August Week II Fiddle

Elizabeth Anderson is the 2020 US National Scottish Fiddle Champion and the 2016 Perth All-Scotland Fiddle Champion.  Her stylish and vibrant fiddle playing has delighted audiences and dancers across the East Coast. As a duo with her brother Ben on cello, Elizabeth has played to full houses at iconic Boston venues The Burren and Club Passim, and has given popular performances and workshops as far away as France and Scotland.  A graduate of Berklee College of Music, she teaches string instruments as a middle school and private instructor.

Éric Favreau comes from a family of traditional musicians and has spent a great deal of time playing with other fiddlers, learning their repertoire and studying their varied styles. Éric has explored and exploited various sources including archives and personally made field recordings and has accumulated a rich and fascinating repertoire. Over the years, he has garnered a profound understanding and vast knowledge of Québécois traditional music. (more…)

Ellen Gawler is a celebrated fiddler, masterful in many styles, including Irish, French-Canadian, Maritime, Shetland and New England. Her fiddling possesses sparkling clarity, authentically rooted in tradition while at the same time inventive and playful. Her lively delivery of traditional fiddling has sent many a contra dance hall into whirling delight with soaring melodies and driving rhythms. (more…)

Pascal Gemme has a degree from St-Laurent College (Montreal) in arranging and classical/jazz guitar, he has since been searching for seldom-heard songs and melodies, interpreting them in his unique and unmistakable style. Originally inspired by his fiddling grandfather, he has played with (and learned from), most of today’s great Quebecois fiddlers and singers. On top of teaching fiddle lessons on a weekly basis in his village of Waterville, QC, his teaching highlights include the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance in Limerick, Ireland, the Goderich Celtic College in Ontario, Quasitrad Music Camp in Australia, The Festival of American Fiddle Tunes in Port Townsend, Alasdair Fraser’s Fiddle Train, Sierra Fiddle Camp and Valley of the moon…AND Maine Fiddle camp of course (the best one of them all)!

Elaine Malkin has played the violin since the age of 5. She was part of the resurgence of contra dances in Maine in the early 70’s, having learned from Otto Soper and Dudley Laufman. She played New England contra dances until 2009, when she began an intensive study of Québécois fiddle with mainly Éric Favreau, but also with Lisa Ornstein, André Brunet, Yvon Mimeault, and Liette Remon. This music has completely captured her heart and she uses a traditional Québécois repertoire for contra dances, concerts, and other venues. Learning, teaching, and sharing this special music is her greatest joy.

Helen Newell is a fiddler hailing from the depths of Maine Fiddle Camp–she started playing violin at age 3, and grew up immersed in the folk world. Her parents, Kaity and Carter Newell are founding members of MFC, and Helen spent her entire childhood at camps, concerts, and contra dances.

Recently graduated from Berklee College of Music, Helen Newell pursued a Violin Performance major with a minor in American Roots. She was able to study with notable professors while at Berklee, including legendary Old-Time fiddler Bruce Molsky, jazz violinist Jason Anick, Arabic violinist Simon Shaheen, Turkish, Greek, Middle Eastern (and many others) violinist Beth Bahia Cohen, as well as violinist Mimi Rabson, Sharan Leventhal, Rob Thomas, and cellist Eugene Friesen. These amazing mentors have helped her expand her musical repertoire and technique and develop into a performer, composer and collaborator.

Helen has an active performing life, playing in orchestras, musicals, recording sessions, chamber groups, and bands. She has also been composing orchestral pieces—her most recent composition “7:08” was performed by Berklee World Strings in April 2022.

Another important aspect of Helen’s musical life is teaching. Helen is a certified Suzuki Method teacher, and she teaches both virtual and in-person violin lessons to a wide range of students. Because of her vast repertoire of styles, she likes to bring that exploration to her students and help them explore the world of different styles, repertoire, technique, improvisation, recording, and composing/arranging.

Kaity teaches fiddle in Damariscotta and has played for dances for many years with The Maine Country Dance Orchestra, and with the band The Lady Bugs. A native of Great Britain, Kaity has brought many a fine tune from the British Isles to our local dances. Kaity also plays viola in the local community orchestra and has four children, all of whom play music and come to camp every year.
7 Creek Lane Damariscotta ME 044543 207-563-8440

Maggie Robinson has been teaching fiddle since 2003.  She began taking fiddle lessons the age of 10 and became concert mistress of her school orchestra during her senior year.   Many years later she discovered Contradancing and fell in love with the music  She took the violin out of the closet and began learning fiddle tunes. She completed a course in 2003 at the Hartt College of Music, Theater, & Dance on “Teaching Fiddling”.

Currently she is teaching at several locations in greater Portland, and also regularly calls for contra dances around the state.