Caitlin Belém grew up in a house full of music in northern Wyoming. She fell in love with the fiddle at a young age and and continued to learn, playing saxophone and guitar, and singing through private lessons, school groups, and with her parents. She’s explored many genres, from Brazilian bossa nova and samba to Cuban son, to American jazz, blues, and swing. She’s performed in diverse venues, from thousand-seat concert halls to living rooms to TV and radio. Caitlin plays regularly with the Brazilian/Latin band Maracujá, the swing/folk duo Modern Bygones, the Basque ensemble Ospa, and The Fireants. She is currently pursuing a graduate degree in Ethnomusicology at the University of California, Berkeley.

Danny Carnahan has been performing Celtic and eclectic original acoustic music for 40 years. He’s written articles for a slew of magazines, published instructional books and videos, and written and recorded songs now sung from here to Scotland. Based in the Bay Area, he now mostly performs with his psychedelic Celtic sextet Wake the Dead, which most recently released Deal, a CD featuring Celtic takes on the Summer of Love. Danny enjoys teaching all skill levels on mandolin, guitar, fiddle, and songwriting, and is delighted to play with pretty much everybody.

Nova Karina Devonieis a busy Seattle musician who delights audiences with her sensitive accordion playing, sonorous singing style, and sideways fashion sense. Interested in the amazing connection and communication that music can provide, she loves adding accordion to many styles of music. Nova divides her time between performing in bands, teaching private music lessons, and composing music with David Miles Keenan for the duo Miles & Karina. Nova has been on staff at CCMC, PSGW, and the Port Townsend Ukulele Festival, and with Miles & Karina, has performed live original scores for silent films in the U.S., Canada, and Australia.

The late, great Vassar Clements called Mike Dowling “one of the finest guitarists there is, anywhere.” Grammy-winning Mike draws inspiration from deep in the musical bag of American roots guitar. Fluent in several styles and difficult to pigeonhole, Mike’s understated mastery of his instrument has captured the hearts of acoustic music fans from throughout the world, and he teaches as well as he plays.

Amy Friedricks is a veteran song leader and has been known to be the last one standing at many a jam. A versatile multi-instrumentalist, she teaches guitar, ukulele, acoustic and electric bass, and has been on the teaching staff at CCMC, Puget Sound Guitar Workshop, Moab Folk Camp, and many other music camps and ukulele workshops. Amy was the bassist/vocalist for The Quarry Persons, a Beatles tribute band, and the Dandelion Jazz Quartet. She regularly performs with an eclectic mix of musicians showcasing a range of styles including Americana, Celtic, klezmer, and swing.

Sylvia Herold brings to CCMC a deep enthusiasm and knowledge of jazz, swing, and folk songs. Researching songs and developing guitar arrangements fuels her artistic passion. Her performing credits include the popular swing trio Cats & Jammers, Euphonia, Hot Club of San Francisco, and Sylvia Herold & the Rhythm Bugs. Sylvia currently performs with the Celtic Grateful Dead band, Wake the Dead, and her jazz combo, the Sylvia Herold Ensemble. She is a popular guitar and repertoire teacher at Puget Sound Guitar Workshop, California Coast Music Camp, British Columbia Swing Camp, Colorado Roots Music Camp, Lark in the Morning, and the Ashokan Center.

David Miles Keenan is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, teacher, band leader, producer, music director, and gardener based in Seattle, Washington.

Bay Area music veteran Steve Kritzer is an award-winning singer-songwriter, entertainer, multi-instrumentalist, instructor, and jam leader. A “man of many musics," Steve moves effortlessly between originals, Irish, bluegrass, country, classic rock, big band swing, and traditional folk. He's an accomplished guitar, ukulele, banjo, and mandolin player, and has taught at CCMC many times. Steve’s relaxed, personable style on stage and in the classroom makes him a popular callback at festivals, concerts, coffeehouses, and teaching camps from California to Ireland. When not teaching, recording, or performing, he’s his “own grandpa” to his 13-year-old daughter.

Guitarist/songwriter Adam Levy has created a remarkable body of work over the past 25 years. He’s been featured on recordings by Norah Jones, Amos Lee, Lisa Loeb, Tracy Chapman, Allen Toussaint, Vulfpeck, and many other artists. He has a dozen original recordings to his credit as a solo artist as well, and has authored several instructional books and video courses. His popular YouTube series "Guitar Tips" was launched in 2014 and has since spawned two Patreon channels. Adam has written dozens of feature articles for Guitar Player, Acoustic Guitar, and Fretboard Journal. 

