June Weekend I
Kimberley Holmes
Instrument: PianoSession(s): June Week, June Weekend I
Instrument by Session(s): June Week Piano, June Weekend I Piano
Kimberley Holmes, a native of Carrolls Corner, Nova Scotia is an East Coast Music Award nominee and one of Canada‘s premier piano accompanists in the traditional style of fiddling. She has won many awards for fiddling, both in solo and group classes. She is the host accompanist and past Artistic Director of the Maritime Fiddle Festival. She has toured and recorded with numerous artists such as Graham Townsend, Calvin Vollrath and Richard Wood to name a few and is part of the groups, Bb Sisters and Tipsy 3. Kimberley has been a member of the Fall River School of Performing Arts staff since 2005, teaching both fiddle and piano to ages four to adult. She also teaches at home and is also an instructor at many fiddle camps in North America. In 2019, Kimberley was inducted into the Nova Scotia Country Music Hall of Fame and is a member of the Canadian Grand Masters Fiddling Association. Kimberley was the chairman for the 2023 Canadian Grand Masters Fiddling Competition held in Truro, NS Aug 26, 2023.
Ethan Tischler
Session(s): August Week I, August Week II, June Week, June Weekend I
Instrument by Session(s): August Week I Voice, August Week II, June Week Guitar, June Weekend I
Mitch Reed
Instrument: Bass, FiddleSession(s): August Week I, August Week II, June Week, June Weekend I
Instrument by Session(s): August Week I Bass, August Week II Fiddle, June Week Fiddle, June Weekend I Bass
Words from Mitch Reed:
“I am a multi-instrumentalist, traditional music instructor, and storyteller. I was born in Bayou Vista, Louisiana, raised in Lafayette by musicians and storytellers from Mamou. At 15 I began playing the fiddle and studying traditional Cajun and Creole music. By 17 I toured as a cultural ambassador in Smithsonian Institution Office of Folklife Programs, and have continued to work with them since 1989.
During my career, I have played alongside Louisiana greats such as Canray Fontenot, Bois Sec Ardoin, Charles Neville, and George Porter. I have performed on four Grammy Nominated albums, and in 2009 I was awarded a Grammy with BeauSoleil for the album “Live at the 2008 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival”. Over the years I have built an extensive repertoire and learned an old style of playing which is evident in my sound today.
After I retired from 11 years on the road as the bass player and second fiddler with BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet, I moved from Louisiana to Maine with my wife and our family. These changes helped me continue passing on the unwritten tradition of Cajun and Creole fiddling and storytelling while exploring the connections between the musical traditions of Acadia and Acadiana.”
Mitch will be teaching either bass or fiddle during the week-long sessions in 2024
Ando Anderson
Instrument: Guitar, UkuleleSession(s): August Week I, August Week II, June Week, June Weekend I
Instrument by Session(s): August Week I Ukulele, August Week II Ukulele, June Week Ukulele, June Weekend I Ukulele
My mother brought a ukulele on a family trip to Atlanta. The 7 hour drive was pretty stressful as three unruly bored brothers turned the backseat into a war zone. In addition to our battles this trip we each learned to play 5’2″ on the uke. My first experience with a stringed instrument. Of course we performed for Grandma, Aunts, Uncles, and cousins. That was over 50 years ago.
Since then I’ve played guitar, upright bass, and uke in assorted bands and groups mostly in Mississippi and Maine. (more…)
Mia Bertelli
Instrument: VoiceSession(s): August Week I, August Week II, June Week, June Weekend I
Instrument by Session(s): August Week I Voice, August Week II Voice, June Week Voice, June Weekend I Voice, Warblers
Mia Bertelli grew up in the mountains of New Mexico, singing at every chance she could get. Her love of song led her to Vermont at the age of fifteen, where she dove into the polyphonic singing camps of Village Harmony like a penguin into the sea. Since then she has been filling kitchens, streets, concert halls, vegetable gardens, and public restrooms with song, both in the northeast and overseas. Her irrepressible inclination to harmonize and great love of playful nuance have mostly gotten her into all the right sorts of trouble, so she counts them among her blessings. (more…)
Aidan Boardman
Instrument: GuitarSession(s): August Week I, August Week II, June Weekend I
Instrument by Session(s): August Week I Guitar, August Week II Guitar, June Weekend I Guitar
Greg Boardman
Instrument: FiddleSession(s): June Weekend I
Instrument by Session(s): June Weekend I Fiddle
Jessie Boardman
Instrument: FiddleSession(s): June Weekend I
Instrument by Session(s): June Weekend I Fiddle
Jessie fiddles for contra and family dances across New England, and she sometimes sneaks the cello into dance sets. Jessie teaches fiddle to all ages at Maine Fiddle Camp, Sandy Island Suzuki Camp, at workshops, and in her private studio. Dancing her first contra dance as a child to the band Swallowtail in New Hampshire, Jessie later moved to Maine, where she happily resides. Jessie can be reached at (207) 344-3106.
