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Fiddle Classes Fiddle classes are scheduled in the morning and early afternoon and allow participants to study the various styles taught by each instructor. All tunes are taught by ear, and class divisions, ranging from advanced to those who have never played before, are based on students’ rate of learning by ear. "Alasdair
Fraser is recognized throughout
the world as one of the finest fiddle
players Scotland has ever produced; [his]
name is synonymous with the vibrant cultural
renaissance which is transforming the
Scottish musical scene." The variety and expressivity of Alasdair's playing is evident in his numerous recordings-from intimate fiddle/guitar duets, to a more contemporary interpretation of tradition, to high energy original tunes with his Skyedance band. Recent, highly acclaimed albums include "Legacy of the Scottish Fiddle, Vols. 1 and 2," and "Fire and Grace, " which was named Scots Trad Album of the Year for 2004. In Alasdair's class, you will learn a variety of Scottish tune types and how to use special bowings, Scottish ornaments and a rhythmic drive to make the tunes come alive and express their Scottish origins. Martin Hayes grew up in a highly musical family and was steeped in the rich musical tradition of County Clare, Ireland. He is a brilliant, internationally recognized performer who can express a tremendous range of emotions, from soulful tunes that make you weep to those that could keep you up dancing all night. His three solo albums, including the most recent, "The Lonesome Touch," say it all. As a teacher, Martin is able both to demonstrate and to articulate the process of getting into the essential nature of a tune. In Martin's class you will become familiar with the nuances that he uses in his more leisurely, tuneful style of Irish fiddle playing. You will also learn to think about how to make a tune your own and bring out the qualities in it that make you want to play it. Bruce Molsky: alone or with fellow musicians; guitar, fiddle, or banjo in hand, Bruce Molsky has been exploring traditional music from an astonishingly broad range of cultures over the past two decades – synthesizing them and refracting them through his own evolving sensibilities to the point where the sources of his inspiration transform themselves into a sound that is uniquely his. While most identified with traditional American old-time music, Molsky’s influences range from the Appalachian soul of Tommy Jarrell to Delta blues; from the haunting modal strains of Irish music to the rhythmically nimble music of Eastern Europe. Bruce is highly sought-after as a fiddle and banjo teacher, and teaches his own intensive instrument workshop all over the U.S. He is a regular instructor at Mark O'Connor Fiddle Camp, Rocky Mountain Fiddle Camp, Alasdair Fraser's Valley of the Moon and Sierra Fiddle Camps, Swannanoa Gathering, and others. Laura Risk is a fiddler whose love of the music of Scotland, Ireland, Cape Breton and Quebec has led her into a rich journey of performing and teaching. Laura is known throughout the U.S. as an outstanding teacher, able to inspire students at any level. As evidenced in several highly praised albums, her playing is especially expressive and versatile, ranging from elegant music composed for 18th century Scottish drawing rooms to driving strathspeys and reels suitable for a Cape Breton dance floor. The eloquence of Laura's fiddling is especially evident in her recent album of Scottish tunes, "2000 Miles." To help fiddlers learn new tunes by ear, Laura has recorded two sets of CDs containing nearly 150 tunes from a variety of fiddle traditions, played slowly and at normal performance tempo. Hanneke Cassel is a young fiddler whose approach to music is aptly expressed in the title of her debut album, "My Joy." Alasdair Fraser characterized the album as "…fiddle music played with great stylistic integrity and personal flair…" Hanneke's second album, "Some Melodious Sonnet," released in 2004, contains a variety of her own compositions, some hauntingly melodic, others exuberantly energetic. Hanneke has immersed herself in the music of Scotland and Cape Breton for many years and has won three U.S. National Scottish Fiddling championships. A graduate of the Berklee School of Music, she has been teaching at VOM for several years. Deby Benton Grosjean combines the best of both the Celtic and classical music worlds in her playing and teaching. Of her CD, “Beyond the Shore,” Pattie Mills, of Connection Magazine, wrote, “It will touch your heart and dance your soul.” As a teacher Deby has been especially effective in working with kids and is involved in putting on two Celtic music camps for children and teens in the Santa Cruz area. In her basic beginning classes for children Deby’s individual attention will provide young fiddlers with a solid technical foundation while fostering their pleasure in playing. Cello Classes Cello classes are designed for those who already have some experience in playing the instrument. Although you don’t need to be an advanced player, there are no beginning classes in cello. Natalie Haas is a young cellist who has been performing with Alasdair Fraser in the US and Scotland for several years. Since she began teaching at Celtic Connections in Glasgow and VOM in 2002, various music camps and festivals have been eager to engage her. Her album with Alasdair, "Fire and Grace," was named Scots Trad Music Album of the Year for 2004, and they recently released a second album, "In the Moment." Natalie's powerful and rhythmic playing make it easy to understand why Alasdair says, "In 18th century Scotland, the fiddle and cello were the dance band of choice." In Natalie's class you will learn bowing techniques, ornamentation, bass lines and rhythmic techniques to suit the style and mood of a variety of music, including the tunes the fiddlers are learning. Renata Bratt is an active performer and teacher from Santa Cruz. Currently president of the International Association for Jazz Education String Caucus, she conducts