Lissy Abraham is a Bay Area singer/songwriter and a CCMC founder. She was the lead vocalist and bass player in the Ballistic Cats, a roots rock band.

Susan Anders has coached thousands of singers in the Bay Area, Los Angeles, and Nashville. Her instructional methods and apps have been used by singers and harmonizers worldwide. She’s been writing and performing songs since she grew up in Berkeley, and has released multiple albums throughout the last thirty years. The New Yorker called her “A soulful, commanding voice,” and her most recent release, 13 Women, was deemed “stunning” by Noteworthy Music. Her songs have been recorded by many artists including the Four Bitchin’ Babes, The Irrationals, and The Viper Creek Band. Susan recently moved to Bend, OR, after living for twenty years in Nashville.

Kat Austin is a Northern California native and a classically trained soprano. She has taught voice, guitar, and theory for 10+ years, both as a private instructor and as faculty of the Young Artists’ Conservatory of Music. She has appeared in roles such as Susanna in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro, Papagena and First Lady in Mozart's Die Zauberflöte, and Poppea in Monteverdi's L'incoronazione di Poppea, among others, and has been a featured soloist for works such as Mozart's Mass in C Major, Faure's Requiem, and Handel’s Messiah. In addition to her classical career, Kat is also the front woman and guitarist for up-and-coming folk rock band Katalysst. She is currently performing her sixth season with the San Francisco Symphony Chorus and holds a degree in Vocal Performance from UC Davis.

Kathy Barwick has been a performing and recording artist in the bluegrass, traditional Irish, and folk music fields for 40 years. She’s also taught private and group lessons on guitar, banjo, dobro, and acoustic bass, and is a sought-after music camp instructor. Kathy was a regular columnist for Flatpicking Guitar magazine, making her an in-demand instructor. Music camp credits include two stints at Steve Kaufman’s Acoustic Kamp, the California Bluegrass Association and the American River Acoustic Music camps on both dobro and guitar, CCMC, and many others. Kathy’s unique approach to crosspicking was featured in Acoustic Guitar magazine in January 2012. Kathy’s approach to teaching focuses on providing students with the tools to learn melodies by ear, create their own arrangements, and, ultimately, improvise. Kathy’s ability to break down both technique and theory in the service of playing traditional music has resulted in many “aha” moments for her students.

Steve Baughman’s CDs have made the “editors pick“ list at Acoustic Guitar magazine. He is the author of half a dozen books and several DVDs on fingerstyle guitar repertoire and technique. Steve has taught at more than 80 camps across the US, Canada, and Europe. He is always available to sit under a tree and give students individual attention they need. Well, almost always.

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.

Ray Bierl has played and sung songs from across the American landscape for well on to six decades. He’s a musical storyteller who draws on a wide range of genres and styles, including cowboy ballads, vintage rock and roll hits, traditional folk songs, Tin Pan Alley songs, and country classics.

Cary Black has worked with Howard Alden, Ernestine Anderson, Petula Clark, Dan Hicks, Kathy Kallick, The Kingston Trio, Laurie Lewis, Rose Maddox, Mollie O’Brien, Mark O’Connor, and Ernie Watts, as well as many of the brilliant musicians in the CCMC community. In 2016 Cary played on the soundtrack of Jerry Seinfeld’s Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, in the episode featuring President Obama.

Mark Bosnian is an award-winning songwriter who was voted into the Oregon Music Hall of Fame in 2001. His CD Shed My Skin was chosen by Performing Songwriter magazine as one of the top independent releases. As a member of national acts Nu Shooz and Body & Soul, he toured the U.S. and played on the “Pat Sajack Show” and “NBC Today.” He’s taught singing nationally and internationally (his voice seminars are very popular in Brazil) for over 20 years and is the author of Sing Free Now! 3 Steps to Power, Passion and Confidence.

Guitarist and singer Brian Butler is a well-known player in the Pacific Northwest music scene. He plays acoustic and electric guitar, and performs solo as well as with the Brian Butler Blues Band and several other groups. His latest album, Butler’s Blues, was awarded Best Blues Recording of 2019 by the Washington Blues Society. He performs much of his own material and many classic blues as well.

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.

Marco de Carvalho is a Brazilian musician originally from Rio de Janeiro. He graduated from the prestigious Music Conservatory of Rio de Janeiro under Juarez Carvalho and Sergio Vale, where he studied composition and harmony under Luiz Eça and Ronaldo Miranda. Marco has been a performance guitarist, composer, and arranger for thirty years and plays an extensive repertoire of music from Rio, as well as his own compositions. He has played with many musicians in Brazil and the U.S., and has recorded on numerous CDs and soundtracks.