Éric Favreau
Instrument: FiddleSession(s): August Week I, June Week, June Weekend I
Instrument by Session(s): August Week I Fiddle, June Week Fiddle, June Weekend I Fiddle
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…)
Frank Ferrel
Instrument: FiddleSession(s): August Week I, August Week II, June Week, June Weekend I
Instrument by Session(s): August Week I Fiddle, August Week II Fiddle, June Week Fiddle, June Weekend I Fiddle
Maine coast musician, Frank Ferrel is considered one of the seminal traditional New England and Maritime fiddlers. In fact, Boston Globe music critic, Scott Alarik called him, “One of the finest living masters of the genre.” his CD recording, Yankee Dreams, was selected by the Library of Congress to be included in their, “Select list of 25 examples of American folk music on record.” (more…)
Alex Fortier
Instrument: PianoSession(s): August Week I, August Week II, June Week, June Weekend I
Instrument by Session(s): August Week I Piano, August Week II Piano, June Week Piano, June Weekend I Piano
Benjamin Foss
Instrument: Guitar, MandolinSession(s): August Week I, August Week II, June Week, June Weekend I
Instrument by Session(s): August Week I Mandolin, August Week II Mandolin, June Week Guitar, June Weekend I Mandolin
Elsie Gawler
Instrument: CelloSession(s): August Week I, June Week, June Weekend I
Instrument by Session(s): August Week I Cello, June Week Cello, June Weekend I Cello
Elsie Gawler is a multi-instrumentalist and songster rooted in Maine’s traditional folk music and culture. With her family, the Gawler Family Band, she has played throughout the state and beyond, sharing traditional fiddle tunes, songs, and original works since she was 6 years old. From this foundation she has branched out and launched her debut solo album, Sweet As Honey. The album is a collection of 9 original songs inspired by sacred connection to earth and community. While continuing to play regularly with The Gawler Family Band, her other projects include duo Elsie & Ethan, and trio The Gawler Sisters. She has also been a long-time member of the group Childsplay. (more…)
John Gawler
Instrument: BanjoSession(s): June Weekend I
Instrument by Session(s): June Weekend I Banjo
John plays 5-string banjo, guitar, and piano and is the best bottom feeder in the business! When he isn’t smiling and putting on a roof, he is smiling and singing a Woody Guthrie song, accompanied by his wife, Ellen Gawler, or one of his daughters in the Gawler Family Band. Besides doing workshops, John helps host the camper concerts.
282 Guptill Rd. Belgrade ME O4917 207-495-2267
Tamora Goltz
Instrument: FiddleSession(s): June Week, June Weekend I
Instrument by Session(s): June Week Fiddle, June Weekend I Fiddle
Tamora has been playing the fiddle since the early 1980’s and teaching for more than two decades. She teaches a broad range of music and created the first strings program at Ashwood Waldorf school. She is currently part of the teaching staff at 317 Main Community Music Center. Tamora is primarily known for her music in the Irish/Celtic tradition and in the world of Contra Dance. (more…)
Ed Howe
Instrument: FiddleSession(s): August Week I, August Week II, June Week, June Weekend I
Instrument by Session(s): August Week I Fiddle, August Week II Fiddle, June Week Fiddle, June Weekend I Fiddle
Born into a musical family, Ed started playing fiddle at the age of 4, learning Suzuki method. His musical interests cover a wide spectrum from Bluegrass to Celtic and beyond and he has been a regular instructor for Maine Fiddle Camp since 2003. Howe has an extensive electronics background, and took an interest in the electric violin. He plays a 5-string NS Design electronic violin and is a featured artist on the NS design artist page. (more…)
Jim Joseph
Instrument: AccordionSession(s): August Week I, June Week, June Weekend I
Instrument by Session(s): August Week I Accordion, June Week Accordion, June Weekend I Accordion
Jim Joseph, from Phippsburg,ME, was actually on staff a couple years ago for the inaugural June week. That was before we had an actual accordion track, and now he is back as an accordion teacher. Jim plays button accordion in the Quebecois, New England, and Cajun styles and also plays 5 string banjo, mandolin, fiddle, percussion (foot and otherwise) and is a member of several Maine bands including, T-Acadie, Scrod Pudding, and JimmyJo and the Jumbol’ayuhs, with Fiddle Camp staffers Pam Weeks and Bill Olson. Jim plays single row Cajun accordions (built by Marc Savoy and Junior Martin) and a 2 row Saltarelle D/G box. Here are some videos of Jim in action: A Cajun song with the Jumbol’Ayuhs, and a set of Quebecois reels with T-Acadie.
