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| Below you will
find a list of those performing with us during the 2010 season. Plesase
click on the artists name to read a brief
biography. |
Adam Young:
Adam Young began playing the
piano at the young age of 5. At
15, Adam began learning the Cape Breton
style of piano
accompaniment. He has taken lessons from several of the
island’s best teachers,
and has developed his own unique style of playing. Adam graduated from
the
University College of Cape Breton in 2002 with his Bachelor of Arts
with a
double major in English literature and Celtic Studies. After completing
studies
at UCCB, he gathered with 6 of his friends to produce a successful
musical and
comedy revue, known as Cape Breton Lyrics & Laughter. In
addition to
performing with Lyrics & Laughter, Adam has accompanied some of
Cape
Breton’s
best known names such as Howie MacDonald, Matt Minglewood, and Ashley
MacIsaac.
Angus MacLeod:
Angus MacLeod is a Gaelic
singer from Goose Cove, Victoria
County,
Cape
Breton.
The North
Shore
area has long been noted for its milling frolics and milling singers.
Angus’s
parents were Gaelic speakers, and Angus returned to the language as an
adult.
He learned his Gaelic from his mother, local elders, as well as through
classes
and workshops. For the past several years he has been teaching and
performing
at the Gaelic
College
in St.
Ann’s
and at events around the island.
Anita MacDonald:
Anita MacDonald hails from
Little Narrows, Cape Breton.
She is an accomplished musician, dancer, and Gaelic singer. Anita began
step-dancing at age 4. As a fiddler, her playing has a distinctive
sound that
comes from her own variations on tunes. She is the granddaughter of
Little
Narrows fiddler and guitarist Charlie Ellis and noted fiddle player and
composer Raymond Ellis is her grand uncle. During her spare time Anita
works
with the cultural component of the Nova
Scotia Highland
Village
Museum,
Iona and Féis an Eilein, Christmas
Island. Anita attends Cape Breton University
and is taking
a Bachelor of Arts with a focus in Celtic Studies.
Barry George:
Barry George is originally from
Cape Cod, USA but his family
roots are
in Rear Christmas Island, Cape Breton.
Barry has been
learning Gaelic for several years and performs both solo and milling
songs.
Barry Shears:
Barry Shears was born in Glace
Bay, Cape
Breton.
He is acknowledged as an expert on the history of traditional piping in
Nova
Scotia and its
connection to Gaelic language and music. Barry is an accomplished piper
who has
performed at concerts and festivals throughout North America and Europe. Barry is also a composer
of pipe tunes. Barry was
originally a competitive piper, but his passion for the last 25 years
has been
interviewing and recording the last of the traditional style pipers in Nova Scotia.
In addition
to performing and teaching, Barry has authored four books.
Beth MacNeil:
Beth MacNeil,originally of
Sydney, but now resides in Beaver
Cove, Cape Breton, began learning Gaelic at the Nova Scotia Highland
Village
Museum as part of site animation. She has gone on to become a noted
solo Gaelic
singer, as well as a valuable addition to any milling frolic. Beth is a
longtime member of Féis an Eilein, Christmas
Island
and often instructs Gaelic language and song classes.
The
Boisdale Trio
& Father Francis Cameron:
The Boisdale Trio is composed
of Janet Cameron, Paul
Wukitsch, and Joe Peter MacLean. They have been performing together for
over 20
years. Piano player Janet Cameron, originally of Mabou, moved to
Boisdale and
has been a community accompanist for many years now. Fiddle player Joe
Peter
MacLean is from the rear of Boisdale, McAdam’s Lake district. He is one of the
few remaining Gaelic speaking fiddlers.
Fiddler Paul Wukitsch from Shenacadie immigrated to Cape Breton from New York State in
the late 1970s. Paul eventually
met Joe Peter MacLean and Janet Cameron and together they form the
popular
group The Boisdale Trio. Often joining the group when they play is
Janet’s
brother, Father Francis Cameron who plays the fiddle.
Brenda Stubbert:
Brenda Stubbert is from Point
Aconi, Cape
Breton.
She grew up surrounded by music, as her household was frequented by
many
musical visitors, such as Winston Fitzgerald and Johnny Wilmot, to name
a few.
By age 5, Brenda had started step-dancing and playing the piano. When
she was
8, she began learning the fiddle. Her style is strongly influenced by
her
family’s music, but also has elements from many of the great
players she has
been associated with. Brenda has toured throughout Ireland, Scotland, Mexico, and many cities
in Canada
and the USA.
She is a composer, and has
released 2 books of tunes. Brenda is always in demand for dances in Cape
Breton,
which are lively and well-attended.
Doug MacPhee:
Doug MacPhee of New Waterford, Cape
Breton
is one of the island’s most celebrated piano accompanists and
soloists. He
comes from a family that is rich in the traditional music of Cape
Breton.
Doug has played with all of the great fiddlers over the years,
including Buddy
MacMaster. Doug can be heard on over 20 recordings, and has released 5
solo
albums.