Award-winning artist and Maui native Neal Chin has been both an ‘ukulele educator and performer over the course of his musical career of twenty years. His clear and direct enthusiasm for music has come to life in countless workshops, concerts, and private instruction. He's been nominated for the Nā Hōkū Hanohano Award for ‘Ukulele Album of the Year two years consecutively, for ‘Ukulele Paintings and The Spotless Mind, in 2017 and 2018. Neal has toured across the U.S. and currently lives, teaches, and performs in Seattle, WA.

Tim Connell has created a sophisticated and original global style on the mandolin. Widely regarded as one of the top North American interpreters of the Brazilian choro style on the mandolin, Tim has his own unique voice on the instrument, described in a Mandolin magazine cover story as “fiery and energetic, soulful and evocative.” Tim’s latest releases include June Apple, a nationally noted album of bluegrass fiddle tunes with guitarist Eric Skye, and MandAlone, a collection of original solo mandolin arrangements including his popular arrangement of “Here Comes the Sun.”

Bryan Cooperrider is a percussionist, multi-instrumentalist, and educator focusing on jazz, Americana, Brazilian, and African music. He teaches music at all levels, from young kids to professionals. He founded the Brazilian percussion ensemble Sambatuque, and performs regularly with his jazz trio The Flat Fives, as well as sitting in with numerous other groups. Bryan has taught music at the high school and college level (FALA, Northern Arizona University), and at music camps (PSGW, Curry Music Camp), as well as numerous community and professional workshops.

Stevie Coyle is one lucky bum. His dad brought home records from the radio station that didn’t fit the Spanish-language format. Lots of records. Guitar records. His grandmother was in Vaudeville. His mother played mandolin. String-meister David Lindley played in a bluegrass band that rehearsed right next door and gave Stevie his very first lessons. Stevie’s course was set very early. Not even several years of playing Folk Masses every Sunday could quash his musical spirit, and in high school, he began fingerpicking, inspired by that first Hot Tuna album. He co-founded whiz-bang string band The Waybacks, and toured nationally and internationally with them for seven years. They collaborated with Lloyd Maines, Michelle Shocked, and Bob Weir (of The Grateful Dead). Stevie toured as a solo act for five years after that. And ten years ago, he opened his own high-end acoustic guitar shop—Mighty Fine Guitars, in Lafayette, CA—and is now thrilled to be once again collaborating with fellow former Waybacks Glenn Houston and Chris Kee as The Quitters.

Music ran in the family bones, and Barry Crannell was no exception. After spending some time with rock, folk, bluegrass, and Celtic music, Barry discovered songwriting in 1996. The next year, he won the Kerrville Emerging Songwriters Contest, and was a finalist in the Wildflower and Napa songwriting contests. His lyrics are simple and to the point, and make use of the ridiculous to the sublime, giving romance the heart it deserves, and making fun of the more tender moments of life. Barry is a sought-after accompanist; his playing has been described as “clean,” “elegant,” and “sparkling.”

Mandy Lynn Danzig plays almost anything with strings. During her shows—rollicking, joy-filled romps through traditional and original music—she flows effortlessly from one instrument to another, weaving in and out of songs with her effervescent storytelling. As a teacher, she is dedicated to the idea that the act of making music belongs in everyone’s life, regardless of skill. Classes are a supportive collaboration between student and teacher in pursuit of that goal. She is on Facebook and Instagram as MandyLynnDanzig, and can be found online at www.MandyLynnDanzig.com.

An emotive singer-songwriter and richly talented multi-instrumentalist, Gina Davis leaves audiences spellbound and joyous with her beautiful original material and riveting live performances. As a passionate and experienced music educator with boundless energy, innate communication skills, and an infectious personality, she teaches vocal and instrumental techniques to students of all ages. Truly, Gina lives for music, so both her audiences and students could not be in better company.

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.

Paul Elliott is an extremely versatile and respected West Coast fiddle player. He’s performed with The Good Old Persons, John Reischman, Michelle Shocked, Alison Brown, Buell Neidlinger, and many others. His recording credits span film, television, and radio, and a long list of recordings including Scott Nygaard’s No Hurry on the Rounder label.

