Boston Scottish Fiddle Club Instructors
We are very fortunate in the Boston area to be home to many wonderful musicians who play in the Scottish and Cape Breton style. Some of our local teachers are touring musicians and all of them are great teachers. We are occasionally able to snag fiddlers who are passing through from Scotland or Cape Breton to teach at one of our Sunday meetings or at a special workshop that we arrange.
For 2 and a half years during the pandemic we had monthly online workshop series, with some of the most sought-after fiddlers in Scotland and Cape Breton. Members now have access to the materials from these online workshops, including Zoom video and audio recordings of the workshops, sheet music and more on, the Members Only section of the website. Scroll down to see the bios of some of the international musicians who led the online workshops.
Ed Pearlman has performed, taught, and promoted fiddle music, particularly that of Scotland and Cape Breton for over 30 years. He has worked with many of the top fiddlers from Scotland and Cape Breton. Ed directed the Boston Scottish Fiddle Club for 18 years, after cofounding it in 1981. During this time, he led monthly workshops, an annual concert series called the Scottish Fiddle Rally, featuring soloists from Scotland and Cape Breton, tours to Cape Breton, and other events. Fiddle Club soloists and workshop leaders included Alasdair Fraser, Buddy MacMaster, Aly Bain, Natalie MacMaster, Jerry Holland, John McCusker, Joe Cormier and many more. Working closely with so many masters of Cape Breton and Scottish fiddling put Ed in a unique position to be influenced by both traditions. The result is a fiddle style deeply rooted in both Scottish and Cape Breton traditions, reflecting the rich musical heritage of the Boston area.
Barbara McOwen gained her B.A. in Music from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1971, and concurrently began her Scottish fiddle career as a dance and concert musician, band leader, music arranger, teacher, and researcher/collector of Scottish music books. After moving to Boston in 1979, she founded her current band Tullochgorum which has performed all over America, Canada, and Scotland. Barbara co-founded three community Scottish music organizations, in Boston, New Hampshire and New York City, the annual Boston Branch RSCDS concerts, the New Hampshire Highland Games, Stockton Folk Dance Camp, and the Boston Harbor Scottish Fiddle Camp. She is experienced in teaching all ages, all levels, and many instruments, and has developed a course for teaching Scottish fiddle from the beginner through advanced levels. She has taught Scottish music courses throughout North America, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand, including the Ceilidh Trail School of Celtic Music in Cape Breton. Barbara currently teaches private Scottish fiddle lessons full-time at home and at the New Hampshire School of Scottish Arts and is a member and performer at the Gaelic Club, which brings her into regular contact with the traditional Cape Breton music scene in the Boston area.
Effervescent and engaging, Boston-based fiddler Hanneke Cassel is a performer, teacher and composer whose career spans over two decades. Her style fuses influences from the Isle of Skye and Cape Breton Island with Americana grooves and musical innovations, creating a cutting-edge acoustic sound that retains the integrity and spirit of the Scottish tradition. Hanneke’s music is a blend of the contemporary and traditional, described by the Boston Globe as “exuberant and rhythmic, somehow wild and innocent, delivered with captivating melodic clarity and an irresistible playfulness.”
Two-time winner of the U.S. National Scottish Fiddle Championships, Anne Hooper has performed frequently for dance events of the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society since her introduction to Scottish Country dancing in 1984. Anne has served as Music Director of Boston Harbor Scottish Fiddle School and of several RSCDS Boston Branch concerts and at Pinewoods Camp. She has performed with the dance band, Tullochgorum, for many years – both in the U.S. and Scotland. Under her other guise as a classical violinist, Anne Played for nine years with the Camerata Academica of Salzburg and the Sinfonieorchester Graunke of Munich and is an active member of the Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra and the Boston Philharmonic. She is on the faculty at The Rivers Music School and The New School of Music.
