JOHN WEED - Celtic Fiddle

John Weed, fiddler for Molly’s Revenge and New World String Project, has spent the last 30 years immersed in various fiddle styles. With an affinity for folk traditions, John’s exploration has emphasized Irish, Scottish, Swedish, and Old-Time fiddle. While he holds a bachelor’s degree of music from CSU Chico, the musical education that charted his path began through a long series of Irish sessions. There, he learned the nuance of aural passing of melodies and the tradition of conversing in a deeply musical manner. John’s passion for the vital expressiveness of the session lead to performing across the United States and internationally. In addition to being a full time performer and instructor, John is currently on faculty at Palenke Arts, a multicultural arts organization in Seaside, California. 

ABIGAIL WASHBURN - Claw Hammer Banjo, Songwriting

If American old-time music is about taking earlier, simpler ways of life and music-making as one’s model, Abigail Washburn has proven herself to be a bracing revelation to that tradition. She—a singing, songwriting, Illinois-born, Nashville-based clawhammer banjo player—is every bit as interested in the present and the future as she is in the past, and every bit as attuned to the global as she is to the local. Abigail pairs venerable folk elements with far-flung sounds, and the results feel both strangely familiar and unlike anything anybody’s ever heard before.

One fateful day 11 years ago, Washburn was miraculously offered a record deal in the halls of a bluegrass convention in Kentucky which changed her trajectory from becoming a lawyer in China to a traveling folk musician.  Since then, Abigail has been recording and touring a continuous stream of music.  Her music ranges from the "all-g'earl" string band sound of Uncle Earl to her bi-lingual solo release Song of the Traveling Daughter (2005), to the mind-bending “chamber roots” sound of the Sparrow Quartet, to the rhythms, sounds and stories of Afterquake, her fundraiser CD for the Sichuan earthquake victims.  The New York Times praised her 2011 release, City of Refuge, written with collaborator Kai Welch, saying the the songs "mingle Appalachia and folk-pop, with tinges of Asia and Bruce Springsteen."  Her most recent release, Echo in the Valley (2017), was recorded with her husband, 15-time Grammy award winning banjo virtuoso, Béla Fleck. Their acclaimed, self-titled debut, Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn (2014),  earned the 2016 Grammy for Best Folk Album.

Having toured the world, Washburn is also armed with Chinese language ability and profound connections to culture and people on the other side of the Pacific.  Washburn is one of the few foreign artists currently touring China independently and regularly. She completed a month-long tour (Nov-Dec 2011) of China's Silk Road supported by grants from the US Embassy, Beijing.  Abigail, along with 24 other innovative and creative thinkers worldwide, was named a TED fellow and gave a talk at the 2012 TED Convention in Long Beach about building US-China relations through music.  In March of 2013, she was commissioned by New York Voices and the NY Public Theater to write and debut a theatrical work titled, Post-American Girl, which draws from her 17-year relationship with China and addresses themes of expanding identity, cultural relativism, pilgrimage, the universal appeal of music and opening the heart big enough to fold it all in.  Abigail was recently named the first US-China Fellow at Vanderbilt University.  Her efforts to share US music in China and Chinese music in the US exist within a hope that cultural understanding and the communal experience of beauty and sound rooted in tradition will lead the way to a richer existence.

JORDAN TICE - Guitar

Jordan Tice is a singer, songwriter and guitarist who combines witty, well-crafted songs with deft fingerstyle and flatpick guitar playing. His performances have been compared to those of legends like Leo Kottke, John Hartford, and David Bromberg for their mix of virtuosity and playfulness and his songs have been compared to those of writers, Bob Dylan and John Prine for their humor, introspection and philosophical nature. 

His 5th record, Motivational Speakeasy, released last September, features only Jordan, his voice and his guitar. It was produced by Kenneth Pattengale of the Milk Carton Kids and has been garnering rave reviews from outlets such as NPR Music, PopMatters, American Songwriter, and No Depression. Though a solo outing, there is a wide variety of moods, textures, and influences found on the record’s songs, from the classic Mississippi John Hurt style melodic blues of "Matter of Time" and "Goin on Down", to the dissonant Tom Waits-like shuffle of "Creation's Done" to the philosophical early Dylanesque chatter of "Walkin'" and "Where I'm At”. In addition to his songs which muse on life, relationships and time, the album contains 3 instrumental tracks where Tice showcases his narrative guitar-playing and composing with performances that range from British Isles inspired whistlefulness ("Stratford Waltz") to quirky ragtime ("Bachelorette Party", "Ghost Story"). Folk fans might recognize Jordan Tice as a member of the instrumental bluegrass supergroup, Hawktail as well as his sideman work with many other artists in the folk/bluegrass genre such as Dave Rawlings, Andrew Marlin (Mandolin Orange), Yola, Tony Trischka, and comedian Steve Martin. 