Chuck Ervin is the bassist for the acclaimed western group the Sons of the Pioneers. A versatile musician, he has performed swing music with the Sylvia Herold Ensemble, folk music with Euphonia, classic country with the Michael Stadler & Mary Gibbons Band, jazz and pop with guitarist Chris Grampp, blues with guitarist Pete Madsen, and has long been active in the Bay Area’s vibrant jazz and acoustic-music scenes. He has worked with many Bay Area musicians and fellow camp instructors, including Bobby Black, Joe Craven, Ed Johnson, Jinx Jones, Laurie Lewis, Keith Little, Tony Marcus, Carol McComb, Jim Nunally, Ron Peters, Tom Rozum, Julian Smedley, Jack Tuttle, Michael Wollenberg, and Radim Zenkl. He has also performed as an actor and musician in numerous stage productions.

Marla Fibish is one of the prominent voices of the mandolin in Irish music, bringing a musicality to the tradition that is not often heard on the instrument. A dynamic performer and a sought-after teacher, Marla teaches private students and classes, online at Peghead Nation, and has been a staff instructor at many music camps, including the Mandolin Symposium, the Swannanoa Gathering, and many others.

International performing and recording artist Hilary Field has garnered praise for her dynamic virtuosity, her sensitive musicianship, and for the emotional depth she brings to the heart of classical guitar music. Hilary has held faculty positions as the head of the guitar department at Seattle Pacific University and Pacific Lutheran University in Washington state. She has released several award-winning CDs, including her debut recording, Music of Spain and Latin America, which won Classical Album of the Year from the National Association of Independent Record Distributors.

Robin Flower is a lifetime guitar, fiddle and mandolin player, singer, writer, arranger, and music educator. With her band, she recorded four albums and toured extensively for many years through out the U.S. and Canada, performing at major folk festivals and venues. She has been a band member for the play “Woody Guthrie’s American Song.” For the past 34 years, she has performed and recorded with duo partner Libby McLaren. They have six recordings and were invited to play at the New Zealand Folk Festival. Robin teaches privately and leads her student band, the SwingSingStringBand. Along with Libby, they have three cats, an organic garden, and travel around the West fly fishing.

Mary Flower is an internationally known, award-winning picker, singer/songwriter, and teacher. A Midwest native, she relocated from Denver to the vibrant Portland, Oregon music scene in 2004. She continues to please crowds and critics at folk festivals, teaching seminars, and on concert stages domestically and abroad, including Merlefest, Kerrville, King Biscuit, Prairie Home Companion, and the Vancouver Folk Festival, among many. A finalist in 2000 and 2002 at the National Fingerpicking Guitar Championship, a nominee in 2008, 2012, and 2016 for a Blues Foundation Blues Music Award, and many times a Cascade Blues Association Muddy Award winner, Flower embodies a luscious and lusty mix of rootsy, acoustic-blues guitar and vocal styles that span a number of idioms from Piedmont to the Mississippi Delta, with stops in ragtime, swing, folk, and hot jazz. Her 13 recordings, including four for Memphis’ famed Yellow Dog Records and, most recently, Living With The Blues Again from California's Little Village Foundation, show a deep command of and love for folk and blues string music. For Mary, it’s never about re-creation. Her dedication to the art form is a vital contribution to America’s music.

Dennis Fortin has been playing guitar since childhood. Over the years he’s played a variety of music styles including rock, folk, blues, R&B, jazz, country, and bluegrass. Today he devotes most of his musical time to playing jazz, performing regularly with his gypsy jazz group Eclair de Lune. Dennis also performs regularly with On the Air and the Nu Jazz Trio. His teaching experience includes Bandworks, and more than ten years at Cazadero Performing Arts Family Camp teaching classes such as Swing Band, Pit Band, and Gypsy Jazz.

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.

Topher Gayle is a versatile multi-instrumentalist. He plays a variety of stringed instruments and hand percussion, and enjoys playing many styles of music. He’s especially fond of funny songs. Topher is in a number of bands in the San Francisco Bay Area, has toured with contra dance bands on both coasts, and is in demand as an accompanist for singer/songwriters. He’s often asked to lend his compositional and arranging skills, and excellent ear for harmony vocals. He’s taught at CCMC, PSGW, and Rocky Mountain Fiddle Camp, among others. From his home in Santa Rosa, California, he teaches a range of technique, theory, and workshop topics, and has published several instructional books. In all his classes, Topher emphasizes the fun to be found in playing music. He’s also a skilled luthier, especially known for his Mandonator, an adaptation of the resonator mandolin.

