JOHN WEED - Celtic Fiddle

John Weed, fiddler for New World String Project and Molly’s Revenge, is a classically-trained violinist who has spent the last 25 years immersed in various fiddle styles. With an affinity for folk traditions, John’s exploration has emphasized Irish, Scottish, Swedish, and Old-Time fiddle. While he holds a bachelor’s degree of music from CSU Chico, the musical education that charted his path began through a long series of Irish sessions. There, he learned the nuance of aural passing of melodies and the tradition of conversing in a deeply musical manner. John’s passion for the vital expressiveness of the session lead to performing across the United States and internationally. During this formative stretch, John developed a passion for teaching. He has taught fiddle as a faculty member at Big Sur Fiddle Camp, Wallowa Fiddle Tunes, Lark in the Morning International Camp, Crowden International Suzuki School, Santa Cruz Redwood Teen Celtic Camp, Redwood Adult Music Camp, and MAT Camp of the Arts Wyoming among others. John currently has a full roster of private students, teaches a weekly Celtic jam by ear, coaches Santa Cruz Community Music School Teen Band, and is currently on faculty at Palenke Arts, a multicultural arts organization.

COLIN COTTER - Guitar

Colin grew up immersed in Irish, Finnish, and American folk music. When he was four years old, his mom had him pick up the fiddle and began teaching him to play the tunes she had learned as a child, building on several generations of a family tradition in Finnish folk music. He attended fiddle camp a few years later and fell in love with the Scottish and Irish tunes that quickly came to define his musical journey for a time. In addition to being a fine fiddler and singer, Colin is an accomplished self-taught guitarist, having taken to the instrument both for the practical purpose of accompanying himself singing and out of a deep affinity for sitting in the rhythmic belly of the beast when playing with fiddlers. Over the years, he has crafted a unique approach to expressing on the instrument that he brings to collaborations with artists from across the musical spectrum.

The main musical endeavors Colin is working on currently include songwriting, live solo performances, an edgy, electro-acoustic adventure with fiddler / violist Ryan McKasson that the two are calling Old Growth Graveyard, duos with fiddlers Sumaia Jackson and Adrianna Ciccone, sideman backing guitar work, and one-off collaborations. As a recording artist, he has released albums with the bands he co-founded, MAC (Perfectly Manufactured Reality, 2018) and A Thousand Years at Sea (4 releases between 2009-2014), and played guitar on several tracks for Sumaia Jackson’s 2019 record, Möbius:Trip.

RUAIRDH MACKAY - Scottish Fiddle

Hailing from the Highlands of Scotland, Ruairidh Mackay is a talented 23-year-old fiddle player with a deep passion for traditional music. Having started playing at the age of nine, he is set to graduate this summer from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland with a degree in Traditional Music.

Known for his creative approach to music, Ruairidh enjoys pushing boundaries through composition and performance. Recently, he had the honour of composing a tune for Princess Anne and showcased his talent on the international stage at the Paris Olympic Games 2024.

In addition to his work as a performer, Ruairidh has a love for Scottish ceilidhs, bringing his vibrant energy to life both as a musician and by teaching others to join in the dancing. With a friendly and engaging teaching style, he is excited to share his skills and passion for fiddle music at this year’s camp.

SIMON CHRISMAN - Hammer Dulcimer, Bass

Hammer dulcimer virtuoso Simon Chrisman brings an unusual style to an instrument that has previously been thought to have limited range and technique… his inventive virtuosic touch and sophisticated rhythmic sensibilities are redefining the instrument and earning the attention of musicians from all over the world. He tours with the Jeremy Kittel Band and the Bee Eaters, and has performed with Darol Anger, Bruce Molsky, Mike Marshall, Laurie Lewis and Seamus Egan.

JORDAN TICE - Guitar

Jordan Tice is a singer, songwriter and guitarist who combines witty, well-crafted songs with deft fingerstyle and flatpick guitar playing. His performances have been compared to those of legends like Leo Kottke, John Hartford, and David Bromberg for their mix of virtuosity and playfulness and his songs have been compared to those of writers, Bob Dylan and John Prine for their humor, introspection and philosophical nature. 