REBECCA STOUT - Flat-foot dancing, Vocals

“There was never a question that I would sing and dance,” says Rebecca. “In my family, it was about the same as breathing air or drinking water.”

Her early dance training began in rural Georgia when her mother signed her up for clogging classes with a local “club” called The Dixieland Cloggers. when the family moved to Tennessee the following year, she continued her lessons with Sumner County’s Corn Crib Cloggers and graduated from her first course in 1983 with an official diploma from the College of Double Toe, Double Toe, Toe, Stomp! and, became a “Bachelor of Clogging”.

But Rebecca also feels she owes a great deal of her personal flatfooting style to the abundance of African-American music and culture in the southeast. “I got into clogging at about the same time The Sugarhill Gang came out with ‘Rapper’s Delight’. To me, they are forever intertwined. Everybody in the fifth grade was obsessed with learning all the lyrics to ‘Rapper’s Delight’, me included. And it didn’t take long to figure out that hip-hop and flatfoot go together like bread and butter.”

As a professional singer, songwriter and rapper, Rebecca considered clogging, flatfoot and percussive dance something she did just for fun: “You know, like hula hooping. You show up at a party, the music sounds good, so you start to dance!”

It wasn’t until she moved to Southern California in 2003 that she realized her calling as a teacher. “People had been suggesting I teach flatfoot for years, but I didn’t think of it as a unique skill while living in the southeast. It’s so common there and so many folks are familiar with it that it just seemed like old hat. But when I moved out west, I realized what a special gift I was given to have grown up immersed in such deep culture. Now, I feel it’s my legacy and responsibility to keep this tradition alive by passing it on to people wherever go.”

And so, while she currently sings, writes and performs for a variety of groups and projects — including Los Angeles-based, Eastern-European women’s choir Nevenka; silky-smooth, lounge- pop ensemble Vermouth; her own music projects including Hendersonville Song Company, Baby Stout and the occasional musical theater project, Rebecca gives percussive dance its own spotlight as a serious art form. “It’s not just a trick anymore; it’s my heritage, and I’m just so proud and excited to share it with the world.”

BORIS ANDRIANOV- Russian Chamber Cello

Boris Andrianov was born in Moscow in 1976. He studied at the Gnessin Moscow Special School of Music (class of Vera Birina), Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory (class of Professor Natalia Shakhovskaya) and Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin (class of Professor David Geringas).

He was the winner of Antonio Janigro International Cello Competition in Zagreb as well as competitions in Johannesburg, Hanover (Classica Nova – In Memoriam Dmitri Shostakovich, as part of a duo with Alexey Goribol), Paris (Concours de violoncelle Rostropovitch), and South Korea (Isang Yun Competition). He was also a prize-winner at the 11th International Tchaikovsky Competition and the Triumph Youth Award, and was titled Honored Artist of Russia in 2016.

Boris Andrianov heads The Generation of Stars, a nation-wide project that has been awarded the Prize for culture of the Government of Russia (2009). He also initiated Vivacello and Vivarte international festivals in Moscow and has been artistic director for both. In addition, he is the artistic director of Musical Expedition festival, that was founded in the Vladimir region and has been expanding every year. In 2021, the festival covered six Russian regions, including Udmurtia, Vologda and Novosibirsk regions, Crimea and Kamchatka.

SUMAIA JACKSON - Fiddle, multiple genres

With driving groove and a smooth, open sound, fiddler and tunestress Sumaia Jackson is a quintessential modern West Coast fiddler. Jackson weaves together Old-Time, Bluegrass, Swing, and Celtic traditions with an easy virtuosity and melodic elegance.

Born and raised in Santa Cruz, Jackson was surrounded by many innovative and inimitable coastal string players and she studied classical violin intensely. Throughout her teenage years she played in classical orchestras, youth symphony, and chamber music settings, refining her sound, and winning awards and competitions. Soon after, Jackson's musical path widened as she sought out roots communities who played Scottish, Appalachian, Bluegrass, and Jazz.

Jackson spent years soaking up tunes and styles at vibrant fiddle camps, and still attends under various roles; student, teacher, helper, coach, organizer. On a full scholarship, she holds a Bachelor’s degree from Berklee College of Music in the American Roots Music department.

