6th Annual Heart of the Alleghenies
Folk Music Festival in Bradford, Pennsylvania.
August 7 - 9, 2009

Performers, Instructors, Jam Leaders

Check out the Workshops here PDF SCHEDULE

Claudia Schmidt:

"Michigan native Claudia Schmidt has covered a lot of musical ground, beginning with a stirring rendition of "Tammy" at age 4 around a neighborhood bonfire. Then came years of choirs, a guitar, a dulcimer, and some theatre thrown into the pot.... She has recorded fourteen albums of mostly original songs, exploring folk, blues, and jazz idioms featuring her acclaimed12 string guitar and mountain dulcimer playing.... A musician who has always hated categories, she describes herself as a "creative noisemaker," which has irritated some critics but delighted many audiences, who learn to expect anything at a Schmidt concert, hymn, poem, bawdy verse, torch song, satire, and the gamut of emotions. Her live performances are not to be missed. Her musicality is astonishing...a lot like falling in love..."

Claudia Schmidt: -Visit Claudia's Website!

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Randy Miller: Celticladda

Randy Miller: -Visit Randy's Website!

Randy's musical style is influenced by the fiddling of Paddy Cronin, the late Sean !McGuire, Simon St. Pierre, and Jerry Holland, all of whom he has been fortunate to visit with and hear in person. Combining sounds from his adopted state of New Hampshire with Irish and Cape Breton Celtic styles, Randy plays "New Hamptic." An avid dancer steeped in the robust contra style of the Monadnock region of southwestern New Hampshire, Randy phrases the melody with a dancer's sensibility. He has performed throughout the U.S. and abroad at numerous venues including the Festival of American Fiddle Tunes, HOTAfest 07, the University of Chicago, Star Hampshire Dance Weekend, Gypsy Moon Ball, Lady of the Lake, and the Shetland Folk Festival. Randy also collects and publishes fiddle tunes under the imprint, Fiddlecase Books. His latest CD, released in '05, is The Fiddler's Throne.

Flute player Bill Thomas is a long-time dancer and dance musician whose repertoire includes tons of New England tunes. In the early ’70s he fell in love with Irish music and his flute has been heard at sessions and dances ever since. Along the way Bill took up the uilleann pipes and continues to add his lively playing to local sessions in New Hampshire and western Massachussetts. Learning from many native Irish musicians both in the States and during his several trips to Ireland, Bill has developed an authentic playing style which follows the tradition and yet is his own. An accomplished furnituremaker with a shop in Rindge, New Hampshire, Bill has also made uilleann pipes including the set he now plays.

Gordon Peery has been playing piano for contra dances since the late 1970’s. His early style contained elements from Cape Breton, however, informed by such diverse influences as Oscar Peterson and the Rolling Stones, he has evolved a unique way of playing which has been described as “barrelhouse Irish.” During the 1990s he gained national recognition while playing with the bands Fresh Fish and The New Hampshire Fiddlers Union and can be heard on recordings made by both groups. The latter band, which included Randy Miller, represented New England at the 10th annual Shetland Folk Festival. Gordon is also the managing editor of the Monadnock Folklore Society web site. He lives in Nelson, New Hampshire, the contra dance capitol of the world.

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Curt Osgood: Curt Osgood, of Binghamton, NY, has been pleasing audiences with his dulcimer artistry for over twenty years, both as a solo and ensemble performer. Curt, as a teacher, workshop leader, and one of the directors of the annual Cranberry Dulcimer Gathering, has contributed to the resurgence of interest in the instrument and its traditions. He plays guitar,clawhammer style banjo and sings as well, and has a self released CD, Newfield Sessions. Curt has been a great supporter of Hotafest and we are so pleased to have him with us.

Todd Crowley began singing folk music as a boy. In 1981 he lived with the legendary autoharp performer Bryan Bowers. At the end of their year together, Bryan gave Todd his first autoharp lesson and presented him with his first auotoharp. Todd performs regularly at The Folk Club of Reston-Herndon in Herndon, Virginia and has appeared at the Washington Folk Festival, the Herndon Folk Festival, the California Autoharp Gathering, and the American Roots Music & Arts Festival. He is also a long time member of the Washington D. C. area Capital ‘Harpers. Todd will be making his second appearance at HOTAfest in 2009.