Since Nina Gerber first gained recognition accompanying Kate Wolf, her acute skills as a performer, producer, and arranger have continued to deepen. Her contributions to acoustic music have earned her a loyal following and proven that, when it comes to creating honest, powerful, and beautiful music, the shadow can equal the spotlight. Nina has a unique ability to completely free herself within an eclectic range of styles. Presented with folk, country, bluegrass, rock, or blues, she falls into leads that have rare reverence for the true feeling of a song, always emphasizing taste over technical display. She seeks to express through her hands, rather than to gain attention, and it is this integrity that makes her expressions worth intent listening.

Katie Glassman is one of the country’s most renowned and decorated Texas-style and swing fiddlers, as well as an accomplished songwriter, singer, and educator. She’s a four-time National Swing fiddle champion and two-time National Divisional champion. Based in Denver, CO, Katie toured and recorded with the renowned trio The Western Flyers—winners of the 2018 Best Western Swing Group (Ameripolitan Awards) and Western Swing Album of the Year (Western Music Association and the Academy of Western Artists) for Wild Blue Yonder. Katie is the founder, owner, and primary instructor at FiddleSchool.com, an online academy offering fiddlers around the world the opportunity to learn, improve, and progress in Texas-style fiddling, Western swing, and early jazz.

Hailing from the Midwest, Michaelle Goerlitz migrated to San Francisco in 1980 to pursue the study of congas and Afro-Cuban music. Along the way, she’s immersed herself in Brazilian and Venezuelan styles as well. People and projects she’s been fortunate to work with include Wild Mango, Samba Rio, Tammy Hall, Ed Johnson & Novo Tempo, Mark Levine, Tom McDermott, Venezuelan Music Project, VNote Ensemble, Paul McCandless, Tuck & Patti, and Barbara Higbie. Recently she traveled to Kazakhstan to play gigs sponsored by the State Department.

Chris Grampp has played jazz, blues, rock, and traditional music in bands and as a soloist for many years in the Bay Area. He has studied guitar with Tuck Andress, Warren Nunes, and Davis Ramey, and has written lessons for Acoustic Guitar magazine. He has taught for many years at CCMC, the Puget Sound Guitar Workshop, and music festival workshops.

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Patrice Haan is a harper, singer, songwriter, composer, and wordsmith, devoted to the healing presence of listening. She’s most familiar in the camp community for romantic and complex harmonization of jazz standards with Tony Marcus in the Oakland-based duo Leftover Dreams, as well as playing therapeutic music with Healing Muses, a Bay Area nonprofit that provides music for healing in local hospitals. She’s recorded three albums of original music—lush, melodic collections for harp, piano, and voice.

Viewing music through a wide-angle lens, Paul Hemmings utilizes the unassuming ukulele to fuse together elements of modern jazz, free improvisation, and American roots music. His proclivity for crossing musical boundaries led the venerable jazz journal Downbeat to note, “Hemmings hauntingly teases sounds out of the little chordophone that fit no stereotype.” Paul considers himself fortunate to have performed with a list of creative musicians that includes John Tchicai, Rudy Royston, Greg Tardy, George Reed, Curtis Fowlkes, Eric Alexander, Onaje Allan Gumbs, Gaku Takanashi, Duane Eubanks, and Lou Grassi, to name a few. Since 2001, Paul has been a faculty member at the Third Street Music School Settlement in New York City. He lives in Manhattan with his wife and two sons.

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.

Erik Hoffman fell in love with playing guitar in 1970, after a friend encouraged him to learn a blues shuffle. Studying with jazz master, Bill Thrasher, Erik learned theory as well as mapping the guitar neck with the CAGED system. In 1980, Erik discovered contra and square dancing, and fell in love with the music that drives that dance. Learning to play that music on guitar, fiddle, and other instruments is now his joy. 

Originally from Montana, Coty Hogue is a singer and multi-instrumentalist whom Alice Gerrard (of Hazel and Alice) has called “an impressive young talent.” She has released three albums and been featured on BBC radio and Sirius XM satellite radio. Her rendition of the traditional song “Going to the West” charted #1 on the FOLK-DJ radio charts; “Oh Wind” is featured in the independent film Neon Sky. She performs throughout the northwest with her trio and teaches banjo, guitar, and songwriting both privately and at music camps.

Karen Horner has been studying and playing the bass since age 11. She’s been in the ranks of the Bay Area Freeway Philharmonic and has performed many styles of music including jazz, bluegrass, gospel, salsa, and folk. Some of the artists she’s performed with include Linda Tillery, Kitka, Don Burnham, Rick Dougherty (Kingston Trio), Bobby Black, Will Scarlet, John Handy, and Mike Marshall, to name a few. She holds a Master’s of Music in Doublebass Performance, and has done post-graduate studies at the JazzSchool, San Francisco State, and Holy Names. Karen recently retired from teaching music in public schools in Hayward, California, and resides in Berkeley. 