Dwayne Cote:
Dwayne Cote grew up in Grande
Greve, Richmond
County,
Cape
Breton.
His parents were both musical; his mother Gladys Stone Cote was a
well-known
dancer, performer, and instructor and his father Gordon was a
celebrated
fiddler. Dwayne has been performing since he was 4, both guitar and
violin.
Dwayne includes Angus Chisholm and Winston Scotty Fitzgerald as his
major
influences. Dwayne has a distinct classical tone and is one of the
region’s
most unique fiddlers.
Graham Mulholland:
Graham Mulholland is a native
of Dunkeld,
Scotland.
He began playing the Highland Pipes when he was 7 years old. He has won
many
first-place awards in major piping competitions in Scotland
and in the USA.
When Graham was 17, he joined the Vale of Atholl Pipe Band which won
Scottish,
British, and World Championships. He moved to the US
in 2001, and then back to Scotland
in 2008. He is a regular instructor at the Gaelic College of Celtic
Arts &
Crafts in St. Ann’s,
Cape
Breton.
Graham presently competes, teaches both children and adults, and
performs
regularly.
Howie MacDonald:
Howie MacDonald is from Westmount, Cape
Breton.
He is a talented fiddler and
piano accompanist. Howie has played with Natalie MacMaster on three of
her
recordings, and recorded and toured with the Rankin Family during their
career.
Howie has released 10 solo recordings, besides being featured on many
others.
He has also become known as an entertainer, as a comedic actor/musician
in the
Cape Breton Summertime Revue 1997, and Howie’s Celtic Brew in
2000 and 2001.
Jeff MacDonald:
Jeff MacDonald hails from Kingsville, Inverness County, Cape
Breton.
He is a Gaelic speaker with a
talent for singing and songwriting. Jeff has graduated from Saint Francis
Xavier
University and
Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, Scotland.
He is
currently completing his Masters in Folklore at Memorial University.
Jeff is a strong supporter of Gaelic language and culture and has
worked with
various groups teaching Gaelic language and song, such as
Féis an Eilein,
Christmas Island, St. Ann’s
Gaelic
College,
and the Nova Scotia
Highland
Village
Museum,
Iona.
Jennifer Roland:
Jennifer Roland is from the
small fishing community of Alder
Point, Cape
Breton.
She has been surrounded by music
her whole life, and began playing piano by ear by the time she was 3.
When she
was 6 she began taking dance lessons and studying classical piano. At
age 9
Jennifer started fiddle lessons with Kyle MacNeil of the Barra
MacNeil’s. When
Jennifer was 18 she released her debut album
“Dedication” and began touring
extensively. She has toured throughout Canada,
the US,
and Europe and has
developed an avid following. In 2007,
Jennifer was nominated for an East Coast Music Award for instrumental
recording
of the year. Jennifer also owns and operates her own music school, the
Jennifer
Roland School of Music and Dance.
Jody MacKenzie:
Jody MacKenzie comes from Rear
Christmas Island, Cape Breton.
She is a step-dancer and singer of Gaelic songs. Jody has been singing
with
Anita MacDonald for the past several years and the two have performed
at many
events around Cape Breton.
During the last 4
summers, Jody has been employed by Féis an Eilein in Christmas Island, teaching dance
and music lessons, as well as performing at
concerts and céilidhs. Jody is currently a student at Saint
Francis
Xavier
University,
studying nursing.
Lauren MacDonald:
Lauren MacDonald is from Little
Narrows, Cape
Breton.
She has taken guitar lessons from Laurie Simms. Together with her older
sister
Anita MacDonald, Lauren has been learning and singing Gaelic songs and
the two
have performed at several venues, including Cruinneachadh nan
Gèidheal in
Antigonish. Lauren is also becoming a very accomplished step-dancer as
she has
been taking lessons and performing for several years now. She currently
takes
piano and fiddle lessons. Lauren is now in grade 9 at Rankin School of the Narrows in Iona.
Lewis MacKinnon:
Lewis MacKinnon is an English,
Scottish Gaelic, and Irish
singer. He was born in Cape
Breton
and grew up in Antigonish County.
He has been performing at concerts, pubs, theatres, and other locations
since
1994. Lewis has played in all the Atlantic
provinces,
as well as Ontario,
and Scotland
and Ireland.
He has earned an East
Coast Music Award nomination for his all Gaelic CD entitled
‘A’ Seo’. In 2008,
Lewis released his first Gaelic poetry book, which includes 89 poems
with
English translations.
Mary Jane Lamond:
Mary Jane Lamond first fell in
love with Scottish Gaelic
traditions and song while visiting her grandparents throughout her
youth. While
enrolled in Saint
Francis
Xavier
University’s
Celtic Studies program,
Mary Jane released her first album, ‘Bho Thir Nan
Craobh’. This sharing of song
garnered her numerous Juno and East Coast Music Award nominations,
critical
acclaim, and a worldwide audience. Mary Jane is an interpreter, a
singer, and a
musician. She is widely involved with community events and programs
that help
conserve the Gaelic language, traditions, and culture for younger
generations.