TuneScape is an innovative dance band bringing together members from NY and PA. Tunescape nudges the border between traditional music and modern groove. Inspired by the tunes of Ireland, New England, Quebec, Scandinavia, and France, Tunescape creates an unmistakeable sound of power and beauty.

Sue Hengelsberghas been playing and singing folk music since 1970, accompanying herself on guitar, banjo, mountain dulcimer, and hammered dulcimer, bowed psaltery and other assorted instruments. Her performances for historical society, schools, churches, libraries, club meetings, coffehouses, etc. all over western New York usually have a theme featuring tradtional songs and those she has written about local historical topics.

Eric Anderson says he does only one thing well - playing piano for contra dances, a subject on which he has become increasingly opinionated. From beginnings in a friendly Sunday afternoon jam band in North Carolina, through Cathie Whitesides' marvelous dance music workshops in Seattle and study under Terry Wergeland of Singularity, he's danced and played in dozens of small community halls across the Pacific Northwest, from Bozeman and Boise and Friday Harbor, Washington, to Reno and Monterey and Vancouver, B.C.

Amanda Manfredo Over the past 15 years, Amanda has learned banjo tunes from a variety of sources including Brad Leftwich, John Hermann, and Mike Manfredo. As a banjo player, she has performed for dances and various shows which included her singing repertoire with the group Wily Milo. She enjoys playing tunes and singing with friends in anyone’s living room, always willing to provide a harmony part and a punchy banjo or some guitar chords. Her banjo styles vary from rhythmic to melodic, influenced strongly by assorted Southern old timers and new timers.
Mike Manfredo At one point in his life Mike had collected a houseful of acoustic musical instruments. If an instrument had a string he felt the need to learn and master it. Upon his move from the western part of the Southern Tier of New York State to Ithaca and the finger lake area, it seemed a good time to give up ownership of his collection except for a few of his favorites, including two of this thirteen five-string banjos, four fiddles, two banjo ukes and his favorite guitar. As a student of Brad Leftwich, Bruce Molsky, Bruce Greene, he learned the essence of southern down-bowing used in the traditional music of the Southern and Midwestern states. Mike played fiddle and banjo in the Southern Old-Time String Band Wily Milo and has been teaching fiddle in the Ithaca area for the past four years.

Gerry Hoffman encountered shape note singing in 1985 and was immediately drawn to its power and strange harmonies. He has been singing shape note regularly for the past 20 years, including attending many singing schools and large conventions, particating in the wonderful community that exists among shape note singers. He has traveled to the south, where this music has been sung continuously for nearly two centuries, to learn how it truly ought to be sung. Over the past five years, he has taught singing workshops to expose the people of northwestern Pennsylvania to shape note sing.

SimpleFaith The three of us, Jamie Trask, Kerrie Pessia, and Julie Baker, have been singing, playing laughing, and writing music together for about 6 years. Our specialty is accapella close three part harmony gospel music, but we dabble in other music styles and multliple musical instruments.

Sterl VanArsdale: Sterl is a musical link to his grandfather, Jesse Martin, who played hammered dulcimer in the Henry Ford Band (Country Dance Band) between 1926 and 1928. Due to illness Sterl was unable to attend our festival in 2006, but will be here this year! Please take a moment to read about this awesome hammered dulcimer player. P.S. Thanks for the hammers, Sterl.

PamVerity teaches in the Music Department of Our Lady's Christian School in Erie, Pa.

JimKimball: Jim is a folklorist, music historian, and ethnomusicologist specializing in the rural square dance traditions in New York State. He will be participating in the festival as a caller, workshop leader and performer.

MitzieCollins: Mitzie is now teaching more than 20 hammered dulcimer players in Rochester through the Eastman Community Music School. Her new "group" is called "StrikingStrings", and the full ensemble numbers 10 people. The group plays a mixture of improvised and scored music, both folk and classical. They have performed in numerous venues - both indoors and outdoors - around Rochester. Mitzie would like the members of her group to experience all the different kinds of music available at a folk festival - and the HOTA audience will be interested and surprised by the variety the group can get with many instruments.