His 5th record, Motivational Speakeasy, released last September, features only Jordan, his voice and his guitar. It was produced by Kenneth Pattengale of the Milk Carton Kids and has been garnering rave reviews from outlets such as NPR Music, PopMatters, American Songwriter, and No Depression. Though a solo outing, there is a wide variety of moods, textures, and influences found on the record’s songs, from the classic Mississippi John Hurt style melodic blues of "Matter of Time" and "Goin on Down", to the dissonant Tom Waits-like shuffle of "Creation's Done" to the philosophical early Dylanesque chatter of "Walkin'" and "Where I'm At”. In addition to his songs which muse on life, relationships and time, the album contains 3 instrumental tracks where Tice showcases his narrative guitar-playing and composing with performances that range from British Isles inspired whistlefulness ("Stratford Waltz") to quirky ragtime ("Bachelorette Party", "Ghost Story"). Folk fans might recognize Jordan Tice as a member of the instrumental bluegrass supergroup, Hawktail as well as his sideman work with many other artists in the folk/bluegrass genre such as Dave Rawlings, Andrew Marlin (Mandolin Orange), Yola, Tony Trischka, and comedian Steve Martin. 

ABIGAIL WASHBURN - Claw Hammer Banjo, Songwriting

If American old-time music is about taking earlier, simpler ways of life and music-making as one’s model, Abigail Washburn has proven herself to be a bracing revelation to that tradition. She—a singing, songwriting, Illinois-born, Nashville-based clawhammer banjo player—is every bit as interested in the present and the future as she is in the past, and every bit as attuned to the global as she is to the local. Abigail pairs venerable folk elements with far-flung sounds, and the results feel both strangely familiar and unlike anything anybody’s ever heard before.

One fateful day 11 years ago, Washburn was miraculously offered a record deal in the halls of a bluegrass convention in Kentucky which changed her trajectory from becoming a lawyer in China to a traveling folk musician.  Since then, Abigail has been recording and touring a continuous stream of music.  Her music ranges from the "all-g'earl" string band sound of Uncle Earl to her bi-lingual solo release Song of the Traveling Daughter (2005), to the mind-bending “chamber roots” sound of the Sparrow Quartet, to the rhythms, sounds and stories of Afterquake, her fundraiser CD for the Sichuan earthquake victims.  The New York Times praised her 2011 release, City of Refuge, written with collaborator Kai Welch, saying the the songs "mingle Appalachia and folk-pop, with tinges of Asia and Bruce Springsteen."  Her most recent release, Echo in the Valley (2017), was recorded with her husband, 15-time Grammy award winning banjo virtuoso, Béla Fleck. Their acclaimed, self-titled debut, Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn (2014),  earned the 2016 Grammy for Best Folk Album.

Having toured the world, Washburn is also armed with Chinese language ability and profound connections to culture and people on the other side of the Pacific.  Washburn is one of the few foreign artists currently touring China independently and regularly. She completed a month-long tour (Nov-Dec 2011) of China's Silk Road supported by grants from the US Embassy, Beijing.  Abigail, along with 24 other innovative and creative thinkers worldwide, was named a TED fellow and gave a talk at the 2012 TED Convention in Long Beach about building US-China relations through music.  In March of 2013, she was commissioned by New York Voices and the NY Public Theater to write and debut a theatrical work titled, Post-American Girl, which draws from her 17-year relationship with China and addresses themes of expanding identity, cultural relativism, pilgrimage, the universal appeal of music and opening the heart big enough to fold it all in.  Abigail was recently named the first US-China Fellow at Vanderbilt University.  Her efforts to share US music in China and Chinese music in the US exist within a hope that cultural understanding and the communal experience of beauty and sound rooted in tradition will lead the way to a richer existence.