Katie McNally has made waves in both the American folk music scene and abroad since the release of her debut album, Flourish, in 2013. Her latest project synthesizes her elegant and powerful fiddle playing with the talents of genre-crossing pianist Neil Pearlman and bluegrass phenom Shauncey Ali on viola. Katie has performed and taught fiddle courses in the U.S., Canada, Spain, Scotland, England, and France. A member of the cross genre fiddle super-group Childsplay since 2009, she appears on their CD and concert video release, “As the Crow Flies,” produced by legendary Irish fiddler, Liz Carroll. McNally performs regularly as a soloist and has collaborated in the past with guitarist Eric McDonald and all-woman trad group, Long Time Courting. In the fall of 2012, she accompanied famed Galician bagpiper Carlos Núñez on his first North American tour to promote the release of his Sony Masterworks double album, “Discover.” Katie attended both The University of Glasgow and The National Piping Centre in Glasgow Scotland where she studied ancient and modern Scottish Literature and Scottish traditional music. Katie graduated Magna Cum Laude from Tufts University in 2012 with concentrations in Music, English and Child Development where she earned The Etta and Harry Winokur Award for Outstanding Contribution to Performance.
Pianist and mandolinist Neil Pearlman is rapidly distinguishing himself as a uniquely innovative artist in the contemporary traditional music scene. Neil is recognized in many Celtic music circles for his unique approach to the piano. Rooted in traditional Cape Breton piano styles, Neil brings in ideas from many other genres and the result is an exciting new sound that remains true to its traditional roots. It was this fresh approach that led legendary Cape Breton fiddler Jerry Holland to say “watching Neil’s hands on the piano was like watching two spiders on crack!” An accomplished Cape Breton step dancer as well, Neil grew up in the family band Highland Soles, led by father and mother Ed Pearlman and Laura Scott, both influential Scottish music and dance figures in the US. Neil has performed with Natalie MacMaster, Alasdair Fraser, Bruce MacGregor, Natalie Haas, Mike Block, Seamus Connolly, Kimberley Fraser, Maeve Gilchrist, Hanneke Cassel and Mike Vass, opened for Archie Fisher, split a bill with Jerry Holland and worked closely with many others. His career so far has taken him to Scotland, Spain, Mexico, Canada and all across the US. Neil is the musical director of the Boston Scottish Fiddle Orchestra and currently performs with a wide range of musical projects from traditional Scottish fiddle music to contemporary jazz. These include Alba’s Edge (Scottish/Jazz/Latin quartet), Soulsha (Scottish/West African/Funk 8 piece band), The Katie McNally Trio (“The new face of Scottish Fiddle in America” -Living Tradition Magazine), Party of Three (Contradance band) and Neil’s duo with father Ed Pearlman. Check out the “Projects” page of this site for more information.
Emerald Rae, known for her powerhouse dance tunes and technical prowess, Emerald is an adept and masterfully soulful fiddler. Growing up in a musical family where performance was encouraged from a young age, Emerald fell in love with Scottish fiddle music and never looked back. She went on to win the US National Scottish Fiddle Championship and graduate of Berklee College of Music. Her love of dance music has brought her on a journey through many styles of fiddle music and percussive step dance. Her love of history brought an ancient Welsh Crwth into her hands. She is involved with a variety of music projects and endeavors…
Jenna Moynihan is from Lakewood, New York and is a graduate of Berklee College of Music. While studying, she was selected to receive the Fletcher Bright Award & and The American Roots Music Award – two honors given annually to one outstanding string player. She performs in a duo with Scottish harpist, Mairi Chaimbeul and has performed with The Milk Carton Kids, Laura Cortese & The Dance Cards Darol Anger & The Furies, Old Blind Dogs, Hamish Napier, Bruce Molsky, Phil Cunningham, and as a soloist at Symphony Hall with the Boston Pops. In addition to a busy touring schedule, Jenna teaches at music camps & courses throughout the year. She is also an Assistant Professor at Berklee College of Music.
