Listed below are links to learn more about special events, very important guests, pros, and volunteers! This page will be updated whenever more information is available, come back as often as you want, you’ll see some exciting news in the next few weeks.
Who’s Who-
Jasmin Faulk-Dickerson
Meet Jasmin Faulk-Dickerson – Interviewer, volunteer recruiter, and so much more.
She’ll be interviewing Alasdair and Natalie, as well as a special guest, and hosting a fireside chat Saturday night after the ceilidh. She’ll also offer up some great things for folks to get involved in!
Check out her fascinating and informative podcasts entitled, “I Want You To Meet”..
Who’s When –
The Cummings Family, with (left to right) Dale, Elinor, Flora and Judith.
This year, local celebs will teach the workshop song. Too early to say what that tune will be, but we do know the class will be from 5- 5:30 on Saturday, so don’t run off too soon to start dinner!
The Cummings’ family band is also known as “The Fiddle Footed Cummings” and call Seattle home. They’ve been frequent performers at NW Folklife Festival and a number of other events in the Seattle area.
Dale plays guitar and flute, and has been involved with Gaelic, Scots, Spanish, and Balkan singing for many years. He’s taken home the Silver Pendant for Gaelic singing at the Royal National Mòd in Scotland. And his toughest job, might be organizer-in-chief of the family band rehearsals.
Judith, originally from Scotland, plays Scottish harp and has received the Gold Medal for traditional Gaelic singing at the Royal Mòd. For years, she was a member of the top Scottish band, “The Whistlebinkies“.
Flora and Elinor- what can we say? They are both accomplished in Highland dancing and Fiddle (along with classical violin and viola), and, of course they also sing! They’ve made appearances at the Feis an Eilein on the Isle of Skye in 2018 and 2019. Flora has also performed at the “More Music at the Moore” show which highlights young music talent in the Pacific Northwest.
Alasdair Fraser and Natalie Haas Interview Sunday, 12:30 pm
Last year’s interview, with so many great moments. There’ll be more this year, so don’t miss it!
Grab your coffee, grab your tea and join Jasmin Faulk-Dickerson as she asks questions that will keep these two on their toes. We’ll also ask for questions from the audience. This conversation will dovetail into Alasdair’s Forum, with the exact topic to be announced later. More information as coming!
Honoring Dr. King Interview: Chenoa Murphy 1 PM, Saturday
Chenoa Murphy
Yes, she plays the violin, but that’s not the only thing she has in common with most of the folks attending this workshop! It’s spectacular! It’s incredible! You’ll have to tune in for the rest of the story!!
Join in on the conversation, as Jasmin interviews Chenoa Murphy, who, at the age of two, attended her first classical music concert by violin students of Dr. Shinichi Suzuki. Within a year, she was enrolled in Suzuki method violin lessons.
Chenoa was born and raised in Memphis, TN. She demonstrated her love and enthusiasm for music throughout her childhood and teenage years, and earned a Bachelor of Music, and Master of Music in Violin Performance at University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and Doctoral Studies at the University of Iowa.
Besides being a former violin and viola private teacher, Chenoa is also a highly sought-after educator, guest lecturer, and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion facilitator for various music organization and college campuses. Her article, “Black Representation in Classical Music Matters” was feature in the Summer, 2020 edition of the American Suzuki Journal.
She’ll be sharing her thoughts about Martin Luther King, and so much more. Her life work, as a black artist promoting black composers will be explored, and what she called, “the dividing factor” in her life as she grew up, being split between two worlds, a black one, and a white one.
She currently resides in Springfield, IL, and is married to the love of her life, Victor, who is from Glasgow, Scotland. She’s also the mover to two beautiful children. This promises to be a memorable and highly informative interview! Here’s her website– check out the blog, and her impressive bio to see what’s in store for this eye-opening interview. Don’t miss it!
Who’s How-
Jon Luini – Zoom Master
We can’t do this weekend long event without some real Zoom technical know-how. This year we are just tickled to have two guys that have been involved with VOM and Sierra for countless years. Meet Jon Luini and Jacob Davida!! Look for them if you need help. Jasmin Faulk-Dickerson will also lend a hand. Most likely, they’ll be in the Main Office.