Becky Wright fell head over heels in love with shape-note music 15 years ago, and she hasn’t stopped singing since. She has taught at singing schools up and down the east coast, and she’s known for her friendly, approachable teaching style and her wide repertoire of 4-shape and 7-shape music. She also enjoys other types of social singing, was a founding committee member for Youth Traditional Song Weekend, and recently released a duo album with Nicole Singer.
Sophie Wellington plays old time music on fiddle and guitar, and enjoys connections between traditional repertoire and spontaneous improvisation. A Staunton, Virginia native, Berklee graduate, Boston-based, Sophie’s been kicking up a storm in performance, and teaching at camps. In 2024, she’s been touring big stages with acclaimed musician and storyteller Willi Carlisle, simultaneously fiddling and dancing in an impassioned display of rhythm and skill. Her solo program integrates dance, instrumentals, and singing in a singular musical expression.
Miranda Weinberg (fiddle) delights in the freedom and interaction of playing for dancing while drawing on her training as a classical violinist. You can find her playing for English, contra, and Scottish dances in the Philadelphia area and beyond. When she’s not playing, she’s often dancing, working as an applied linguist, and adoring her two tiny dogs in Philadelphia.
Alex Sturbaum (they/them) is a one-of-a-kind performer. Steeped in musical traditions from both sides of the Atlantic, they are equally comfortable performing for dancers in a crowded grange hall, singing original songs at an intimate house concert, belting out sea shanties at a pub sing, or playing bluegrass music at a festival. Alex’s love for the music and joy in performing it is evident in every note they play. Alex grew up in Cincinnati OH,
Brian Lindsay (he/him) has been dancing since he could walk, singing since he could speak, and holding a fiddle to his chin for most of his life. Surrounded by both contra dance and Irish music and dance throughout his childhood, Brian spent much of his youth going to sessions in the NY area and studying with respected Irish fiddle player Brian Conway. An accomplished performer and Mid-Atlantic Irish Fiddle champion by the age of 17,
Nicole Singer is a teacher, organizer, singer, dancer, and artist living in Easthampton, Massachusetts, now in her second year as Program Director for Harmony of Song & Dance Week. Nicole is a co-founder and organizer of Youth Traditional Song Weekend, co-author of CDSS’s Folk Sing Starter Kit (with Julia Friend), and former chairwoman of folk music and song programming for NEFFA. As an organizer, Nicole loves geeking out about fostering intergenerational communities and making sessions welcoming and enjoyable for all,
Jamie Bunce taught high school choir and music theory in New Jersey for thirteen years and is now a full time student, having moved to South Florida to pursue her DMA in choral conducting at the University of Miami. Prior to her move, she was also an Associate Director of the Princeton Girlchoir and an adjunct choral professor at Wagner College. She is a guest conductor, contemporary a cappella arranger, and clinician who has been featured in Chorus America for bringing early music into the high school choral classroom.
Dave Wiesler (Newark, DE) began his musical journey as “the guy who could figure out the chords” in his high school garage band. Nearly 20 years later he discovered playing folk music for dances, and felt that the job description had been written just for him. At home in a wide range of styles, Dave is in demand for contra, English and Scottish country dancing, swing, waltz and vintage dance; and his music has taken him across the country and into Canada,
Adina Gordon finds an outlet for her loves of travel, music, dance and silliness by calling and dancing throughout the U.S. and Canada, facilitating joy and minor chaos wherever she goes. Combining a voice that makes you WANT to do what she says with a commitment to using that power for good and not evil, Adina calls dances both old and new that cause spontaneous eruptions of joy on the dance floor. She counts it as a job well done whenever anyone says,
Gaye Fifer is an accomplished caller from Pittsburgh, PA. An active dancer herself, Gaye understands the subtleties of making dances particularly satisfying for dancers. Her instructions are clear and concise, as she was a teacher by profession. An easy smile and delightful sense of humor are part of Gaye’s relaxed, pleasant style at the microphone. Gaye calls contra and English dances throughout the U.S. and Canada. She is also an enthusiastic advocate and instructor of contra-style waltz.
Dance, Music, & Song Camps