroad songs, trucker songs, cowboy songs, union songs, old time ballads, ragtime, Gospel, bluegrass, topical-political songs, and whatever else tickles his fancy. |
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Ken Sweeney (tent.)Fine exponent of mountain ballads, old time songs, and sea music, and top notch player of clawhammer banjo, English concertina and harmonica. |
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Bill & Livia Vanaver (tent.)are the founders of the famed Vanaver Caravan dance and music ensemble. Together they sing and play old and newer style, traditional music from across the world. Along with banjo and guitar, expect to hear unusual ethnic instruments such as the Bulgarian tambura, Greek lauto and much more. Bill enjoys leading the audience in song, so get your pipes in order! |
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George Wardis a singer of a bunch of great traditional songs, and has written some of the best songs in traditional style we know of. He presents songs and stories of the canals and Adirondacks of NY State, Ireland, England, and America. He plays banjo, guitar, tin whistle, concertina, fiddle, jaw harp and more. |
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Dave Webber & Anni Fentimanmade their duo debut on stage at the Eisteddfod Festival in Dartmouth Massachusetts in 1993 -- which began a very successful career as a harmony duo, working largely a cappella, presenting mainly traditional and traditional idiom material. Anni has developed a specialist repertoire of songs originating from her native Northumberland, while Dave writes songs in traditional vein, many of which have become part of the general song repertoire of many singers around the world. |
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Toby Weinbergis a world-class performer on the Norwegian Hardanger fiddle. In addition to performing at this year’s festival, he will be offering by special registration a two-hour class for players of the hardingfehle. Please contact info@eisteddfod-ny.org for information on this class. |
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Heather Woodis a veteran singer from the English revival for some 40+ years, dating from her days with The Young Tradition. She has a great repertoire of ballads, historical songs, love and agricultural songs, and a lot from the humorous side. In addition to the old songs, she has written some dynamite new ones. |
| Jerry Devokaitis, guitar; Dave Howard, guitar and mandolin; Dave Kiphuth, old-time and bluegrass banjo; Neil Rossi, fiddle and mandolin; Phil Zimmerman, mandolin and old-time banjo | Wreck Room String Bandis a bunch of guys who have played together for decades, who know the tradition inside out, and have the chops to knock your socks off on the instruments and the voices as well. Old-time mountain music to Bluegrass and everything in between. |