|
Eisteddfod - NYA Festival of Traditional MusicPerformers - 2011Back to Main Eisteddfod-NY page ..... To Press/Media information page
|
|
Concert Emcees
|
Sound Reinforcement |
Performers (alphabetical order) | ||
 |
Alice Backerwas classically trained in violin but, once she was exposed to Scottish and Bluegrass music, her violin suddenly turned into a fiddle and has remained that way since. She has performed Scottish music and has also taught her popular Scottish/Bluegrass Fiddle Connection workshop in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and throughout Scotland. She is in high demand as a dance musician, music teacher, and workshop leader in a variety of musical styles. Alice is also a versatile lead and harmony singer who enriches any group she sings with. |
|
 |
Joy Bennetthas been involved in folk music most of her life. As a member of the quartet Water Sign for 13 years, she explored the close-knit harmonies of both traditional and contemporary folk music. Joy is also a founding member of the all woman chantey group The Johnson Girls. The "J-Girls" bring a sound and energy to sea and work songs that has brought entire audiences to their feet. They not only have beautiful harmonies, but raw power, allowing audiences a glimpse of the situations in which the chanteys were used. At the same time, the beauty of their ballads is unparalleled. Joy has performed solo, with Water Sign, the Johnson Girls, and with guest artists in the US, UK, Canada, and Europe. |
|
 |
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. |
|
|
Claire Boucheris a native of Sarzeau, on the Presqu'Ile de Rhuys in southern Brittany, the Celtic region of France. She sings traditional songs in French and Breton, a Gaelic language similar to Welsh. Now living in Montréal, Claire teaches traditional dances from her region, performs occasionally with the group Pevar and also sings traditional duet material from Brittany with Olga Zaric. |
|
 |
Matt Brownperforms American roots music with an expansive repertoire of toe-tapping square dance tunes, haunting solo pieces, and a variety of songs from the blues to ballads. He is an innovative fiddler, an intricate banjo player, a propulsive guitar player, and a poignant singer. While much of his repertoire comes from the Appalachian south, he also loves sharing the songs of his home state, Pennsylvania. Matt delights his audiences with a wry sense of humor and a sound that is both authentic and inventive. |
|
 |
Martha Burnssings southern ballads, cowboy songs, comic ditties, turn-of-the-century heart-throbbers, and whatever else strikes her fancy. She’s been playing and singing American folk music since the early 1960s growing up in New York’s Greenwich Village. She currently lives in Washington, D.C. |
|
 |
Andy Cohenis a blues guitarist and historian whogrew up in a house with a piano and a lot of Dixieland Jazz records, amplified after a while by a cornet that his dad got him. At about fifteen, he got bitten by the Folk Music bug, and soon got to hear records by Big Bill Broonzy and the Jim Kweskin Jug Band, both of which reminded him of the music he grew up to. At sixteen, he saw Rev. Gary Davis, and his course was set. He knew he had it in him to follow, study, perform and promote the music of the southeast quadrant, America¹s great musical fountainhead. Although he's done other things ? a certain amount of writing, and physical labor from dishwashing and railroading to archaeology, playing the old tunes is what he does best. Andy is the recipient of this year's Eisteddfod Award. |
|
 |
Dennis Cookspends most of his music time as a sound engineer: recording, mixing, mastering, and doing occasional fun live-sound mixing. He learned backup piano in the early 1990s, and accompanies Judy (on concertina) for fun and as background for the occasional fundraiser. He prefers music for comfort, not speed. He has led slow jams over the last decade for the enjoyment of all. |
|
 |
Judy Cookbrings a powerful voice, a great-unaccompanied style and a deep respect for tradition to her performances of a huge repertoire of (mostly) American songs and ballads. Judy’s singing is marked by a command of narrative that pulls the audience in to really understand what the song is about. Her style and presentation are a credit to her sources. |
|
 |
Christine Cooperspent her childhood in a lovely old farmhouse in Wales that was full of instruments. At eighteen she took off to see the world with her fiddle on her back. In the years that followed she busked in the centre of the Australian Outback, traded licks with South African traditional musicians, and joined a Chinese rock band. These experiences instilled in Christine a love for all musical cultures, but also a longing to get to know her own; thus began her love for the traditional music of Wales and England. She brings creativity and respect in equal measures to the music she plays. |
|
 |
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. Jerry is a previous recipient of the Eisteddfod Award |
|
 |
Jean Farnworthalso known as Lady Loriwynn the Harper, collects and performs with historical non-pedal harps used in the oral traditions of Irish, Scottish, Welsh, Breton, American Colonial and Civil War periods. She has a fine contralto voice. Jean performs with Evy Mayer as Double Trouble. |
|
 |
