JOHN WEED

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

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.

NIC MILOSEVICH

(Nick Milo) is an accomplished jazz pianist and composer. Nick was the keyboardist and music director for Joe Cocker for 13 years and keyboardist for soul-funk band Tower of Power for 11 years. His composition style ranges from jazz and classical to environmental music to soundtracks.

SIMON CHRISMAN

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.

RENATA BRATT

Renata Bratt has taught classical styles, jazz improvisation and fiddling at international string workshops including Alasdair Fraser’s camps, Southern Hemisphere International School for Scottish Fiddling, the New Directions Cello Festival, Wintergrass, the Mandolin Symposium, ASTA, MENC and Suzuki institutes. She is former Kuumbwa Jazz Artist in the Schools in Santa Cruz, CA, a past chair of the American String Teachers of America’s Eclectic Styles Committee and teaches cello and string orchestra. Renata records and tours with Cindy Lee Berryhill (rock) and Reel of Seven (Scottish Dance) and has played back-up with luminaries such as Darol Anger, Liz Carroll, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, Lyle Lovett, and Dionne Warwick. Rolling Stone dubbed her an "ace performer" for her work with alternative rocker Cindy Lee Berryhill's Garage Orchestra. She received her Ph.D. in Music from U.C. San Diego.

EVIE LADIN

The polyrhythmic heat of Evie Ladin’s clawhammer banjo, resonant voice, real stories and rhythmic dance have been heard from A Prairie Home Companion to Lincoln Center, Celtic Connections to Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, Brazil to Bali. A prolific creator and gracious facilitator, Evie grew up steeped in traditional folk music/dance up and down the East Coast, bringing a syncretic vision to new work while holding fast to the roots.

A natural entertainer with a gift for infusing folk practices with contemporary verve – San Francisco Chronicle

Evie writes clever lyrics with mature arrangements, calls rowdy square dances for urban crowds, choreographs new body music/percussive dance for contemporary dance and film, leads seminars in movement anthropology, rocks straight up old time clawhammer banjo, and gardens, from the vibrant homebase of Oakland, California. She’s won ribbons and arts fellowships, performed in sold out concert halls and cozy living rooms, and toured around the world, to every state in the US except Florida. She’s never been to Florida.

JORDAN TICE

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. 

RAINY MIATKE

Born and raised in southern Oregon, Rainy Miatke is now based in Asheville, North Carolina where she attends Warren Wilson College and studies music and expressive arts therapy. She is a virtuosic mandolinist, guitarist and songwriter with roots in the bluegrass and old-time genres as well as jazz, Celtic and Swedish traditional music. Rainy's music has taken her on adventures all over North America, and she has worked with artists such as Laurie Lewis, Keith Little, Ben Krakauer, Sean Watkins, and more. 

REBECCA STOUT

“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

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.

EMILY MANN, Artistic Director

Emily Mann grew up in Big Sur, CA, and is now based in Nashville, TN. At home in many genres, her focus is on Appalachian Oldtime music and American Folk music traditions and songwriting. She toured and performed in the Oldtime stringband The Crooked Jades from 2015-2020. In 2019 The Crooked Jades were nominated for an Isadora Duncan Dance Award in the category of Music/Sound/Text for “World’s On Fire”, a collaboration with the Kate Weare Company and ODC. She has written and toured with her duo project, Paper Wings, “Gorgeous, big-hearted and masterfully played” says Kristin Andreassen of their most recent album, “Clementine”. In 2020 they opened and performed alongside Avi Kaplan (of wildly popular pop acapella group Pentatonix) for his “I’ll Get By” tour of the US.

She has taught private fiddle lessons for the last 14 years as well as teaching at music camps and festivals across the US, including: Big Sur Fiddle Camp, CBA Fathers Day Festival & Kids Camp, Oldtime Central Fall OT Gathering.

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