August Week I Flute & Pennywhistle

Jody Johnstone has been a fixture in the Irish music community in the
Belfast area for over a decade. She co-leads the Irish session at the Homeport
Tavern in Searsport on Thursday nights. Jody’s first intensive whistle study
was with Thomas Johnston in Ennis, Ireland. On returning from Ireland she
sought out Nicole Rabata for private lessons.  She attends the Catskills
Irish Arts Week regularly and studies whistle with with Mary Bergin, Joanie
Madden and Kathleen Conneely here or in Ireland every chance she gets.  A
recent vacation on Joanie Madden’s Musical Bus Tour of Ireland in which she
got to play with Joanie any number of times was a highlight of her lifetime.
Jody plays locally with Jim Hyland and Chris Brinn as The Strayaways and has
appeared on stage many times at the Maine Celtic Celebration and will do so
again this year.

A longtime Maine Fiddle Camper, Jody has previously assisted teaching
beginner whistle and is delighted to be on staff this year.

email: [email protected]

Multi-genre flutist Nicole Rabata fell in love with Irish traditional music while living in Cork city in the south of Ireland in 2000. She spent several years in County Clare, and has since performed in the USA, Europe and Asia, including International Flute Festivals in Stockholm and Lund (Sweden), Temple Bar Trad Fest in Dublin, the Hebridean Celtic Festival in Scotland, Interharmony International Music Festivals in Italy and Germany, Acadia Trad Fest, the National Flute Conventions in Phoenix, NYC and San Diego, WOMAD Festival in the UK and the Festival Interceltique du L’Orient in Brittany among others. She has been featured on BBC Glasgow and her solo recording has been featured on NPR. She spent two months in residence at the Gandhi Ashram in India where she directed the music program. She has been on the music faculty at Colby College for two decades and is a Trevor James Flutes performing artist.