Fern Marshall Bradley has been part of the mid-Atlantic and New England dance scene for more than 25 years, since she first learned to contra dance in Princeton and Lambertville, New Jersey. Fern began calling contra dances in 2000 after attending dance calling workshops with callers Greg Frock of Baltimore and John Krumm of southeast Pennsylvania. Fern is known for her clear teaching style and her love of introducing new dancers to contra dancing. Fern also enjoys calling community and family dances, blending a variety of folk traditions at events designed for people of all ages to dance together.

Sue Tillotson: A Suzuki violin teacher and freelance musician in the Jamestown area, Sue has studied Scottish fiddle at Sabhal Mor Ostaig in Scotland with Alasdair Fraser, the Scottish band Blazin' Fiddles at their fiddle course Blazin Beauly, Bonnie Rideout, Elke Baker, Laura Risk, Jeremy Kittel, Melinda Crawford and Quebecois fiddler Andre Brunet. Sue has competed in and won several Scottish fiddle competitions, including the 2005 Ligonier Highland Games Open division. She founded the Bonnie Loch Fiddle club and is the director of the Bonnie Loch Fiddlers. She also plays with the Irish folk band, Ischabaha from Erie, PA, and the Celtic trio Reely Moka.

The BonnieLoch Fiddlers: Under the direction of Sue Tillotson The Bonnie Loch fiddlers hail from the Chautauqua Lake region of New York State. The band consists of 5 fiddlers backed up by keyboard, guitar and percussion. The fiddlers are ages 14 -17 have many honors and awards and perform regularly throughout the region as well as a recent performance in Inverness Scotland as part of a Trans Atlantic exchange concert series.

Picks & Hammers: Larry Spencer plays fiddle tunes on the mountain dulcimer and teaches beginning mountain dulcimer in western PA. Gayle Sheets plays lap dulcimer, fiddle, mandolin and spoons.Larry Spencer and Gayle Sheets are a wonderful addition to HOTA.

Confluence: Hailing from Hinsdale, NY, Confluence is Nadine Dyskant-Miller on flute and foot percussion and her mother Barbara Dyskant on keyboards providing driving rhythm plus intricate leads. Confluence features traditional music of Quebec, Ireland, New England and Europe, contemporary sounds, and original material.

Linda Huber Linda is a long-time HOTAfest performer & workshop leader. This year she will be working with Rachel Bell on our new Young Folkies Area.

PeggyShutes is a middle school music teacher from State College. She is a member of several area jam groups and plays a variety of instruments including the Appalachian mountain dulcimer, hammered dulcimer, and piano. She performs old time music with the Tussey Mountain Jammers and with Smash the Windows, a folk and contra dance band. An experienced clinician, Peggy has taught workshops at Folk College, The Greenwood Furnace Folk Gathering, and the Pennsylvania Music Educator’s Annual Conference.

Scott & Cathy Pearson are an instrumental duet from Warren, PA who play a mix of bluegrass, Celtic, old time, and swing music and have been performing together since 1992. Scott & Cathy first met while playing together in the Friends & Neighbors band from West Virginia and both play the fiddle, mandolin and guitar and have played for many venues throughout the years including craft shows, fairs, senior centers, theatres, festivals, resorts, weddings, and many other events. In addition to playing music, they are proud parents of 4 children. Individually both have played music in different capacities for many years and have been a part of a variety of recording projects.

Jessi Combs & the Crook Farm All Stars have been singing & playing for the weekly Crook Farm Old Time Round & Square Dance since 2005. Jessi has been playing & singing country music with her dad, Larry, her whole life, and at the age of 15 began sitting in with the Crook Farm band. Jessi is now attending college in Nashville, so we're lucky to have her back at the festival this year!

Annette Ieda of Ellicottville plays violin, viola, cello, piano, recorder and bass. She is a former school music teacher & currently teaches private violin lessons. Annette has a Bachelors and Masters Degree in Music Education from Fredonia College and presently plays viola in the Orchard Park Symphony, Southern Tier Symphony, and the Jamestown Community Orchestra. She is just getting into the "fiddlin' scene" by participating in BlueHill Band and the band "Confluence." Annette and husband Jim also perform in area recitals as a piano/violin duo. She is also a membe of the St. Paul's Lutheran Dulcimer Choir (a group sponsor of HOTAfest)

The BlueMule band from Cattaraugus, NY Perform an eclectic mix of traditioan Bluegrass & upbeat Folk Music mixed with moments of humor. They will be performing on Saturday at the Showcase Concert & singing & jamming around the Festival.

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