Emily Troll plays fiddle and accordion and currently hails from South Portland, ME. An avid lover of French-Canadian and Old-time traditions, she’s spent many years at Pinewoods and Maine Fiddle camp honing her skills as informally as possible. You’ll often see Emily playing with her all-girl band, Anadama. When she’s not playing, she’s probably dancing. When she’s not dancing, she’s probably teaching fifth graders to do long division.
Emily O’Brien is a native of Washington, DC where she played recorder from a young age. She studied recorder and french horn at Boston University, and recorder and Baroque flute at the Hochschule für Musik in Karlsruhe, Germany. She performs in recorder ensembles and historical chamber music, as well as English Country Dance bands. As a teacher, she works with private students and ensembles in the Boston area and at summer workshops.
Elvie Miller grew up immersed in the New England music and dance community and attended Family Week at Pinewoods many times as a camper. A recipient of the Watson Fellowship in 2005, she studied traditional dance music in northern Europe, and subsequently moved to music-rich County Clare, Ireland, where she now lives with her husband, fiddler Denis Liddy, and their twin daughters. She keeps busy gigging at local castles and teaching secondary (high) school English and Music as well as teaching classical and traditional piano and piano accordion privately.
Denis Liddy, originally from Newmarket-on-Fergus, Co. Clare, has been playing the fiddle since he was eight. He is now a primary school teacher in Co. Clare, where he also runs a large traditional music school. Since 1999, his music students have competed in and won numerous competitions, recorded four CDs and toured in Ireland, the UK, France, Spain, Canada, China, Bulgaria, the US, Australia and Sweden. Denis regularly teaches and performs in many music projects and events including the Willie Clancy Summer School,
Nils Fredland has been singing in choirs since 1980, and calling dances since 2000. Respected for his expertise and clear leadership, and appreciated for his kindness and warmth, Nils is a popular caller for dancers of all ages and levels of experience. He is widely known as an engaging and skillful song leader; his primary goal is to create a welcome and safe environment for all participants, and to deliver a joyful, community-building experience through learning and singing together.
Gaye Fifer has been calling at dance weekends for many years. Her pleasant style and graceful teaching put dancers at ease and set the stage for a great dance experience. She has also taught numerous waltz workshops at virtually every dance weekend in the East. She now lives in Pittsburgh, PA. and travels whenever she gets the opportunity. Gaye is currently President of CDSS and has a passionate interest in organizing to support dance community leaders and organizers.
Alex Cumming is a traditional singer, accordionist and dance caller hailing from Somerset, England who now lives in Boston, MA. He performs songs and tunes from around the UK and beyond with a great depth of knowledge for the traditions backed up by a Bachelor’s Degree in Folk & Traditional Music from Newcastle University. Alex has made his mark on the folk scene with his rhythmic danceable accordion style, strong voice and his fun and engaging stage presence.
Betsy Branch, from Portland OR, is a dance fiddler and private fiddle teacher. She plays both contra and English Country Dance music, and her repertoire includes tunes from Ireland, Scotland, Appalachia and Quebec. She is also the Associate Music Director for Portland’s Christmas Revels production, where she is the house fiddler, band leader, and frequent music arranger. In 2019, Betsy co-published, with Kevin Burke, a tune book with transcriptions of Kevin’s playing on 4 of his influential solo albums,
Dance, Music, & Song Camps