Stuart Kenney
Instrument: Banjo, BassSession(s): August Week I, August Week II, June Week, June Weekend I
Instrument by Session(s): August Week I Banjo, August Week II Bass, June Week Bass, June Weekend I Banjo
One of the most in demand upright bass, and five-string banjo players on the US contradance circuit, Stuart Kenney’s regional musical interests sweep from Southwest Louisiana to Acadia. He has a long career in many traditional music genres. His interest in Quebecois music formed through the fiddling of Lisa Ornstein, and performances by La Bottine Souriante. The inclusion of French Canadian music into the living tradition of New England contradance music caught his attention early on. (more…)
Bennett Konesni
Instrument: VoiceSession(s): August Week II, June Week, June Weekend I
Instrument by Session(s): August Week II Voice, June Week Voice, June Weekend I Voice
Bennett Konesni grew up in Appleton, Maine, 10 miles downstream of Maine Fiddle Camp. He was naturally drawn into the strong communities of old-time music, sailing, and farming in the area. At thirteen he shipped as a deckhand aboard local schooners, sailing Penobscot Bay and learning the traditional work songs of the tall ships as he raised sails and hauled anchor. Later, at Middlebury College, Bennett co-founded the student farm and spent six months studying Zulu farming songs in South Africa. (more…)
Glen Loper
Instrument: MandolinSession(s): August Week I, August Week II, June Week, June Weekend I
Instrument by Session(s): August Week I Mandolin, August Week II Mandolin, June Week Mandolin, June Weekend I Mandolin
Glen gives private lessons for mandolin and tenor banjo from his home in Portland, ME, and plays for contradances throughout the Northeast, and at festivals across the country with bands such as Frigate, Steampacket, Riptide, and Stomp Rocket. Visit Glen at www.glenloper.com.
49 Brackett St, Portland ME, 04102
Phone: 207-837-8249
Elaine Malkin
Instrument: FiddleSession(s): August Week I, August Week II, June Week, June Weekend I
Instrument by Session(s): August Week I Fiddle, August Week II Fiddle, June Week Fiddle, June Weekend I Fiddle
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.
Steve Muise
Instrument: FiddleSession(s): August Week I, June Weekend I
Instrument by Session(s): August Week I Fiddle, June Weekend I Fiddle
Steve Muise has been fiddling his family’s Downeast Style for many years. (His parents are 1st and 2nd generation Nova Scotians) He founded the Franklin County Fiddlers, a group of high school musicians that tours around Maine and way beyond displaying, promoting and learning about fiddle styles. Steve is a graduate of Berklee College of Music, and is a stringed instrument teacher in the MBRSD schools (Farmington area). Steve was honored with the “Maine Music Educator of the Year” award in 2007 from MMEA. Steve enjoys playing all styles, ranging from Downeast (maritime), Québécois, Celtic, and jazz, and can be seen playing music with his dad Paul, Boréal Tordu, Frigate, Muisette and the Franklin County (more…)
Kaity Newell
Instrument: Fiddle, VoiceSession(s): August Week I, August Week II, June Week, June Weekend I
Instrument by Session(s): August Week I Fiddle, August Week II Fiddle, June Week Fiddle, June Weekend I Fiddle
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
Darryn Petersen
Instrument: Flute & PennywhistleSession(s): June Weekend I
Instrument by Session(s): June Weekend I Flute & Pennywhistle
Darryn Petersen began playing the whistle and uilleann pipes twenty four years ago, after being inspired by a Seamus Ennis album he bought on a whim. His first lessons were with Jim Daily and the St James The Great chapter of Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann in Glasgow, Scotland, and then with All-Ireland piper Patrick Hutchinson in Providence RI. He is greatly interested in the musical styles of the great pipers of the early and mid twentieth century, such as Seamus Ennis, Tommy Reck, and Willie Clancy. Although his day job restoring Maine’s early homes keeps him quite busy, he still finds time to haunt local sessions, and particularly enjoys sharing tunes with Fiddle Camp instructors Tamora Goltz, David Stimson, and Sharon Pyne.
John Pranio
Instrument: Fiddle, Guitar, HarmonicaSession(s): August Week I, August Week II, June Week, June Weekend I
Instrument by Session(s): August Week I Fiddle, August Week II Fiddle, June Week Fiddle, June Weekend I Fiddle
John started his early musical life as a drummer, but by some miracle got hooked on traditional music in his teens.
John’s been teaching fiddle and harmonica at MF Camp since its start in the mid 90’s. He’s been known to get a few silly skits going for the evening variety show. He teaches fiddle, guitar and harmonica privately and can be contacted at [email protected] 338-0296 (cell 213-3294).