clinics and publishes instructional materials on various cello styles, from jazz improvisation to accompaniment styles for fiddle tunes. Tristan Clarridge is a gifted multi-instrumentalist and teacher whose playing encompasses a broad stylistic range, from bluegrass to Celtic to jazz to Texas style. A past Grand National Fiddle Champion, Tristan has taught at Valley of the Moon Scottish Fiddling School and Mark O'Connor's Fiddle Camp, as well as the Shasta Fiddle Camp that he and his sister run. He has proven his ability as a teacher, helping students develop both technical skills and a general approach to accompanying fiddle tunes. Guitar Classes Dennis Cahill, a master guitarist born to parents from County Kerry, Ireland, has been playing together with Martin Hayes since the 1980s. He weaves a subtle, but rhythmically and harmonically rich guitar accompaniment together with Martin’s fiddle, creating the sense of an intimate conversation at one point and a single voice at another In Dennis’ class, you will have the opportunity to learn about the guitar-fiddle conversation from the guitar perspective. Steve Baughman is a Rounder Records recording artist who is the author of five books by Mel Bay Publications. He appears on numerous CDs and videos and is much in demand as a soloist and accompanist. Steve’s most recent album, Celtic Guitar Summit, with Robin Bullock, was voted one of the “Best of 2003” by Acoustic Guitar Magazine. Steve will take guitar students through the basic strumming patterns useful for accompanying various types of tunes and will also reveal some of his favorite special tunings. There will be lots of opportunity to try out what you have learned through informal jam sessions. Piano Classes Cali McKasson is known to most of those who have attended VOM, as she has been a frequent participant since her first year at camp in the early 1990s. It was then that she met Barbara MacDonald Magone, whom she credits as a major influence in her musical development. A graduate of the Cleveland Institute of Music, she is now the principal harpist for the Tacoma Symphony Orchestra. Cali is also pursuing a career in Scottish Music and has released an album, Tall Tales, with her brother, Ryan, an accomplished fiddler. Cali's playing can equally inspire a musical conversation with a solo fiddler or elevate the energy of a session or a dance. She will be teaching students how to become innovative accompanists through creative chording and rhythm. Classes will be for both beginners and advanced students. Come ready to create your own style of playing! Singing Classes: singing while fiddling Laura Cortese: abundantly talented as a singer dancer and fiddler, Laura will be leading and coordinating singing classes this year. She puts her own spin and rhythms on traditional and contemporary songs, deftly strumming, plucking and chopping her fiddle behind her rootsy voice. Cortese's Irish American grandmother first handed her a fiddle at the age of 4. Eight years later, she discovered folk music in what seems like an unlikely place, the bustling metropolis of her hometown San Francisco. "I found an exceptional community of singers, musicians and dancers at the Valley of the Moon Fiddle Camp," she says. "People from age 2 to 80 that just love making music together. It's strange to say, but I think that was the year I decided that music was IT." In 1999, Cortese moved to Boston to attend Berklee College of Music. Over the next few years she played in several bands including fiddle trio Halali formed with two childhood friends. "I had never really sung solo on stage before Halali. I realized songs are an amazing way to connect to an audience." In an apartment across the street from Berklee College, Cortese set out to record her debut album Hush in 2002 (re-released on Jar productions 2004). Hush showcases 12 tracks of pop-inspired arrangement that captures the raw sincerity of traditional Celtic music. Percussion Classes Gary Campus enjoys a range of musical genres, as is evident in performances with such musicians as harpist Christine Bonner and latin guitarist Ivan Najera. He has played occasionally with Alasdair Fraser. Gary uses a great variety of instruments, from a standard drum kit to various African drums to a resonant box, the South American cajon he sits on while he plays. He will bring many different types of drums with him in order to give you a chance to experiment and explore your own rhythmic inclinations. He will also spend some time working with the bodhran specifically. In this class, perhaps more than any other, you will experience playing in more than one sense of the term. Dance Classes Nic Gareiss has studied a broad variety of percussive movement forms, focusing primarily on the dance traditions associated with North American fiddle music. In his teens, Gareiss received dual scholarships from the Wheatland Music Organization and the Augusta Heritage Center to apprentice with the internationally recognized company, Footworks Percussive Dance Ensemble. Through high school, Gareiss performed with Footworks, including an ensemble role in "The Crossing," their production with Grammy-winning songwriter Tim O’Brien. At age sixteen, he took second place at the 2003 Cliftop Flat-footing contest. Gareiss currently works with the David Munnelly band from Mayo in Ireland. With Munnelly, Nic integrates the dance traditions of Ireland with American tap, exploring reaction of Irish immigrants to the infectious spirit of jazz they encountered in the 1920s as they settled in the United States. Nic has danced at the Milwuakee Irish Festival, Virginia's Wolf Trap Farm Park, the Ann Arbor Ark, the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. and most recently at the Celtic Connections Festival in Glasgow, Scotland. A student of music and anthropology at Central Michigan University, Nic teaches American clogging and tap dance locally through the Wheatland Music Organization and Vision Studio of Performing Arts in Mount Pleasant, Michigan.
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