Rachel Reeds has immersed herself in the Cape Breton and Scottish musical traditions and has become a familiar face at sessions, camps, workshops, and house parties around New England. Summer 2017 marked the release of her debut album, ‘Sparkjoy’. Rachel has performed at Club Passim, the Tamworth Lyceum, Big Rapids Festival of the Arts, and has played for dances at the Canadian American Club of Watertown and DEFFA. She loves sharing tunes – teaching at at the inaugural Cape Breton Weekend at Pinewoods Camp, holding workshops for the Passim School of Music, and leading sessions and workshops for the Boston Scottish Fiddle Rachel is the 2013 New England Regional Scottish Fiddle Champion
Matt Petrie grew up in the Boston area in a Cape Breton family. He and his brother were regular attendees of the early Fiddle Club as teenagers. Later Matt taught fiddle and performed regularly at the Canadian American Club and since has spent most of his life exploring the music both as a fiddler and a piper.
Laura Cortese boasts an energetic performance of driving fiddle, vocals, and stepdance with an original blend of Celtic music and contemporary influence. Laura’s dynamic fiddling, flashing footwork and expressive vocals offer a distinct blend of traditional styling and innovative artistry. After college, Cortese traveled from coast to coast, from Nashville to Montreal, performing and partying with musicians at the forefront of the burgeoning folk scene. Laura was the 1998 New England Scottish fiddle champion, and currently performs solo as well as with the Boston-based group Halali, The Jolly Bankers and with Footworks Percussive Dance Ensemble. She has shared the stage with other Celtic greats including Alasdair Fraser & Natalie Haas, Teada, John Whelan, Cathie Ryan, Aoife Clancy & Robbie O’Connell. In January, she was a key organizer of the first ever Boston Celtic Music Festival.
Cathy Goode plays traditional Irish music and the music of Scotland and Cape Breton, along with Bluegrass music. For many years she has taught fiddle and the Suzuki method and has played in the Boston area for many years. She has hosted a weekly Irish music session in a local pub along with her husband, Louis Kaplan.
Natalie Haas is one of the most sought after cellists playing traditional music today. She and Scottish fiddler Alasdair Fraser have toured as a duo for over 15 years, wowing audiences at festivals and concerts worldwide with their unique sound. A graduate of the Juilliard School, Natalie discovered the cello at age nine. In addition to having extensive classical music training, she is accomplished in a broad array of fiddle genres. Her music journey found purpose when she fell in love with Celtic music at the Valley of the Moon Scottish Fiddling School at age 11. Inspired and encouraged by director Fraser, she began to investigate the cello’s potential for rhythmic accompaniment to fiddle tunes, and to this day, the two continue to resurrect and reinvent the cello’s historic role in Scottish music. Natalie’s skills as an educator make her one of the most in demand teachers at fiddle camps across the globe. She also teaches privately and in a workshop setting, and holds an associate professorship at the Berklee College of Music. Natalie now makes her home in Boston, where she is an active member of the traditional music scene.
Elizabeth Anderson Elizabeth is the 2020 US National Scottish Fiddle Champion and the 2016 Perth All-Scotland Fiddle Champion. A graduate of Berklee College of Music, she teaches string instruments as a middle school and private instructor. She has taught at Boston Harbor Scottish Fiddle School and Maine Fiddle Camp, runs Chauncy Fiddle Camp and has taught private lessons for seven years. Elizabeth is part of a Celtic fiddle-cello duo with her brother, Ben Anderson. The duo has been gaining an enthusiastic following in the Boston area and throughout New England. Blending Scottish tunes with lively rhythms and innovative harmonies, they create a sound rooted in tradition, inspired by the contemporary, and completely original.
Màiri Chaimbeul is a Boston-based harp player and composer from the Isle of Skye in Scotland. Described by Folk Radio UK as “astonishing”, she is known for her versatile sound, which combines deep roots in Gaelic tradition with a distinctive improvising voice and honed classical technique. Màiri has toured throughout the UK and in Europe as well as the USA, was twice-nominated for the BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award, finalist in the BBC Young Traditional & Jazz Musicians of the Year and twice participated in Savannah Music Festival’s Acoustic Music Seminar. She is a graduate of the Berklee College of Music, where she attended with full-scholarship, and was awarded the prestigious American Roots Award.
