The Rosin Sisters are Barbara Panter-Connah and Jan Smith from Atlanta, and Ann Whitley-Singleton from Dahlonega. These three “heart sisters” came together as a trio over ten years ago when Ann was still living in the big city, but they have known each other through the traditional music scene for over thirty years. They explore traditional Appalachian, honky tonk, early country, gospel, and Cajun music and perform all around the southeast. They also teach harmony singing at Dahlonega’s Bear on the Square Festival as well as the Blue Ridge Old-time Music Week in Mars Hill, North Carolina. They have produced two CD’s with a third one in the works and available very soon.

http://www.rosinsisters.com/

Four great performers on mountain and hammered dulcimers (and other instruments!):

Anne Lough has served as artist-in-schools for the North Carolina, Kentucky and Virginia Arts Councils and is a regular instructor at the Folk School. She is in constant demand as an instructor and performer at hammered dulcimer and mountain dulcimer events nationwide

David Haas of Charleston, West Virginia, loves to perform and teach others how to play the mountain dulcimer! He has been playing since 1990, offered dulcimer workshops at numerous festivals, and has performed in 16 states. David also plays the guitar, sings, and leads music on Christian retreat experiences, such as Kairos Prison Ministry, Walk to Emmaus, Cursillo, and Teens Encounter Christ. He enjoys sharing the mountain dulcimer and its history with schools, churches, and civic organizations. He has released four dulcimer CDs, seven dulcimer instruction/CD workbooks, and a popular dulcimer chord chart.

Aaron O'rourke began teaching and performing on mountain dulcimer at the age of 16, and quickly became one of the headlining names at dulcimer camps across the country. In 2010, he won the National Dulcimer Competition, held at the Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield, Kansas. He is a past winner in the Florida Old Time Music Championship in Dade City and the Southeastern Regional Dulcimer Championship in Mountain View, Arkansas. To date, Aaron has authored 20 instructional books for mountain dulcimer, covering a diverse range of technique and repertoire.

Jody Marshall has been playing and teaching hammered dulcimer for more than 20 years and is known for her versatile playing style, intricate arrangements, and original music. Her performance credits include the Kennedy Center, Wolf Trap, the Smithsonian Institution, and the White House. A clear and insightful instructor, Jody has taught at festivals and workshops throughout the U.S. and abroad.

https://classes.folkschool.org/class_details.aspx?pk=19792

Blue Eyed Girl is a dynamic group of three young women whose roots are deep in traditional music and dance. Their high-energy dance numbers, sweet Appalachian vocal arrangements, and old-time rhythmic flair draw from the music passed down to them from their families.

Pearl Mueller grew up in Black Mountain, NC, soaking up traditional Appalachian music and dance from her two fiddling parents. She picked up a tiny violin at age 5, and since then has fiddled her way through hundreds of foot-stomping contra dances and folk concerts.

Laurel Willoughby grew up right along side Pearl in Black Mountain, NC with musical parents as well. Laurel and Pearl started singing old-style harmonies together at a very young age which has resulted in a wonderfully seasoned sound now that they are grown. She plays stand-up bass and is known for her versions of old favorites like "Your Cheatin' Heart"

Annie Fain Barralon was raised in Cherokee County, NC, where as a small child she often fell asleep under the piano at the John C. Campbell Folk School while her parents played for square dances. She is the new Music & Dance Coordinator for the Folk School and teaches banjo and book arts workshops.

http://blueeyedgirlnc.wordpress.com/

This week is Scottish Heritage Week at the Folk School. Our Friday Night Concert will be bagpipes and more!

Richard Smith has played Scottish bagpipes for over 25 years and was a member of a premier bagpipe band in Atlanta for 16 years, with the last 6 years as Pipe Major. He moved to Blairsville, GA, in 2011, joined the local bagpipe band, and became their Pipe Major in 2013. (The Pipe Major is the musical director and leader of a bagpipe band, serving as the band instructor.) Richard has taught many piping students during these 25 years, both in individual private instruction and in pipe-band settings with group and one-on-one instruction. His students have ranged from 6 years old to senior adults -- most with no prior experience, but also experienced pipers in need of advanced instruction.

French Ida is a group made up of musicians hailing from as far away as France and as near as Brasstown, NC.

Polo Burguiere and Nadine Marinelli live on a small farm in Desaignes, France. They have performed traditional Appalachian, French, Irish and Cajun music internationally for more than thirty years. Polo is especially known for capturing the essence of old tunes learned directly from source recordings of fiddlers such as Marcus Martin, Manco Sneed and Luther Strong. Burguiere is a recent 3rd place winner in the fiddle competition of the highly esteemed Appalachian String Band Music Festival in Clifftop, WV.

Geraud Barralon, also from Desaignes, played swing guitar professionally when he met Burguiere and Marinelli. He is now so hooked on playing the standup bass for old-time and the octave mandolin for traditional French music he'll never turn back. The threesome performed as Ida Red Trio for 6 years before meeting Cherokee County native Annie Fain Liden during a trip she was taking abroad.

Annie Fain Liden, (now married to the aforementioned Barralon) grew up in a musical family who played often for square dances and concerts at the John C. Campbell Folk School. She has played with several string bands in the Asheville area, most recently the all-woman group Blue Eyed Girl, teaches banjo and bookarts workshops and is the Music & Dance coordinator for the Folk School. She puts down her banjo to play the diatonic accordion for the French tunes though she leaves the singing en francais to the natives.

http://www.idaredtrio.com/

Spirit Fiddle, featuring Champion Fiddler Robin Warren and Guitarist Brian Clancey, performs a wide variety of energetic music, ranging from bouncy Southern and Texas swing tunes to sweet waltzes, old popular songs, bluegrass numbers, French Canadian and Celtic jigs and reels, and Parisian musette.

From The Boston Museum of Fine Arts to the Fiddler's Grove Festival in Union Grove, North Carolina,Spirit Fiddle has given over 700 performances and recorded 5 full-length albums.

Master Fiddler Robin Warren took first place prizes in numerous fiddle contests in North Carolina and New England. She was the first fiddler ever to win the coveted Fiddler of the Festival title during 3 different years at Fiddler's Grove. For this, she was granted the title of Master Fiddler.

Brian Clancey brings a lifetime of experience (from Renaissance lute to bluegrass) to his sensitive guitar arrangements of Spirit Fiddle tunes. Brian is known throughout the Boston area as an outstanding rhythm player, and he is a popular backup guitar player at contests and festivals throughout New England.

http://spiritfiddle.com/

Michael Ismerio has dedicated his still young life to learning, performing, and calling square dances to traditional Appalachian music. After growing up in California, he moved to Portland, Oregon, home to a vibrant old time music and dance community. Becoming ever more immersed in Appalachian music, he finally made the move to Asheville, NC where he performs, calls dances and teaches fiddle.

Ben Nelson grew up in a family of old-time musicians from southwestern Virginia. He spent all the summers of his childhood traveling to fiddlers' conventions across the Southern Appalachians and Piedmont. He's played banjo and fiddle for the last 15 years and has studied kindred music traditions in Ireland and West Africa. Now a resident of western North Carolina, Ben teaches for a 5th-grade environmental education program, local affiliates of Junior Appalachian Musicians (JAM), and at Warren Wilson College.

http://www.michaelismerio.com