Pat Gillis:
Pat Gillis is a guitar player
from Scotsville, Cape Breton.
He grew up around traditional music, with his father, uncle, and two
older
brothers playing the fiddle. His style of accompaniment and solos have
a great
amount of energy that can be heard when he is playing. Pat is left
handed, and
had only right handed guitars around, so he learned to play upside-down
and
backwards. Pat has toured the United States
with Cullin, played in Howie’s Celtic
Brew, and with Natalie MacMaster, Glenn Graham, and Ashley MacIsaac,
and more
recently in the band Beòlach.
Paul K. MacNeil:
Paul K. MacNeil is a piper
originally from Barra Glen, Cape Breton.
His first teacher was Sandy Boyd. Paul has been playing the bagpipes
for over
25 years. He played with the Halifax Police Pipe Band, serving as Pipe
Sergeant
when the band reached the Grade 1 level and was also Pipe Major for the
Halifax
Police Grade 4 Pipe Band at this time. After 8 years, Paul left the
band and
moved home to Cape
Breton
to concentrate on the more traditional style
of Cape
Breton
piping, that is influence by
step-dancing. He is married to pianist Tracey Dares-MacNeil and they
live in Castle
Bay, Cape
Breton.
Robbie Fraser:
Robbie Fraser is a fiddler and
pianist from Strathlorne, Inverness
County,
Cape
Breton.
He has been performing on stage
since he was 5 years old. He is a regular at concerts, ceilidhs, and
dances in
the Inverness
County
area. Robbie learns most of his
music by ear and is noted for his solid timing and his playing of the
traditional old (Gaelic) style, which is uncommon at his age. Robbie
has always
maintained that Buddy MacMaster and Willie Kennedy are the two biggest
influences on his style of music. Robbie has released three recordings
along
with his brother, Isaac Fraser.
Ryan J. MacNeil:
Ryan
J. MacNeil is originally
from Big Pond, Cape Breton but
now resides in
Port Hood. He is an accomplished musician and has mastered his
instruments; the
highland bagpipe, border pipes, and whistles. Ryan’s upbeat
playing is strongly
rooted in Cape
Breton's
dance oriented tradition. In
the past several years Ryan has become increasingly renowned as a
talented
composer. His tunes have been performed and recorded by many musicians,
both
locally and abroad. Ryan also manufactures a line of his own whistles.
Ryan
used his playing experience and practical skills to develop a whistle
which
rivals any other on the market.
Sandy MacIntyre:
Sandy MacIntyre was born in Inverness Town, in Inverness County, Cape
Breton.
He hails from a musical family, with both his parents being fiddlers.
He began
playing the pump organ at around age 8 or 9, accompanying visiting
fiddlers. At
age 16, Sandy
took up fiddle playing and began learning by ear. Over the years Sandy has become one of Cape
Breton’s
finest fiddlers and has composed over 100 tunes. Sandy
performs and teaches at workshops throughout Canada,
the US,
and abroad. During the past 20 years he has been a fiddle instructor at
St. Ann’s
Gaelic
College
in Cape
Breton
and a performer at
the International Celtic Colours Festival.
Tracey Dares-MacNeil:
Tracey Dares-MacNeil is from
the Marion
Bridge,
Cape
Breton
area. She has been playing the piano for over 20 years now, originally
trained
in contemporary styles, later studying some classical, and spent much
of her
musical career enveloped in the traditional music of Cape Breton Island. She is one
of the island’s finest pianists today.
She has toured extensively with Natalie MacMaster, and others. She is
married
to piper Paul K. MacNeil and they reside in Castle
Bay, Cape
Breton
with their family.
Wally Ellison:
Wally Ellison is originally
from Margaree,
Nova Scotia
but currently resides on the West Bay Road.
Wally has played the pipes for all of
his life. He is a retired geology and geography teacher. He is also an
avid photographer;
which you can see in his recently released book titled ‘This
Is My Cape
Breton’. Wally still occasionally teaches courses in
bagpiping, photography,
sciences, and Gaelic. He performs regularly for many concerts and
special
events throughout Cape Breton.
Wendy MacIsaac:
Wendy MacIsaac is a fiddler,
piano player, and step-dancer
from Creignish, Cape Breton.
Wendy has been
touring all over the world for the last ten years with Mary Jane
Lamond, Ashley
MacIsaac, Beòlach, and as a solo performer. Wendy began
performing at age 5 as
a step-dancer and at 12 years old she began fiddle lessons with Stan
Chapman.
By the time she was 15, Wendy was playing dances all over Cape Breton Island. In 1995 she
began touring with the Cape Breton
Summertime Revue and has made the road her second home ever since.
Wendy has
performed with the Chieftains, Capercaillie, and Buddy MacMaster, to
name a
few. Her skills as a teacher are also in high demand at festivals
worldwide,
whether for fiddle, piano, or stepdancing.
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