Galen Fraser is an accomplished fiddler and composer from Northern California with a love for Improvisation and spontaneity. His love for singing and writing lead him to pursue music as a career, earning his Bachelors Degree in Songwriting from Berklee College of Music. He has played with renown musicians such as Darol Anger, Natalie & Brittany Haas, Alasdair Fraser, Martin Melendez (of the Aupa Quartet), Hanneke Cassel, and Joshua Pinkham. He has performed at Symphony Hall in Boston, Ma, with members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, The Mandavi Centre, The Palace of Fine Arts, and many other esteemed venues in the United States and Europe. In August 2016, Galen released his debut solo album, “Mischief Managed” featuring all original fiddle music and songs with guests such as Natalie Haas, Alasdair Fraser, Jenna Moynihan and Conor Hearn. Now based in Boston, Ma., plays with the high energy Galen Fraser Quartet and the groovy afro-celtic funk band Soulsha (http://www.soulshamusic.com/).
Mari Black’s passion for dance-driven music extends far beyond the concert stage, as reflected in her work as a teacher, composer, dancer, competition judge, and musical ambassador committed to connecting people through music. Having earned her Doctorate in Education from Columbia University and a Masters in Performance from the Yale School of Music, Mari is a master teacher who is dedicated to helping students of all ages and levels explore the joy of making music. She teaches regularly at prestigious camps and workshops around the country, including appearances at the Swannanoa Gathering, the Acadia Trad School, the Jink & Diddle School of Scottish Fiddling, the Mark O’Connor fiddle camp, the Tanglewood Festival, the Yale School of Music, and more
Elke Baker
U.S. National Scottish Fiddle Champion Elke Baker’s distinctive, dance-driven fiddle style has made her one of the most sought-after Scottish fiddlers of our time. Performing solo and with Ken Kolodner, Robin Bullock, and bands Terpsichore, Sugar Beat, Trio con Brio, Olde Vienna, and others, Elke has both a range and depth of skill surpassed by very few. She has performed at the Kennedy
Center, the Birchmere, Honolulu Academy of Arts, Hylton Performing Arts Center, Sanders Theatre at Harvard University, in most of the fifty States, and on four continents. She is world-renowned as a Scottish country dance musician, bandleader, and arranger. The Washington Post writes “Baker’s fiddle nearly throws off sparks,” while TACSound calls her fiddling “some of the greatest Scottish music to be heard anywhere.” Her music was featured in the soundtrack of the film The Boyhood of John Muir. As a scholar of Scottish music, Elke taught for many years at the Washington Conservatory of Music, was Artist-in-Residence and lecturer at Montgomery College and a panelist at Harvard University. Elke directs the Potomac Valley Scottish Fiddle Club, a non-profit Scottish music educational organization now in its 31st year. She has recorded nine albums, including new releases Better Days featuring four of her ensembles; On a Cold Winter’s Day with Ken Kolodner; Wait ’til You Hear This One! with Sugar Beat; A Dancer’s Best Friend with Terpsichore, and a world-premiere single, The Fingerlock (A’ Ghlas Mheur), an ancient fiddle pibroch. www.elkebaker.com. Album sales at http://www.potomacvalleyscottishfiddle.org/webstore
and downloads at https://elkebaker.bandcamp.com/releases
Teachers From Afar 2020-21
Allan Henderson -Born and bred in the West Highlands, Allan Henderson is very much in the vanguard of the resurgence of interest in the native Gaelic culture of that area. He’s a founder member of Blazin’ Fiddles, and works as a performer, teacher, composer and producer. He is one of the foremost exponents of Scottish Highland music and Gaelic culture around today.
Jenna Reid is a fiddler who was born and bred in Quarff, Shetland. Since releasing her debut solo album in 2005 and being awarded ‘Best Up and Coming Artist’ at the 2005 Scots Trad Music Awards, Jenna has undoubtedly remained one of the brightest young talents ever to grace the traditional music scene. With a further three solo albums to her name since, she splits her time between teaching the fiddle, composing, and touring as part of several groups including The Blazin’ Fiddles and RANT.
