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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.” —Scots Magazine
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. 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. Most recently, “In the Moment” reveals his expanding interests and inspiration as both player and composer. 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.
Darol Anger is known world-wide for his extraordinary improvisational playing and his composing. From his beginnings with the David Grisman Quintet, then playing as a founding member with the Turtle Island String Quartet, to his current focus in the Republic of Strings, his has been a rich journey through many genres. He has an enduring fondness for traditional American music and has recently begun performing and recording with the Swedish band Väsen. After a highly successful week teaching at VOM last year, Darol returns this year to engage you with his enthusiasm, inventiveness, amazing musicality, and understanding of what makes a tune fit into a particular niche. Not only a brilliant performer, Darol is an outstanding teacher, who will have you playing tunes you thought you’d never get, and understanding how to make it sound the way it should.
Kimberley Fraser is a rising young fiddler, pianist, and master step dancer from Cape Breton, who is increasingly in demand as a performer and a teacher. With a college degree in Celtic Studies and Music, she is carrying on the tradition of Cape Breton fiddling, while expressing herself through the music. Kimberley is a long-time fiddle teacher at the Gaelic College in Cape Breton and the Ceilidh Trails Music School. Outside of Canada, she has taught at the Swannanoa Gathering, the American Festival of Fiddle Tunes, as well as the North Atlantic Fiddle Convention in Aberdeen Scotland. Kimberley has recorded two CDs, the latest which, "Falling on New Ground" won the 2008 East Coast Music Award for best Roots/Tradtional Album of the Year. In Kimberley’s class you will experience the Cape Breton tradition in all its richness, as it looks toward the future.
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 is her 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 works together with Laura Risk to give the students in the Slow Class the best experience imaginable. She is a performer whose energetic and expressive playing encompasses the full range of emotion. She is in demand as a player for Scottish Country dance, because the energy of her playing puts springs in the dancers’ feet. Hanneke, who was US Scottish Fiddling Champion in 1997, has incorporated her love of Scottish music, including the Cape Breton style, into her own unique style. A prolific composer, her tunes range from wild exuberance to poignant lyricism, continuing in her latest album, “For Reasons Unseen”. Hanneke has performed and conducted workshops all around the world - New Zealand, Australia, China, Sweden and Scotland - as well as throughout the US. Her teaching style combines great enthusiasm and humor with a serious focus on making sure students are learning effectively.
With Laura and Hanneke to guide you, you will find that the Slow Class provides you with inspiration to last throughout the coming year, as well as the tools to move you along your musical path.
Deby Benton Grosjean is a highly talented violinist who has steeped herself in Celtic music. In addition to performing and recording, Deby has built a strong reputation as a teacher, especially for her skill in working with young fiddlers. She teaches and assists in running two Celtic Music Camps, one for teens and one for children, and she has taught basic beginning fiddling for kids at VOM for many years. In Deby hands, children build technical skills that will form a strong foundation for whatever style they choose to develop. At the same time, Deby’s sense of fun and gentle support will foster a love for music and a desire to develop their ability to play.
Janette Duncan attended the very first session of VOM in 1984 and has been a constant companion on its journey ever since. During this time she became a fiddle teacher herself and developed a strong contingent of students, many of who have come to VOM. Janette proved to be an excellent teacher for adults who want to begin learning fiddle. She works with those who perhaps have never held a fiddle before, bringing them within the week to be able to play a tune for the rest of us. If you have wished you had studied violin as a child, but thought that time had passed, think again. Janette can open the door for you to a new music-filled life.
Cello
Natalie Haas began performing with Alasdair Fraser when she was in high school, continuing to do so while studying cello at Juilliard. Since she began teaching at Celtic Connections in Glasgow and VOM in 2002, various music camps and festivals have been eager to engage her, and she has been recognized in her own right. Her album with Alasdair, “Fire and Grace,” was named Scots Trad Music Album of the Year for 2004. She and Alasdair followed that with a second duo album, “In the Moment”, containing mostly original tunes, including Natalie’s tune, “Between”. 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.
