Alaska Traditional Music Camp
- Instructors 2009
The Alaska Traditional Music Camp is pleased to have a nationally
well respected staff
representing a wide spectrum of styles, with
extensive teaching experience at camps throughout the country.
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CALEB KLAUDER - Oldtime mandolin, guitar, vocal
Caleb Klauder has been steeped in traditional music for many years, having played old time mandolin with his band the Foghorn Stringband, with Dirk Powell, and with the former group Pig Iron. Caleb originally learned the guitar at a young age, soon after picking up the fiddle. This formative background eventually gave him a strong foundation for his mandolin playing. Caleb's mandolin style comes from years of playing alongside banjos and fiddles, and is reflective of that musical tradition.
In his workshops, Caleb focuses on a few tunes, helping students develop both right-hand and left-hand technique, while maximizing the tone of the instrument. He also emphasizes rhythmic playing and chord options. Caleb encourages all interested students to bring a recorder. |
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STEPHEN "SAMMY" LIND
- Oldtime fiddle, guitar, vocal
Steve Sammy Lind has toured the world playing old time music with a number of different musicians, including his band mates from the Foghorn Stringband, Dirk Powell, and Riley Baugus. Recently, he collaborated with Irish fiddle great Kevin Burke for a concert series on the Oregon Coast.
Steve Sammy Lind has extensive experience in teaching old time music, having done so both all over the world, and in his own home. Sammy focuses on teaching tunes by ear with an emphasis on bowing, helping musicians capture the spirit of old time music. His repertoire includes fiddle tunes from Northern Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, North Carolina, Missouri and Southern Illinois.
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GRETCHEN PRIEST
Gretchen was born to a musical family in South Bend, IN. She
attended music school at IUSB and IU Bloomington and played
in a variety of classical string quartets, trios, the South
Bend Symphony, Elkhart Symphony, and the Midwest Pops Orchestra.
During this time she also performed with Lyle Lovett, Pearl
Bailey, Manhattan Transfer, and Captain Kangaroo. After moving
to Nashville in 1996, Gretchen played country fiddle for vocalist
Joy Lynn White (Columbia Records). She then toured four years
and recorded with the Celtic rock band, Ceili Rain (Nashville
Music Awards nominee). Beginning in 2001, Gretchen toured
and recorded with the Bluegrass band, Crucial Smith. She also
played on Tim May’s CD Find My Way Back (FGM
Records). In addition to touring and session work, Gretchen
has been teaching fiddle in Nashville for 13 years. She was
the manager of the Violin Shop School of Fiddling in Bellevue
for three years and has opened her own music school in Pegram,
Tennessee, named Fiddle & Pick, dedicated to the teaching
of Traditional Music. Vist
web site |
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TIM MAY - Mandolin
Guitar, banjo and mandolin player Tim May has been playing
since age 11. In 1989, Tim founded Crucial Smith, a progressive
acoustic bluegrass band based in Nashville, which produced
three well-received albums and performed regularly at high-profile
festivals including Telluride, The Walnut Valley Festival
and Winterhawk. He has toured with Patty Loveless and the
John Cowan Band, performed at the Grand Ole Opry in 2006/2007
and was the solo guitarist on I’ll Fly Away,
nominated for the 2006 Country Instrumental of the Year Grammy
Award. He performs regularly with his wife, fiddler Gretchen
Priest and their band Plaidgrass and is respected nationwide
as a teacher and clinician. He’s taught at the Nashville
Guitar College, South Plains College and at Nashcamp, as well
as traveled the country as a clinician for Breedlove Guitars. Tim
May Music |
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MARK WEEMS -
Mark hails from North Carolina and plays guitar, old-time banjo, fiddle, and piano, but is best known as a singer and composer. A well-known figure in the North Carolina traditional country and old-time scene, he has been singing and studying the nuances of all types of country music for over twenty years as a veteran of the Stillhouse Bottom Band, the Weems-Gerrard Band and his own honky-tonk band, the Cave Dwellers. Sing Out! Magazine recently called him "an exceptionally talented interpreter of old-time vocal and instrumental tunes" and "a gifted composer of timeless music." Mark tours internationally with his wife, Julee Glaub, as the duet Little Windows, which creates a mix of Irish, Appalachian, Old-time Country and Gospel music. He is also a leading proponent of unaccompanied mountain style singing and his latest solo release, Short Time Here, Long Time Gone explores his interest in traditional North Carolina ballads. Mark's music has been highlighted on NPR's program Thistle and Shamrock, and he has recorded and/ or performed with Tony Ellis (Bill Monroe), Carl Jones (Norman Blake), Daithi Sproule (Altan), Pete Sutherland (Metamora), Joe Adams (Johnny Paycheck), and Alice Gerrard (Hazel and Alice). He has taught master classes at the Irish Arts week in New York, at the Swannanoa Gathering in North Carolina and at his and Julee's own camp - Camp Little Windows. www.littlewindows.net www.myspace.com/markweemsandthecavedwellers |
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JULIE GLAUB- Irish ballads, Old Time harmonies
A native of North Carolina, Julee fell in love with Celtic music and journeyed to Ireland, where she spent almost eight years collecting and learning the ballad tradition from the source.
