Dance Musicians' Week

Learn to play traditional and contemporary fiddle tunes for contra and square dances on any acoustic instrument. Have fun during slow-tune and faster jams, instructor presentations, individual and group lessons, discussions, small-ensemble band work, playing for dancers, and dancing. This class is for intermediate and advanced musicians who are already familiar with and play or accompany some contra or square tunes on their instruments. For planning purposes, please register by May 25.

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Betsy Branch is a contra and English country dance fiddler from Portland, Oregon. She teaches fiddle privately out of her home and is associate music director for the Portland Revels® theater company, where she arranges music for chorus and instruments. Betsy also plays in several dance bands, including Campaign for Reel Time and Fine Companions. Her fiddling can be heard on a number of recordings - most recently Midnight in Montague - a collection of fiddle duets with David Kaynor. Betsy is committed to making the art of dance fiddling accessible to anyone who wants to try.

Peter Siegel plays guitar, banjo, and mandolin with the innovative Gaslight Tinkers in western Massachusetts and with the Beverwyck String Band around Albany, New York. He also performs extensively as a folk singer-songwriter and has shared the stage with such performers as Noel Paul Stookey (of Peter, Paul, and Mary), Judy Collins, and Pete Seeger. He also recorded mandolin on Seeger's Grammy award-winning CD, Tomorrow's Children.

Jared Kirkpatrick (Starling, Flamingo Sketches) has been immersed in the contra dance world all his life, and has been lucky enough to play with multiple dance bands. With broad musical influences from Balkan harmony singing to fusion and jazz music, he loves focusing on the possibilities that arise when these styles influence each other and come together. Having studied jazz vibraphone at Temple University, Jared is now based in NC - taking every excuse to travel to dances across the country, with either a mandolin or a mixing board in tow.

Rick Mohr has called and played dances for decades, from local barn dances to dance weeks and weekends across North America. His insights and experience as caller, fiddler, and rhythm player have helped many people become proficient dance musicians and callers. He also loves singing, songwriting, stories, tessellations, and luring people into the world of music and dance.