Mike Block will be assisting Natalie in giving the cellists a year’s worth of inspiration. Anyone who was at VOM in 2008, when Mike attended as a student, will remember him from his playing then. He has recently played with Darol Anger’s Republic of Strings and was a member of Mark O’Connor’s Appalachian Waltz Trio. He excels in many genres, performing with a wide spectrum of traditional fiddlers, from Bruce Molsky to Michael Doucet. Yo-Yo Ma referred to him as the “ideal musician of the 21st Century”.
Piano Classes
Piano classes are designed for those who already have a knowledge of basic chords on the instrument and the ability to change chords with some facility. There are no beginning classes in piano.
Cali McKasson, pianist and harpist, first attended VOM as a young teenager. She and her fiddler brother, Ryan, began to play Scottish music together, and her interest in Scottish music grew rapidly. Having been introduced to Cape Breton music by Barbara MacDonald Magone, Cali has also been influenced by Tracy Dares and Muriel Johnstone, developing a style of her own that is sometimes delicate and evocative, other times powerful and dynamic. She and Ryan formed a band with Ryan’s, the McKassons, with Ryan’s wife Brooke and percussionist Matt Jerrell which performs throughout the US. Cali, who has taught piano for a number of years at both VOM and Alasdair Fraser’s Sierra Fiddle Camp, returns to VOM to offer piano students invaluable experience for accompanying Scottish music. She will show you the elements of her own style, while giving you advice for joining in jam sessions or accompanying the solo fiddle.
Guitar and Mandolin Classes
Guitar and mandolin classes are designed for those who already have a knowledge of basic chords on the instrument and the ability to change chords with some facility. There are no beginning classes in guitar or mandolin.
Guitar
Tony McManus: in a relatively short time Tony’s music has come to define a new role for the guitar in Celtic music. He has come to represent Celtic music in the guitar world, making regular appearances at guitar specific events where just a few years ago jigs and reels would be unheard of. From early childhood his twin obsessions of traditional music and acoustic guitar have worked together to produce a startlingly original approach to this ancient art. In Tony’s hands the complex ornamentation normally associated with fiddles and pipes are accurately transferred to guitar in a way that preserves the integrity and emotional impact of the music.
Scott Law: as a young child, Scott grew up hearing the likes of Louis Armstrong, Chet Atkins, Django Reinhardt, Johnny Cash, Big Mama Thornton, the gospel of Mahalia Jackson and many others from his father's vast collection of LP's. Despite being enamored with the guitar from his earliest memory, Scott found his way first as a drummer playing along with Beatles records in fourth grade and "jamming" with friends. He came around to the six-string as a teenager (age of 15) and then settled in for the music-making long haul, trying styles of all stripes in a host of groups, many with horrible names. Two years of music theory study at Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle and an increasingly active gig schedule began to open up a career that has led to him touring and performing all over the world and working with many legendary artists for nearly three decades while steadily developing his own original repertoire.
Mandolin
Tristan Clarridge is a multi-instrumentalist who excels at playing every instrument that engages his interest. Five-time Grand National Fiddle Champion, Tristan plays mandolin, cello and guitar. Currently he perfoms on cello with Darol Anger’s Republic of Strings and bluegrass group “Crooked Still”. He performs on fiddle with his sister Tashina in the Bee Eaters, a progressive string band that combines an unusual mix of traditional instruments. Mandolin class will equip you with new tunes to love and improved skills to play them and go on to expand your mandolin experience.
Singing
Teacher to be announced
Dance
Nic Gareiss, who has mesmerized VOM participants and audiences at the VOM concerts for the past few years, will be teaching dance class once again. He uses an interpretive, free-form, percussive style to create music with his feet. When Nic dances with a musician, one witnesses a musical dialogue as engaging as that between any two musicians. In dance class, Nic will offer you a type of step dancing that can lead you into new, expressive territory.
Percussion
Gary Campus has taught percussion for many years at both VOM and its sister Sierra Fiddle Camp. His musical interest and professional experience are broad, including rock, classical, and Latin Jazz, as well as Celtic. Gary will help you find your rhythmic self, through what is essentially a percussion party in class. If your primary instrument is a melodic one, his class will give your playing a firmer rhythmic foundation, an essential element in making music come to life.
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