Kevin Henderson is a fiddler who draws on the rich fiddle music tradition of his native Shetland and his experience with leading bands including Boys of the Lough, Fiddlers Bid, Session A9 and Nordic Fiddlers Bloc to create an expressive and adventurously individual musical style.
Brought up in the Shetland schooling system, whose concentration on fiddle music and encouragement to participate still inspire him, Kevin benefited in his teens from the teaching of the legendary Willie Hunter. Lessons with Hunter could comprise chatting over coffee and biscuits and even extend to being taught survival skills, as well as learning both the essentials and the finer points of playing Shetland reels, and every Saturday Kevin came away motivated to emulate his mentor.
Mairi Rankin – One of the hugely influential Rankin Family – legends on the Canadian music scene – she plays fiddle, sings and also step-dances up a storm. Born in Mabou, Nova Scotia, Mairi has been influenced by some of the best Cape Breton traditional musicians and instructors on the island. She has developed her own unique style by being immersed in such a rich musical culture. She has toured nationally and internationally as a solo artist. She has performed with the Rankin Sisters, Unusual Suspects and Bruce Guthro and award-winning band Beòlach, to name but a few. For the past 9 years, Mairi has been part of the internationally renowned celtic group, The Outside Track, and is touring their 5th studio album “Rise Up” This past year saw a collaboration with cellist Eric Wright from The Fretless titled “The Cabin Sessions.”
Alasdair White is an exceptional exponent of west coast Scottish music and is widely regarded as one of the foremost Scottish fiddler players of his generation. He was born and brought up on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides, a chain of islands of singular importance to Gaelic Scotland’s musical heritage and is perhaps best known as having been a member of Scotland’s seminal Battlefield Band for over 16 years, touring extensively in that time throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. Now resident in New York, Alasdair has performed and recorded as a guest with many of the best-known names in Scottish, Irish and Breton traditional music including Kathleen MacInnis, Julie Fowlis, Eddie Reader, Allan MacDonald, Manus Lunny, Nuala Kennedy, and Arnaud Ciapolino. Current ongoing projects include Daimh, the Alan Kelly Gang and of course, Battlefield Band. Alasdair also recently premiered a major commission at the Hebridean Celtic festival in Stornoway, an hour-long original piece entitled An Iuchair.
Karen Steven is an accomplished fiddler and step dancer. Her distinctive rhythmic style of playing is undoubtedly due to her training as a teacher of highland dancing and step dancing. She also has a newly published book of original tunes.
Anita MacDonald – Anita, along with her duo partner Ben Miller, have become renowned across Canada and further afield, for their synergistic approach to traditional Scottish music. Blending Scottish Lowland pipes with Cape Breton fiddle, Gaelic song and step-dance, Ben and Anita join together the threads of Old and New World traditions, while constantly exploring new ways to bring their instruments closer together. Their music has been hailed as “Playful, poignant, and passionate all at once” — “Fresh, yet totally traditional.”
Rua MacMillan – Hailing from Nairn, Rua Macmillan is one of Scotland’s top fiddlers. Having graduated with a B.A.(Hons) in Scottish Music from the R.S.A.M.D. (now Royal Conservatoire of Scotland), and being awarded the prestigious title of BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year in 2009, Rua has toured extensively throughout Europe and North America, inlcuding performances at some of the world’s most prominent Folk Festivals, including Celtic Connections (Sco), Cambridge (Eng), Ortigeuira (Spn), and Winnipeg (Can). His debut album, ‘Tyro’ (CDTRAX346) was voted instrumental album of the year in the Fatea Awards, and was picked by Songlines Magazine as a ‘Top of the World’ album.
Charlie Mckerron has been a major figure in the traditional music scene since the early 1980’s and is internationally regarded as one of Scotland’s finest fiddlers. He is a key member of the highly successful Capercaillie but has collaborated with many other musicians and played with other noted bands such as SessionA9 and Big Sky Charlie was brought up with the Northeast fiddle tradition learning from his father and Great uncle but has immersed himself in the Gaelic tradition with Capercaillie and in doing so has helped to bring this music to high acclaim on the International stage.