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. |
|
 |
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. He is a previous recipient of the Eisteddfod Award |
|
 |
Dave Harveyis a traditional contradance and square dance caller and Appalachian and Cape Breton step dancer who has been in New York City for six years. When not organizing or calling a dance, he is a high school math teacher at the Dalton School. Dave will be the caller for our Saturday night dance. |
|
 |
Chris Koldeweyhas been singing and playing folk music, and sea music in particular, since he was a teenager. He comes from a family rich in maritime traditions, and his lullabies as a child were traditional songs of the sea. Raised on the North Shore of Long Island, he was exposed to a wide variety of folk music. A public school music teacher by trade, Chris spends his "free time" as a Shantyman at Mystic Seaport Museum in Connecticut: one of the few places left where shanties are used for their original purpose — coordinating shipboard tasks. Chris plays guitar, banjo, mandolin, fiddle, concertina, and other things common to an average garage sale. |
|
 |
Carl Linichhas been a scholar, teacher, and performer of traditional Georgian polyphonic singing since 1990, and is a member of Trio Kavkasia. After being introduced to Georgian vocal polyphony through the Hudson Valley’s own Kartuli Ensemble, Carl eventually went on to live in Georgia for about 10 years. |
|
|
Bob Malenkyis an eclectic performer, concentrating on the blues but at home with union songs, Woody Guthrie, and traditional folk songs. He plays guitar (learned from Muddy Waters and Lightnin' Hopkins); has performed with Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee and has taught courses in world folk music at City College |
|
 | Evy Mayersings and plays ukulele, guitar, dumbek and a host of other percussion instruments. She collects popular songs of the early 1900s, as well as rounds, humorous songs, children's music, plus Balkan, Hawaiian, and other international music. She loves to sing harmony and funny songs, and to folk dance. Evy will be performing with Jean Farnworth as Double Trouble. | |
 |
Caroline Patondraws upon a vast repertoire developed over many years of collecting folksongs, with her late husband, Sandy, throughout the English -speaking world, from the Southern Appalachians to the Ozarks, from Scotland and England to the Maritime Provinces of Canada. Sandy and Caroline were the founders of Folk Legacy Records and are previous recipients of the Eisteddfod Award. |
|
 |
Rob Patonis a fine singer and musician. The son of Sandy and Caroline, he follows in the family's musical traditions |
|
 |
Anne Priceis a versatile and gifted singer born and raised in New York City. She sings a wide variety of traditional folk songs and many songs from contemporary songwriters, as well as songs she has written. |
|
 |
John Robertsis a superb English singer who plays banjo, guitar, concertina, and hurdy-gurdy, as well as being a fine musicologist and music editor. He, with long-time performing partner Tony Barrand, has 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. John and Tony are previous recipients of the Eisteddfod Award. |
|
 
|
Dave Ruchis equal parts historian, entertainer, educator, comedian and folklorist. He finds his song material in dusty archives, obscure songbooks, diaries, old recordings, scholarly journals and sometimes from his own children, and brings these gems to life in a most entertaining style. Whether singing in the old unaccompanied style, or backing himself with great skill on banjo, guitar, mandolin, octave mandolin, bones, spoons, washboard or jaw harp, joyful songs combine with stories and humor to captivate audiences young and old. Dave Ruch's website
|
|
 |
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. He is a tireless researcher into the lesser-known songs of Woody Guthrie. |
|
 |
Zeliha Temrenwill present a workshop on Turkish music.Music of Turkey (from Wikipedia) |
|
 |
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. |
|
 |
Olga Zaricoriginally from Serbia, now lives in Montreal. She sings traditional duet material from Brittany with Claire Boucher and is a strong singer of a capella Serbian and Macedonian traditional music She speaks French, Spanish, Italian, and Serbian, and currently co-directs the Breton Union vocal ensemble in Montreal. |
|
 |
John Zivwrites songs, and plays 'em too, mostly to his fiercely loyal, but exceedingly tiny fan club. He wasted the first fifty-some years of his life not writing songs, and is now trying to make up for lost time. John is perhaps better known for baking cookies and other confections. |
|
Concert EmceesOur concert emcees each host a show called Traditions — this is pure coincidence! Both have been emcee at several previous Eisteddfodau [note: that's the plural. Really. It's Welsh.]. | ||
 |
Mary Cliff
hosts Traditions, a twice-weekly show on WAMU 88.5 HD Channel 2 in the Washington, DC area and on 105.5 FM (Reston, VA).
|
|
 |
Ron Olesko
hosts Traditions,a weekly program on WFDU, with studio guests and recordings from the unique and expansive world of folk music.
|
|
Sound Reinforcement | ||
 |
Don Wade
has
four decades of experience in sound reinforcement and will be providing
excellent sound, as he has done at all our programs.
|
|
