Who are the instructors?
Fiddle |
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Adrian Barker (Melbourne) |
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Having been swept into the tunes as an unsuspecting youngster, Adrian Barker has
earned a reputation as one of the finest Irish fiddle players Australia has produced. In
recent years Ado has made something of a second home in Ennis, Co. Clare, and his time in
Ireland has given him the opportunity to soak in the music of some sublime traditional
musicians. An accomplished performer, and the winner of the inaugural Chris Wendt award
at the National Folk Festival in 1998, he is never more at home than in the thick of a
lively session. He is also an experienced teacher of traditional music, and has taught
extended workshops at events such as Ceol Aneas in New Zealand (2005, 2006), the Easter
School at the National Folk Festival (2007) and at the Turning Wave Irish festival (2006,
2007). Adrian performs with acclaimed Melbourne Irish band Trouble in the Kitchen. The Troubles recently completed a tour of Japan and Europe and have released 2 great albums of traditional music. Ado has also released, with bandmate Ben Stephenson, an album of Irish tunes collected in Australia called ‘Undertones’. |
Fred Graham (Brisbane) |
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Originally inspired by the recordings of fiddlers Tommy Peoples and Kevin Burke, Fred’s
quest for mastery of Irish fiddling resulted in a trip to Ireland in 2000. There he learned
from and played many sessions with master fiddlers Seamus Creagh, Martin Hayes, Johnny Carty,
Matt Cranitch, Maire O’Keeffe and Eilish O’Connor. However, Fred’s musical journey started
much earlier than that. His musical path has taken him through a wide range of styles, notably
jazz, manouche swing, bluegrass – all of which contribute in some way to his innovative
approach to Irish fiddle. His playing is full of variation and improvisation.
Fred is a founder member of Brisbane-based Irish band Tulca Mor. The band has recorded three albums and performed at dozens of festival gigs around Australia. Fred has conducted workshops at some of these festivals in Australia as well as New Zealand. |
Flute and Whistle |
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Beginners/Intermediate - Nicole Murray (Maleny) |
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Nicole Murray lives in Maleny and is half of the internationally-touring folk and acoustic duo cloudstreet, with John Thompson. Nicole plays flute, whistle, fiddle and percussion to enhance cloudstreet's renowned close-harmony vocals. She has sung all her life and played whistle since she was fourteen. While she loves the buzz of performing on stage, Nicole also plays in Irish sessions several times a week, and is a patient and inspiring teacher committed to empowering more people to make music. In Maleny she runs a slow tunes session for learners and she teaches singing with an emphasis on traditional styles at workshops and festivals in Australia and the UK. |
Advanced - Beth McCracken (Brisbane) |
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Beth McCracken began her journey down the path of Irish instrumental music in her teens, a new generation of player influenced by recordings featuring the masters of the genre. With a start like that there was no doubt that she would travel from her home in Brisbane to Ireland to continue her apprenticeship with the people she'd been listening to, people like Conal O'Grada and Harry Bradley. A couple of years well spent! Beth is spectacular on both flute and fiddle with an endless supply of tunes up her sleeve. She has performed and taught in Ireland, New Zealand and Australia and is a recipient of the Declan Affley Award at the Australian National Folk Festival. |
Mandolin/Banjo |
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Steve Cook (Sunshine Coat) |
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Steve Cook has spent the last 35 years playing and exploring a diverse range of music on an equally diverse range of instruments. Having performed with numerous bands locally and overseas he finds himself these days playing bouzouki and banjo with Tulca Mor and banjo and fiddle with the Barleyshakes. Steve is also co-convenor, with Alan Kelly, of the weekly Irish session at Irish Murphy’s in Noosa Junction. His motto is "So many tunes, so little time" |
Accompaniment |
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DADGAD Guitar - Jeremy Dunlop (Melbourne) |
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A recent immigrant to Maleny from Melbourne, Jem is a well-known guitarist and excellent fiddle player. Using his vast knowledge of tune repertoire, Jem will teach skills to sensitively accompany Irish tunes on guitar, using open DADGAD tuning. |
Celtic Harp |
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Andy Rigby (Victoria) |
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Andy Rigby has been playing the folk harp for over twenty-five years, and is
regarded as one of Australia’s leading players, teachers and makers of this noble instrument.
His main influences are the Celtic harp traditions of Ireland, Scotland and Wales, and the
Latin American styles which he learned from Alfirio Cristaldo in Melbourne. He has worked
with Blackwood, Moving Harps, Riley Lee, Haravicu, Bob Ballantine, Martin Tucker, Gillian
Alcock, and many others. Workshops and performance highlights include Canberra National Folk Festival, (Easter class harp teacher (1998, 2003, 2006) and regular performer), Arts council tours of NSW and Vic with Moving Harps, Maleny and Woodford Folk Festivals (regular harp teacher and performer since 1993) |
Singing - Traditional Song |
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John Thompson (Maleny) |
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John Thompson is a singer, musician and songwriter, touring internationally with both cloudstreet (with Nicole Murray) and the Spooky Men's Chorale. A professional musician since 2003 and barrister in a (recent) past life, John has an exquisite understanding of the tension between artist and "day job", and how to nurture the one to benefit both. In 1994 he won the inaugural Lis Johnston award for vocal excellence at the National Folk Festival in Canberra. He has taught singing workshops with Nicole Murray across the United Kingdom and Australia. He brings a wealth of experience, passion and humour to his music. Since 2006, he has lived in Maleny. |
Jenny Fitzgibbon (Maleny) |
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Jenny Fitzgibbon was brought up in Ireland where, thanks to the radio and having two singing parents, she heard enough Irish traditional music to allow a love of it to grow. Singing at folk festivals for many years now, both solo and in some great harmony groups and bands, Jenny has a lot of skills and tricks to share, some of which relate to singing. Irish trad songs are mostly designed for unaccompanied voice and Jenny's strong, flexible voice is a pleasure to hear. |
Bodhran |
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Ben McAtamney (Melbourne) |
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Ben McAtamney is an award winning multi-instrumentalist and composer, recently relocated from Sydney to Melbourne. Ben is currently playing with the bands Evenish, Cornerbrook and Kate Delaney. He was recently Co-winner of the prestigious Declan Affley Memorial Award for excellence in a young performer at the 2008 National Folk festival. Ben is an accomplished and innovative exponent of the bodhran (bodhranista!) and the flute. |
Dance |
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Davydd McDonald (Brisbane) |
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The star of Australia’s Got Talent with his amazing tap quartet "Red Hot Rhythm", Davydd is a former Australian Champion stepdancer, and will teach one class only of his incredible techniques. Davydd is also the dance caller for the star-studded fun of the Maleny Ceili on Saturday night. |