Douglas Montgomery – “I love what I do and I do what I love. I have been teaching the fiddle in Orkney for over 20 years, 18 of which have been in the primary and secondary schools around the county. I teach around 100 students each week, am involved in various fiddle bands and orchestras, both in school and in the community. I perform with Saltfishforty and The Chair and I am the musical director of Orkney Folk: The Gathering. I have been a guest tutor at Newcastle University, Blazin’ in Beauly and The Cromarty Fiddle Weekend. I have also led workshops at various festivals such as Celtic Colours, Scots Fiddle Festival, Cambridge Folk Festival, Shetland Folk Festival, Heb Celt and many more.”
Anna-Wendy Stevenson is a fiddler from Scotland who has toured the world as a performer and teacher working with a range of artists and community groups and is Programme Leader for Applied Music at the University of Highlands and Islands in Scotland. As a composer, she has written music for film, theatre, animation, TV and Royal Conservatoire exam boards. In 2011, her Celtic Connections festival commission My Edinburgh was nominated for a BBC MG Alba Composer Of The Year award. Anna-Wendy has produced several albums and recorded on over 35, working with many artists from different genres including her grandfather, composer and pianist Ronald Stevenson. She has directed for several TV shows and documentaries including BBC Itrad and BBC Christmas service which featured her students from Benbecula. She was also nominated Music Teacher Of The Year for the Scottish Music Industry Awards in 2011.
Adam Sutherland – Adam comes from Errogie on the south shores of Loch Ness in the Highlands of Scotland. In his late thirties, he is one of Scotland’s most exciting fiddle players, composers and teachers in a thriving scene, drenched with talent. Outfits that Adam has been a part of include The Treacherous Orchestra, Session A9, Peatbog Faeries, Babelfish and Croft no. Five. He has also played with a host of other well known acts including Salsa Celtica and Manran. Adam’s tunes are perhaps his most impressive legacy and are played in music sessions and on youtube videos in many countries.
Patsy Reid – Since stepping back from super-folk-group, Breabach in 2011, Patsy has been in constant demand as a session player and arranger, animating others’ projects with her unique blend of fiddle and violin playing. A one-woman string quartet, Patsy has contributed violin, viola and cello to recordings by the likes of Zakir Hussain, Donald Shaw, Flook, Kathryn Tickell, and Duncan Chisholm, whilst on stage, she can be found performing with the who’s who of the Scottish folk scene, including Julie Fowlis, Donald Shaw, Ross Ainslie & Ali Hutton and Hamish Napier. Having been given her first teaching break at the legendary Taransay Fiddle Camp back in 2002, she has been in high demand as a guest tutor ever since.
Andrea Beaton from a long line of Cape Breton musicians, composers and dancers. She is an award-winning fiddler, tune composer and recording artist who is known for her powerful bow and driving style. She tours and teaches internationally and is in great demand as a teacher at music camps and fiddling/dancing workshops. She has released 5 solo albums, one duo album with her father, Kinnon Beaton, and two books of her original tunes. She also recorded an album with her family “The Beaton family of Mabou” in 2007 for the Smithsonian Institute. Most of her solo albums were nominated for awards, and her 2010 CD, ‘Branches’, won the Canadian East Coast Music Awards “Instrumental Recording of the Year”.
Wendy MacIsaac is a renowned fiddler from Cape Breton who has been playing music for over 30 years. She is recognized as one of the “old school” style of players who has kept the traditional sound going and has a deep respect for it. Wendy is also a sought after piano accompanist and step dancer. Besides performing as a solo artist, Wendy tours with Mary Jane Lamond. Wendy can also be seen performing with Heather Rankin and occasionally Beolach who she toured with for 11 years. Wendy is in high demand for her skills at teaching the Cape Breton style of fiddling. She travels throughout North America and overseas as well as teaching from her home in Halifax.