Carol McComb is a vocalist, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist with over 40 years of performing, recording, and teaching experience. She wrote a best-selling guitar instruction book and has taught thousands of people to play guitar and sing in her workshop series at Gryphon Stringed Instruments in Palo Alto. She is a frequent contributor to Acoustic Guitar magazine and has taught at several music camps around the country. Carol was a member of the popular California-based band the Gryphon Quintet, and has toured with both Linda Ronstadt and Joan Baez. She is currently one half of the duo Kathy and Carol. In 2023, Carol joined the fabulous staff at Peghead Nation as their song accompaniment teacher.

Pierce Pettis began his long career as a writer/artist at the legendary Muscle Shoals Sound Studios in Alabama and later as a staff songwriter for Polygram/Universal Musician in Nashville. Often called “a songwriter’s songwriter,” his works have been covered by artists ranging from Garth Brooks and Dion to Joan Baez and Art Garfunkel. Pierce's fifth album for Compass Records Group (Nashville), That Kind of Love (2009), received rave reviews from XM/Sirius Satellite Radio, Paste magazine, Performing Songwriter, and many others. Father’s Son, Pierce’s new solo project for Compass Records Group, was released in January 2019 and is receiving widespread critical praise in the U.S., U.K., and Europe.

Bob Reid was born in Berkeley in 1950, just in time to be aware when the folk music boom struck. He attended the Berkeley Folk Festival on a school field trip at 12 and saw Pete Seeger. Bob has been a member of the San Francisco Folk Music Club for over 50 years. He was one of the performers chosen by the Seeger family to perform at the memorial celebrations for both Pete and Toshi Seeger. He has been performing across the United States for the past 5 years with Judi Jaeger as Jaeger & Reid, performing a harmonic collection of original and beloved songs.

Valerie Rose is a versatile fiddler who plays a variety of styles, including Irish, Scottish, Balkan, English, Swedish, and old-time. She performs with Celtic band The Gallowglasses, and plays for Irish set dancing with Western Shore, for contra dances with Stringfire!, and for Balkan dancing with Zabava International. She also sings, arranges, and conducts, loves to jam, and is an enthusiastic and supportive teacher.

Cindy Browne Rosefield is the Director of Instrumental Studies and the Coordinator of the Music Business Certificate at Las Positas College in Livermore, CA, where she also teaches Music Theory, American Cultures in Jazz, and History of Rock & Roll. Cindy performs and records with various groups, including Wake the Dead and the Tom Reynolds Conspiracy. She has toured extensively throughout Europe, Japan, Jordan, Mexico, the Caribbean Islands, Canada, and the U.S., and performed at the Monterey Jazz Festival, Concord Jazz Festival, SF Jazz Festival, the California Jazz Conservatory, and many other jazz and folk music festivals around the world. She also serves on the Board of the Livermore Jazz Society, a nonprofit organization that hosts musical performances of jazz and other underserved musical genres through house concerts and local venues.

Verlene Schermer is a San Francisco Bay Area singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist with an eclectic style that ranges from Celtic to blues and jazz. She accompanies her versatile singing on Celtic harp, piano, and guitar. Her original songs cover a wide range of topics from themes of dreaming, vision, and creative process, to poignant observations about modern living. These can be heard on her six solo recordings. Verlene maintains a full schedule of voice, harp, piano, and guitar students. She also plays violin, tenor banjo, mandolin, concertina, Swedish nyckelharpa, and Norwegian hardinfele, and is a sought-after performer and clinician for concerts and workshops throughout the country and in Europe.

Jack Tuttle grew up in a musical family in rural Illinois and began playing guitar at age 5. While in his teens, he immersed himself in bluegrass and added banjo, mandolin, and fiddle to his instrumental repertoire. He began teaching full-time at Gryphon in 1979 and has taught thousands of students over the years, including his own talented children. Jack is also the music editor for Fiddler magazine and has written twelve instruction books. He has performed at many notable events including A Prairie Home Companion, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, Strawberry Music Festival, and Merlefest.

Daniel Ward grew up in New Mexico, exposed to a wide variety of musical styles, including Mexican mariachi, Spanish flamenco, world music, and jazz. By the time he completed a degree in classical guitar and composition, Daniel was also playing electric jazz, flamenco guitar with dancers, percussion, trumpet, lute, and world beat music. As a guitarist, he toured with Dance España, Maria Benitez, Yjastros, and Ottmar Liebert and Luna Negra In 2009 he moved to Hollywood, and fell in love with the ukulele. He has become a premier ukulele performer known for his command of Latin and world styles, and performs and teaches at festivals across the U.S. and abroad. Daniel contributes lessons to both Ukulele and Acoustic Guitar.