Her singing can move the most veteran listener, bringing a new depth of feeling to the ballad tradition.
Julee credits the combination of learning songs directly from traditional singers in Ireland over the years, material from the Irish Music Archives, and her experiences with the poor and working people of Dublin as her major inspirations. ulee teaches traditional singing privately and publicly. She is in great demand as a teacher and has been on the staff of the Irish Arts Week in the Catskills of New York, the Alaska Fiddle Camp, the Schloss Mittersill Arts Conference in Austria, the Swannanoa Gathering at Warren Wilson College in N.C, Camp Little Windows and various camps and festivals throughout the U.S. for the past years. She is the new coordinator for Traditional Song Week at the Swannanoa Gathering, a gathering of highly influential singers and musicians who have over the years remained devoted to preserving and promoting traditional song. Last year's inaugural year showcased legendary balladeer Jean Ritchie and highlighted the diverse works of John Cohen, two of America's most important keepers of its song traditions.
She is currently touring in a duo with Mark Weems, called Little Windows which blends Irish, Appalachian, and old-time Gospel with a focus on tight harmonies in unaccompanied singing. In addition to a unique and lovely voice, Julee plays guitar, flute and bodhran in performances. www.littlewindows.net www.juleeglaub.com |
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BRIAN CHRISTIANSON
- Bluegrass fiddle, mandolin
has been playing fiddle since age eight. In 1997 he was
named Minnesotaís Top Country Instrumentalist and has
won several fiddle contests across the state. Brian moved
to Nashville six years ago and began working at The Violin
Shop. His work as a luthier has earned him a special backseat
pass to many great jams when they break out in the shop with
a mirage of great fiddlers including Aubrey Haynie, Stuart
Duncan, Buddy Spicher and Alison Krause. Constantly being
around these great musicians, Brianís fiddling has
taken flight incorporating many styles such as Bluegrass,
swing, Irish, and old time. He is currently playing with Grand
Ole Opry star Mike Snider and his string band; and also with
PlaidGrass, a group of talented musicians that incorporates
Irish and bluegrass styles into a hybrid sound. |
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ROSE CONWAY FLANAGAN - Irish
fiddle
Rose Conway Flanagan is an traditional Irish fiddle teacher
from Rockland County in New York who originally began music
lessons as a child with Martin Mulvilhill while was growing
up in the Bronx. She further developed her Sligo style
of playing with the help of Martin Wynne and her older brother
Brian. She was an original member of the all women Irish
Group "Cherish the Ladies". She currently has a
large fiddle school in her hometown of Pearl River
where she is hard at work preparing the next generation of
great fiddle players which include several All Ireland
winners and medalists. In her spare time she has been a
regular instructor at the Catskills Irish Arts Weeks, runs
various seisuns, and plays with her group
the Green Gates Ceili band in the tri-state area. |
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EAMON O'LEARY - Irish
tenor banjo, guitar
While growing up in Dublin, Eamon O'Leary developed an
interest in Irish music through his friendship with Emer,
Breda and John Mayock, a noted family of trraditional musicians
from Co. Mayo. His first instrument was the guitar, which
he started playing while in his teens. When he moved to New
York City in 1991, he met guitarist John Doyle, fiddle player
Patrick Ourceau and other New York based musicians, and has
since become a fixture in the city's thriving Irish music
scene. |
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LINDA HICKMAN - Irish
whistle, flute
Flute player, singer and tinwhistle player Linda is well known
to Irish music fans in America for her performances with the
popular group Celtic Thunder, performing three times at the
White House. She performed at Maison de la Musique in Paris
in a concert featuring Irish music from New York City and
is a regular instructor at Catskill Irish Music Week. In addition
to her rigorous performing schedule, Linda also brings music
therapy programs to nursing homes throughout the New York
area. More
on Linda |