Now living in the Bay Area, Jackson tours all over the world with Jayme Stone’s Folklife and Laura Cortese & the Dance Cards—playing places such as the Kennedy Center, Library of Congress, Celtic Connections, Planet Bluegrass, and the Edmonton Folk Festival. She is also a member of the Real Vocal String Quartet (who composed and recorded music for a world music Culture Kin project) and she plays duo with award-winning Canadian fiddler, Adrianna Ciccone. Jackson released her debut fiddle record—Möbius Trip—on May 1st, 2019.

COLIN COTTER - Guitar

Colin grew up immersed in Irish, Finnish, and American folk music. When he was four years old, his mom had him pick up the fiddle and began teaching him to play the tunes she had learned as a child, building on several generations of a family tradition in Finnish folk music. He attended fiddle camp a few years later and fell in love with the Scottish and Irish tunes that quickly came to define his musical journey for a time. In addition to being a fine fiddler and singer, Colin is an accomplished self-taught guitarist, having taken to the instrument both for the practical purpose of accompanying himself singing and out of a deep affinity for sitting in the rhythmic belly of the beast when playing with fiddlers. Over the years, he has crafted a unique approach to expressing on the instrument that he brings to collaborations with artists from across the musical spectrum.

The main musical endeavors Colin is working on currently include songwriting, live solo performances, an edgy, electro-acoustic adventure with fiddler / violist Ryan McKasson that the two are calling Old Growth Graveyard, duos with fiddlers Sumaia Jackson and Adrianna Ciccone, sideman backing guitar work, and one-off collaborations. As a recording artist, he has released albums with the bands he co-founded, MAC (Perfectly Manufactured Reality, 2018) and A Thousand Years at Sea (4 releases between 2009-2014), and played guitar on several tracks for Sumaia Jackson’s 2019 record, Möbius:Trip.

SIMON CHRISMAN - Hammer Dulcimer, Bass

Hammer dulcimer virtuoso Simon Chrisman brings an unusual style to an instrument that has previously been thought to have limited range and technique… his inventive virtuosic touch and sophisticated rhythmic sensibilities are redefining the instrument and earning the attention of musicians from all over the world. He tours with the Jeremy Kittel Band and the Bee Eaters, and has performed with Darol Anger, Bruce Molsky, Mike Marshall, Laurie Lewis and Seamus Egan.

MOLLY WHITE - Violin, Voice/Singing

Molly White is a teaching artist, singer-songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist whose work centers on folk music, community music-making, creative projects and the social life of music across cultures.   She works throughout the Los Angeles area as an educator and performer, drawing on training in ethnomusicology and long experience teaching children and adults in group, festival, individual and community settings.  She believes that “music is a shared cultural practice—one that carries history, identity, and connection wherever it is made.”

Molly grew up in Southern California playing the violin and listening closely to many styles of music, an early habit that shaped both her musicianship and her curiosity about how music functions in everyday life. Her graduate research included fieldwork in Chile, where she studied children’s folk music, Andean music and performance in public spaces, reinforcing her interest in applied ethnomusicology—where research, performance, and teaching are deeply connected.

While teaching world music and theory at the community college level, she released an album of original songs inspired by the Dada artist Baroness Elsa von Freytag-Loringhoven. She toured with the Brooklyn-based chamber-pop group Kotorino and for the last 20 years continues to perform with the Eastern European women’s folk ensemble Nevenka, experiences that deepen her love for harmony singing, complex rhythms, and collective music-making rooted in tradition.

As Co-Director of the Suzuki Music Program of Los Angeles, Molly enjoys teaching and organizing community performance events for children and families, including the annual Guitar Graduation, bi-annual Solo Recitals, and the upcoming Square Dance.  Her leadership over the last 8 years recently brought  the program to their 50th anniversary. 

In recent years, much of Molly’s creative work has focused on writing and recording music with and for young children under the name Peach & Spoon, including festival performances and collaborative songwriting with her students. At Big Sur Fiddle Camp, Molly looks forward to teaching music to The Fireflies, and to co-teaching harmony singing with friend and colleague Rebecca Stout.

MAJA KJAER JACOBSEN - Fiddle

Nordic folk music is my home. As a violinist, composer and research communicator, I work with the patterns, stories and melodies that bind our musical traditions together.

Through my publishing house, my projects and my teaching, I share both new and old music, develop materials for musicians and schools — and create new works with roots in tradition.

ANNA LINDBLAD - Fiddle

Anna Lindblad’s powerful fiddle playing is characterized by her love and understanding of Swedish traditional music and dance. Her music, always full of heart and rhythmic verve, is steeped in the traditions of her home region, and deeply informed by the fiddle repertoire of Québéc and Ireland, as well as Cajun and Old-time music. This desire to seek new ways of expression and her curiosity and openess has resulted in numerous awards from both the Royal College of Music, the Royal Academy of Music and the Swedish Arts Council.