REBECCA STOUT - Flat-foot dancing, Vocals

“There was never a question that I would sing and dance,” says Rebecca. “In my family, it was about the same as breathing air or drinking water.”

Her early dance training began in rural Georgia when her mother signed her up for clogging classes with a local “club” called The Dixieland Cloggers. when the family moved to Tennessee the following year, she continued her lessons with Sumner County’s Corn Crib Cloggers and graduated from her first course in 1983 with an official diploma from the College of Double Toe, Double Toe, Toe, Stomp! and, became a “Bachelor of Clogging”.

But Rebecca also feels she owes a great deal of her personal flatfooting style to the abundance of African-American music and culture in the southeast. “I got into clogging at about the same time The Sugarhill Gang came out with ‘Rapper’s Delight’. To me, they are forever intertwined. Everybody in the fifth grade was obsessed with learning all the lyrics to ‘Rapper’s Delight’, me included. And it didn’t take long to figure out that hip-hop and flatfoot go together like bread and butter.”

As a professional singer, songwriter and rapper, Rebecca considered clogging, flatfoot and percussive dance something she did just for fun: “You know, like hula hooping. You show up at a party, the music sounds good, so you start to dance!”

It wasn’t until she moved to Southern California in 2003 that she realized her calling as a teacher. “People had been suggesting I teach flatfoot for years, but I didn’t think of it as a unique skill while living in the southeast. It’s so common there and so many folks are familiar with it that it just seemed like old hat. But when I moved out west, I realized what a special gift I was given to have grown up immersed in such deep culture. Now, I feel it’s my legacy and responsibility to keep this tradition alive by passing it on to people wherever go.”

And so, while she currently sings, writes and performs for a variety of groups and projects — including Los Angeles-based, Eastern-European women’s choir Nevenka; silky-smooth, lounge- pop ensemble Vermouth; her own music projects including Hendersonville Song Company, Baby Stout and the occasional musical theater project, Rebecca gives percussive dance its own spotlight as a serious art form. “It’s not just a trick anymore; it’s my heritage, and I’m just so proud and excited to share it with the world.”

SUMAIA JACKSON - Fiddle, multiple genres

With driving groove and a smooth, open sound, fiddler and tunestress Sumaia Jackson is a quintessential modern West Coast fiddler. Jackson weaves together Old-Time, Bluegrass, Swing, and Celtic traditions with an easy virtuosity and melodic elegance.

Born and raised in Santa Cruz, Jackson was surrounded by many innovative and inimitable coastal string players and she studied classical violin intensely. Throughout her teenage years she played in classical orchestras, youth symphony, and chamber music settings, refining her sound, and winning awards and competitions. Soon after, Jackson's musical path widened as she sought out roots communities who played Scottish, Appalachian, Bluegrass, and Jazz.

Jackson spent years soaking up tunes and styles at vibrant fiddle camps, and still attends under various roles; student, teacher, helper, coach, organizer. On a full scholarship, she holds a Bachelor’s degree from Berklee College of Music in the American Roots Music department.

Now living in the Bay Area, Jackson tours all over the world with Jayme Stone’s Folklife and Laura Cortese & the Dance Cards—playing places such as the Kennedy Center, Library of Congress, Celtic Connections, Planet Bluegrass, and the Edmonton Folk Festival. She is also a member of the Real Vocal String Quartet (who composed and recorded music for a world music Culture Kin project) and she plays duo with award-winning Canadian fiddler, Adrianna Ciccone. Jackson released her debut fiddle record—Möbius Trip—on May 1st, 2019.

Mike Block
Hanneke Cassel
John Weed
William Coulter
Dimitri Illianarov
Kate McNally
Georgy Gusev

Farkhad Khudyev
Duncan Wickel
Eli West
Boris Andrianov
Kim Kistler
Phoebe Hunt
Dominic Leslie

Laurie Lewis
Ian Scarfe
Kala Rammath
Edwin Huizinga
William Coulter
Rainy Eyes