NORTHEAST
CONCERTINA WORKSHOP

The Staff

Ian Robb	A native of London, England and a graduate of the English folk club scene, Ian Robb emigrated to Canada in 1970, and now lives in Ottawa. He is best known as a singer, a "writer of old songs" particularly as a member of the internationally celebrated vocal harmony trio Finest Kind, but is also recognized as a versatile player of the English concertina, using it for song accompaniment and also in a dance band setting. Ian is a self-described anarchist when it comes to style, having taught himself the instrument in a musically rich but relatively concertina-free environment.
David Paton	David Paton has been playing the English Concertina since 1972, playing a wide variety of traditional dance music including Irish, Scottish, Quebecois, Scandinavian and New England Contra tunes. His style is unique and original, emphasizing rhythm and subtle ornamentation. He plays with a number of different groups for dances, festivals and other events and has been featured on numerous albums for the Folk-Legacy, Green Linnet, and other record labels. Dave's teaching experience includes several years at the Augusta Heritage Center and private instruction through the Rhode Island Arts Council. He also plays the Hammered and Mountain dulcimers. When not playing music, Dave works for the National Audubon Society, records concerts for National Public Radio at Music Mountain, and does a variety of other recording and sound engineering projects for Folk-Legacy and others. A former international whitewater kayak racer, and National champion canoe racer, he somehow manages to still get out for a river trip now and then. Dave lives in Sharon, CT with his three school age children.
Jan Elliott	Jan Elliott, of Woods Hole, MA, grew up playing early music on the recorder. She first became smitten with the English concertina as a teenager, when she tried a friend's Lachenal and discovered that tunes simply "fell out of it." Having been involved in traditional dance since childhood, she quickly applied concertina techniques to various kinds of dance music and found it a most satisfying and versatile instrument. Her two Wheatstone Aeola trebles have been her trusty companions for over 3 decades. Today she dances and plays regularly for Morris, sword and English country, with occasional forays further afield; her early music group Passacaglia is now branching into Middle Eastern and Latin-inspired music. An independent music teacher on several instruments, Jan especially enjoys that "eureka" moment when a student finally understands or masters something new, and hopes this workshop provides many such moments for all its participants.
Jody Kruskal	Jody Kruskal from Brooklyn, New York is known for his distinctly American style of harmonic and rhythmic Anglo concertina playing. He has been energizing US dancers for years with the contra dance bands Grand Picnic, Squeezology and Hog Wild. Jody will perform a delightful selection of traditional American songs and tunes and offer workshops in Anglo technique with a focus on old-time tunes. For the past few years Jody has been a solo performer and workshop leader at a number of English festivals at Sidmouth, Warwick, Ulverston, Bradfield, Broadstairs, Towersey and Whitby as well as the US Palestine Old Time Music and Dulcimer Festival, The Incredible Concertina concert series in NYC and the Northeast Concertina Workshop in 2005. A collection of Jody's original tunes was published in the Concertina World supplement by the ICA in 2008. Back at home, Jody is a freelance educator who teaches traditional music and dance in local elementary schools, implements the education programs of organizations like Carnegie Hall and the Brooklyn Philharmonic Orchestra, composes tunes for traditional dance, gamelan orchestra, original scores for Shakespeare plays, puppet shows and modern dance performances. Find out more about Jody and his music at: www.jodykruskal.com.
Christian Stevens	Christian Stevens from Cape Neddick, Maine, has been playing traditional Irish music on the button accordion and anglo concertina since 1998. Christian studied music at the University of Massachusetts at Lowell. He is a regular at sessions and contra dances throughout New England, and performs with many different area musicians. Appearances include the Champlain Valley Folk Festival, the New World Festival, the Festival du Joie, the Portsmouth Maritime Folk Festival, the Berklee College International Folk Festival, the NEFFA Festival, the Boston Celtic Music Festival, the Irish Heritage Festival, and he competed at the 2000 Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann in Enniscorthy, Wexford, Ireland. Chris is on the faculty of the Boston Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann Music School, instructing anglo concertina.
Edel Fox	Edel Fox is one of the most accomplished Irish musicians of her generation. Despite her young age, her musical resume boasts a list of accolades. She is a regular performer on Irish National Radio and the BBC and has performed at festivals and in concert halls from North America all the way to Asia with musicians including Jackie Daly and Cherish the Ladies. In 2004, Edel was awarded one of the highest honours for a traditional musician in Ireland - the TG4 Young Musician of the Year award. She released an album to critical acclaim with the Galway fiddler Ronan O'Flaherty in 2006. In addition to being an engaging performer, Edel is also an insightful and patient teacher, specializing in the repertoire of her native soil. She is on staff at the prestigious Willie Clancy Summer School in her home town, Miltown Malbay, Co. Clare. She also teaches annually at festivals in the US, including the Irish Arts Week Festival in East Durham, New York and the Elkins Irish Week in Augusta, West Virginia. In 2007, Edel completed a degree in Irish Traditional Music and Dance in the University of Limerick and is currently studying for a Masters in Music Therapy in the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance in Limerick.
Bob Webb	For nearly four decades Bob Webb has presented the music of seafarers, loggers, railroad men and other folk heroes/heroines in theatre concerts to intimate informal programs, from New Zealand to Poland. His specialties are shipboard work songs, known as "shanties," and the seagoing ballads called "forebitters" or "main-hatch songs." He is an accomplished balladeer, who sings unaccompanied (a capella) and with the five-string banjo, MacCann-duet concertina and guitar. Bob is also a recording artist, historian and scholar with several historical exhibits and books to his name. He is a recognised expert in the history of whaling. His book On the Northwest: Commercial Whaling in the Pacific Northwest 1790-1967 (University of British Columbia Press, 1988) is still considered the essential source on whaling history in the North Pacific Ocean.
Bob Snope	Bob Snope acquired his first English concertina almost 25 years ago. In the mid-1980's he played for contra dances in the Boston/Cape Cod area with the band Nantucket Sound. During this period he was also the musician for the Northwest Clog Morris team Rose Galliard. Since joining The Button Box, where he oversees the repair and manufacturing side of the operation, he has performed regularly for English Country Dances in the Amherst area and has taught concertina privately and through the town's Leisure Services Department. A self-taught player, he enjoys working with beginners and has led workshops in music theory and playing by ear at the Northeast Squeeze-In and through the Eastern Cooperative Recreation School.