Doug Protsik
Instrument: Accordion, Fiddle, PianoSession(s): August Week I, August Week II, June Week, June Weekend I
Instrument by Session(s): June Week Piano, June Weekend I Piano
Doug likes to play the “old-time piano” for dances, melodramas, honky tonk saloons, and silent movies. He learned his style from Otto Soper, Geneva Walton, and Danny Patt among many others. He plays with Old Grey Goose and produced all three of their recordings, including the group’s first recording in 1978 for Folkways, “Old Time Country Dance Tunes and Songs from Maine”, now available again on CD. Doug also plays piano, accordion, and fiddle. He is the Camp Director again this year.
116 Pleasant Cove Dr. Woolwich ME 04579 207-522-3800
Sharon Pyne
Instrument: Flute & PennywhistleSession(s): August Week I, August Week II, June Week, June Weekend I
Instrument by Session(s): August Week I Flute & Pennywhistle, August Week II Flute & Pennywhistle, June Week Flute & Pennywhistle, June Weekend I Flute & Pennywhistle
Sharon has been a student of tin whistle and wooden flute since 1977 when she attended the Willy Clancy Summer School while working in Ireland for the year. On her return to Boston to care for her grandmother, she studied with master flute players in the Hanafin /Cooley Comhalthus branch. She move to Maine to raise her children and became a member of the Portland Ceili Band and Ladies of the Lake. She runs a music studio in Bath, Maine where she teaches flute and whistle and Music Together. For a few months every year since 2000, she happily lives and breathes Maine Fiddle alongside director Doug Protsik. Sharon can be contacted at [email protected] or 207-522-3900.
Kenny Raskin
Instrument: UkuleleSession(s): August Week I, June Week, June Weekend I
Instrument by Session(s): August Week I Ukulele, June Week Ukulele, June Weekend I Ukulele
Kenny first picked up a ukulele at age 8, when a family friend bought him one. Now 50 plus years later, he’s not half bad! He’s got a menagerie of them, from soprano to baritone, and plays a variety of styles, swing music being his favorite. Kenny has been an actor and physical comedian for 35 years, and has performed internationally, as well as on Broadway. He also starred as the lead clown in Cirque du Soleil’s Nouvelle Experience. He and Francis Berks make the acoustic duo The Doppelgangers.
Maggie Robinson
Instrument: FiddleSession(s): August Week I, August Week II, June Week, June Weekend I
Instrument by Session(s): August Week I Fiddle, August Week II Fiddle, June Week Fiddle, June Weekend I Fiddle
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.
David Stimson
Instrument: Concertina, Guitar, PianoSession(s): June Week, June Weekend I
Instrument by Session(s): June Week Guitar, June Weekend I Guitar
David Stimson began backing up country dance music on the guitar in 1965 at the age of eleven. During several summers the 1960s he attended Pinewoods cape with his family while his stepfather, Bob Guillard, taught Morris Dancing and English Country Dance. David’s was first exposed to Contra Dance during the evening dances at Pinewoods; however, the disease remained latent until he learned English Concertina and joined the Woods Hole Folk Orchestra in1979. (more…)
Bethany Waickman
Instrument: GuitarSession(s): August Week I, August Week II, June Week, June Weekend I
Instrument by Session(s): August Week I Guitar, August Week II Guitar, June Week Guitar, June Weekend I Guitar
Bethany Waickman is a guitarist based out of Portland, Maine. She grew up in a musical family in the Adirondack Mountains of northern New York state. After college she spent some time traveling, hiking, and playing music in Ireland. Upon returning, she moved to Boston to focus on music. She co-founded the contra dance trio, Anadama, and is the guitarist for VT-based fiddler/singer Lissa Schneckenburger. (more…)
Pam Weeks
Instrument: Fiddle, Mountain Dulcimer, Piano, VoiceSession(s): August Week I, August Week II, June Week, June Weekend I
Instrument by Session(s): August Week I Fiddle, August Week II Fiddle, June Week Mountain Dulcimer, June Weekend I Fiddle
Pam sings and plays several instruments in the folk trio, T-Acadie, is fiddler and singer for the Maine-based Cajun dance band, Jimmyjo & the Jumbol’Ayuhs, plays fiddle and mountain dulcimer in the contradance band, Scrod Pudding, and performs solo or with guitar player and caller Bill Olson. She is an accomplished tunesmith and has composed scores of tunes, from lively jigs and reels, to entrancing airs and beautiful waltzes.
Fred White
Instrument: GuitarSession(s): August Week I, June Weekend I
Instrument by Session(s): August Week I Guitar, June Weekend I Guitar
Fred ‘s (guitar, percussion, vocals) musical debut occurred on the floor of his parents’ kitchen, surrounded by pots and pans, long before he ever heard of Ginger Baker or Gene Krupa. For the most recent 45 years he has been performing and recording oldtime, string band, hillbilly, rockabilly, blues, bluegrass, jazz, swing, minstrels, ragtime and Americana music. His trio, Waxlips, made award winning waves in North Carolina in the mid-80’s and (more…)