Anna became a Riksspelman at age 18, holds a Master’s degree at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm, and is a founding member of Fru Skagerrak, Folk All-in Band, LYY, and Anna Lindblad Trio. She is frequently hired to play for dance nights, and teaches fiddle both at home and abroad. She has performed and recorded with several folk- and pop stars, and is known for her distinctive playing and ability to bring deep roots with her music.

ELISE WESSEL HILDRUM - Fiddle

Elise Wessel Hildrum is one of the few Norwegian folk music flute players. She grew up playing classical music, but at the age of 20 she "discovered" folk music and started her folk music studies in Rauland. As a recorder player it was natural for her to learn the "sea-flute" tradition from Numedal, and this repertoire has been at the core of her playing ever since.

While studying in Rauland she also started playing the fiddle. In the beginning it was just for fun and to play in social settings and sessions, but since 2014 she has been an active fiddler with the pan-Scandinavian trio Fru Skagerrak, touring all over the world.

After two years studying in Rauland, Elise began her studies at the Norwegian Academy of Muisc in Oslo, as the only flute player to do a performance degree in Folk Music. She has been an exchange student at both the Malmö Academy of Music (SE) and at Newcastle Univerity (UK) and is twice winner of the flute category at "Landskappleiken", the Norwegian national competitions in folk music.

LOGAN ZAUD - Double Bass

Logan Zaud is a jazz double bassist living in New York where he is studying at The Juilliard School. Before he took up bass he studied classical cello and piano as a young child. Logan is currently in the Jimmy Blanton Combo at Juilliard and is the bassist for the Juilliard Fiddle Club and the Juilliard Fiddle Quartet. Logan won first place in the most recent International Society of Bassists Youth Jazz Competition. He enjoys playing in jazz combos, theater pits and ensembles. Instagram: @loganzaudmusic

MILES ZAUD - Piano & Fiddle

Pianist Composer Miles Zaud is the pianist for the Singing Improv Comedy group called Just Add Water Yale. He plays gospel piano at churches and at Yale Institute of Sacred Music where he studies with Reverend Paul McGee. He is also a fiddler. He studied classical piano and classical violin from an early age. Miles enjoys playing Swedish Fiddle music, bluegrass, jazz, and anything from the Great American Songbook. His latest composition, a string quartet, was performed in New Haven Battell Chapel by Yale String Chamber Players. Instagram: @mileszaudmusic

LUCY KHADDER - Fiddle

Lucy Khadder is a multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, and songwriter. She has performed in several bands at festivals and major music venues, including IBMA’s World of Bluegrass, High Sierra Music Festival, DelFest, and the Monterey Jazz Festival. Lucy graduated as valedictorian from Oakland School for the Arts in 2025 and received the Jimmy Lyons Scholarship to study at Berklee College of Music. Instagram:@lucykfiddle

FELICITI MCKELLAR - Fiddle

Feliciti McKellar is an emerging conductor and music educator dedicated to developing young musicians through engaging, supportive instruction. She serves as Assistant Conductor of the San Luis Obispo Youth Symphony Orchestra and is the founder and director of a fiddle group focused on traditional and contemporary repertoire taught by rote. As a violinist, she performs with the San Luis Obispo Grand Opera, the Master Chorale, and as a substitute with the San Luis Obispo Symphony.

McKellar holds a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from Belmont University and a Master of Music in Violin Performance from Southern Illinois University, where she helped launch the SIU Youth Orchestra. In San Luis Obispo, she maintains a private studio teaching violin, viola, cello, and piano, and has established beginner ensembles for elementary and middle school students. Her teaching philosophy centers on creating a safe, encouraging environment that fosters musical confidence, growth, and community. Instagram:@felicitimckellar

SOPHIA SPARKS - Fiddle

Sophia, on mandolin, guitar, and vocals, is a YoungArts Award winner and the 2024 RockyGrass mandolin contest winner. She has been passionate about mandolin since she joined Sierra Hull on stage at age 9, and is finishing her senior high school year in the jazz program at Oakland School for the Arts. Instagram: @sophiasparks

Mike Block
Hanneke Cassel
John Weed
William Coulter
Dimitri Illianarov
Kate McNally
Georgy Gusev
Bruce Molsky
Kimber Ludiker

Farkhad Khudyev
Duncan Wickel
Eli West
Boris Andrianov
Kim Kistler
Phoebe Hunt
Dominic Leslie
Tashina Clarridge
Natalie Haas

Laurie Lewis
Ian Scarfe
Kala Rammath
Edwin Huizinga
Rainy Eyes
Evie Ladin
Tristan Clarridge
Brittany Haas