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BRIAN DeMARCUS
- Clawhammer banjo, guitar, bass
Brian's music and dance career dates back four decades. His father gave him his personal banjo in 1967 after Brian returned from a fiddlers' convention with enthusiasm to play old-time music. Starting in 1971, he spent 12 years touring professionally with a music and dance group from North Carolina, taking the rich traditional sounds of old-time string band music and Southern Appalachian clogging out of the mountain regions and into venues around the world. One of the highlights was a memorable engagement at Carnegie Hall in New York City. Brian has been calling dances since 1971, having performed in many states and overseas. He has taught at most of the prestigious music and dance camps around the country, as well as in the state of Alaska. Over the years he has played with a multitude of bands and has won many awards at fiddlers' conventions around the country. Brian's love of traditional music forms of all types keeps him active with several bands in Alaska. He teaches clawhammer banjo, bass, guitar, band and dance calling. He recently published a book of his original dances called Hands Fours And Square Your Sets that was featured in the December, 2006 issue of The Country Dance & Song Society Newsletter and the October, 2008 issue of The Old-Time Herald, an international traditional music magazine. His former dance group, The Green Grass Cloggers, was just awarded the 2008 Mountain Heritage Award for its outstanding contributions to the preservation of the heritage and culture of Western North Carolina.. |
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TERRI
McCOY - Irish Whistle I
Terri grew up listening to and singing Irish traditional music.
Her singing interests broadened over the years to include
Broadway show tunes and jazz. She has performed with professional
musical theater companies in Houston and Nashville, and spent
3 seasons with Alaska Cabin Nite Dinner Theatre in Denali.
She plays the bodhran and whistle and has performed around
Anchorage and the state with several Irish groups.
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SHONTI ELDER - Children's
Activities
is a fiddler / teacher / performer well-known in Alaska for
her sweet tuneful fiddling and bad jokes. She's won many
Alaskan fiddle contests, has two recordings of original songs,
and plays on many other Alaskan albums. Since 1978, she's
had an acoustic music program on KSKA Public Radio, FM 91.1;
Currently "Traveling Music" is on alternate Sundays from 12:05
- 2 PM. For many years, she's taught a variety of instruments
and styles at the Alaska City Folk Arts Camp and Birchwood
String Camp. ShontiElder.com |
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LIZ ODELL - Children's
Activities
Liz is excited and eager to be working in our children's program
this year. She began working in her mother's classroom when
she was 9 years old. She has been a coach for Northern Lights
Swim Club for six years, preparing youngsters ages 7 - 11
to swim competitively. In addition to coaching, Liz is attending
UAA. She is due to receive her degree in December of 2008,
after which she will pursue a Masters in Elementary Education.
In her spare time, Liz enjoys swimming, camping, running,
reading and spending time with her husband Shawn and her two
sons, Tyler and Jackson. |
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JAY MARVIN - Bluegrass
banjo, guitar
has been actively involved in Alaska's bluegrass scene for
years as one of the state's best bluegrass banjo and guitar
players. He is well-known and respected for his tasteful backups
and solos.
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SUZI FOWLEY
PERRI - Bodhran
has been an accomplished percussionist for many years. She
was the drummer for her 1970's band Suzi and the Dreamboats,
past bass, tenor, and snare drum player for the Anchorage
Scottish Pipe Band, and has been playing bodhran for over
20 years. Suzi is an active promoter of Irish festivals and
concerts in the Anchorage area. She regularly hosts Irish
music sessions, where she also plays buttonbox Irish accordion,
at her Scottish/Irish import shop in downtown Anchorage. Suzi's
Woollies |
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ADDITIONAL
MUSICIANS
will be on hand to assist with classes and provide some one-on-one
guidance. |
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