Laura Risk’s fiddling has been described by filmmaker Ken Burns as “a revelation and achingly beautiful” and Living Tradition hails her “powerful, percussive style… bursting with energy and passion.” Originally from California, now living in Montreal, Laura performs and teaches Scottish and Québécois fiddling internationally and has over a dozen albums to her credit. Her distinctive sound and compelling interpretations of traditional tunes are intensely personal yet grounded in meticulous archival and ethnographic research. Laura has toured with Cordelia’s Dad, Triptych, Ensemble Galilei, and dancer Sandy Silva; served as musical director for ensembles Childsplay and Revels North; and produced seven albums, including three for fiddler Hanneke Cassel. Her research credits include articles in Ethnomusicology and MUSICultures, co-authorship of The Glengarry Collection: The Highland Fiddle Music of Aonghas Grant (Mel Bay), and the CD-booklet Douglastown: Music and Song from the Gaspé Coast, awarded the 2014 Prix Mnémo. Laura holds a PhD in Musicology from McGill University, for which she received the 2017 Governor General’s Gold Medal.
Pete Clark – Pete Clark, performer, composer and teacher, lives in highland Perthshire, where he has many private students, coaches an enthusiastic weekly fiddle group in Dunkeld, and runs his own fiddle courses at the Birnam Institute. For 15 years Pete was a tutor in the Scottish music degree course at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow. Born and raised in Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland, Pete is now based in Perthshire not far from the birthplaces of two significant historical figures in traditional Scottish music, Niel Gow and Robert MacIntosh. He has performed and recorded with many notable musicians including Dougie MacLean, Rod Paterson, and John Watt. In recent years he has presented workshops and master classes at Edinburgh’s annual fiddle festival, Stirling University Summer School, Celtic Connections in Glasgow, Common Ground Scotland, and fiddle schools throughout Scotland and beyond. He has twice been on the adjudication panel at the annual Glenfiddich fiddle competition at Blair Castle.
Jennifer Wrigley is highly respected globally, not only as a world class fiddler but as an ambassador for traditional Orkney music. Her understanding of the true traditional fiddle styles is second to none. As part of the Wrigley Sisters Jennifer has undertaken three world tours, visited forty seven countries (including sixteen trans-Atlantic trips) and appeared in countless television and radio productions. She is a previous winner of the BBC Young Tradition Award and Nominee for BBC Alba Instrumentalist of the Year. Jennifer has written and arranged over 200 tunes which have been recorded and performed worldwide by artists including Liz Doherty, Alasdair Fraser, BT Ensemble and BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. It is rare to find such an advanced player with the understanding of a true traditional fiddle style who can also teach to the highest technical standard – anyone who wants to improve technique or their general understanding in the fiddle should look no further
Peggy Duesenberry is a fiddler and ethnomusicologist, with a PhD in Music from the University of California, Berkeley. Here main research area has been Scottish fiddle music, and she was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship for her doctoral research on broadcasting and Scottish fiddle tunes. From 1997 to 2012, she taught at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (now the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland) in Glasgow, first as Course Leader for the BA (Scottish Music) and subsequently as Lecturer in Ethnomusicology. Peggy has designed and taught courses in fieldwork, transcription and analysis, and both historical and contemporary studies in Scottish music, and also supervised PhD students.
Gregor Borland grew up near Inverness in the Scottish highlands and started fiddle lessons with Donald Riddell at the age of 9. After several years and many successes in fiddle competitions all over Scotland, he was sent to continue his studies with Hector MacAndrew, an acclaimed fiddler in the north-eastern tradition. Both his teachers inspired and influenced his great love of highland pipe marches and stirring strathspeys. He lived and worked in Edinburgh for many years as a piano technician. During that time he played and recorded with many great bands and artists, including Kathryn Tickell, Davy Steele, Jim Malcolm and Burach, to name just a few. He toured extensively all over the UK and as far afield as Colombia, Australia and Russia. Gregor began teaching while still in Scotland, but eventually moved to Spain with his wife and young family. He is passionate about passing on my musical heritage to the next generation of fiddle players, which he does at his fiddle camps in Spain and Scotland. He has also continued to tour and teach in other countries.