Classical. Brazilian. R&B. Jazz. Afro-Cuban. Pop. Rock and Roll. Funk. Folk. Ed Johnson’s mastery of so many different styles, coupled with a passion for harmony vocal and horn arrangements, all factor into a magical blend of vibrant, original contemporary jazz that has won fans and airplay worldwide. As a vocalist, Ed is frequently compared to Ivan Lins, Milton Nascimento, Kenny Rankin, and Michael Franks. As a guitarist and bandleader, critics often cite the sounds of Airto and Flora Purim. Ed has seven recording projects to his credit, in addition to producer credits for numerous artists. He currently performs and records with his Brazilian jazz ensemble Novo Tempo, as well as with the Americana roots band Cabin Fever NW.

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

Paul Kotapish plays mandolin and guitar with Wake the Dead and the Hillbillies from Mars, and has toured and recorded with Kevin Burke’s Open House, the Hurricane Ridgerunners, Euphonia, and many others. Paul’s playing is rooted in the vintage rural music traditions of Appalachia, Ireland, and beyond, but it also embraces pop idioms like rock and country. By day, Paul is managing editor for the San Francisco Classic Voice, and he is a former editor and writer for Acoustic Guitar and Strings magazines. Learn more at guitarfish.net.

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.

Adam Kulakow has played with singers, songwriters, and ensembles all over Southern California, where he has also worked for many years in film and TV. He currently performs, writes, and records with his Americana roots band, The Wholesome, and plays mandolin, guitar, ukulele, and banjo on their all-originals debut album, Alive Tonight. Adam is also part of the team at Katie Glassman’s Fiddle School and is a regular teacher and jam leader at their camps and special events.

Paddy League is a performer, composer, musicologist, and author specializing in the music and poetry of Brazil, Greece, Ireland, and the Gulf Coast of Florida. He grew up playing percussion, various lutes (from guitar to bouzouki), and fiddle at social dances in his parents' Greek and Irish immigrant communities, and as a young adult spent several years living and working in Brazil and Greece, immersing himself in local music scenes and picking up a few more instruments along the way. He performs and records extensively across the Americas and Europe, and teaches musicology and directs the Center for Music of the Americas at Florida State University.

Margo Leduc is a much-sought-after vocal coach in San Francisco and Los Angeles. She coaches artists under contract with Sony Music, Capitol Records, and many other labels. Margo views the singer as a whole person—not just a set of vocal chords. Lessons with Margo are about hard work and heart, correcting technical problems and nurturing the creative artist within. Margo performs extensive session work, supports corporate clients, and is a voting member of the Recording Academy. Her powerful, expressive, and sumptuous voice lends itself to any style or setting.

With her mom as her harmonizing music partner, Janet Lenore became a performing singer/songwriter by the age of 15. It wasn’t long before she started expanding her skills with the mandolin, banjo and ukulele. Janet taught her first guitar classes while still in high school and now teaches ukulele as well. She has twice taught guitar and ukulele classes at the Puget Sound Guitar Workshop (PSGW) and has presented workshops at the Napa Valley Ukulele Festival (St. Helena), the Ukiah Uke-Fest, the Mendocino Ukulele Festival (Fort Bragg), Smoldering Uke (Carmel), Burning Uke (Felton), and Ukes On the Loose (Healdsburg). Janet regularly co-leads the Alameda Uke Club and the Bronco Billy’s Jam (Fremont), and has lead jams at the Berkeley Uke Club and at the Kate Wolf Festival. Janet served on the California Coast Music Camp (CCMC) Board of Directors for about 15 years, and she continues to manage CCMC’s annual Winter Retreat and the Palo Alto Festival of the Arts Webster Street stage. Her most recent recording is the ukulele-based “Pie and Other Tasty Treats.” Janet is a patient and supportive music instructor who keeps in mind how hard it can be to learn new stuff.

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. 

Rachel Manke has been called one of the brightest stars in the ukulele universe, and loves sharing her astounding technique and beautiful singing with audiences young and old. She’s appeared on stages that range from the Ashokan Uke Fest and Funky Frets Uke Fest to Garrison Keillor’s “A Prairie Home Companion.” Rachel started in the late ’90s on a $25 Hilo soprano and came to the uke world via the founders of the Ukulele Hall of Fame Museum. She first studied with Joel Eckhaus, directly learning from the well-known student of the famed Roy Smeck. Ever since, she’s continued to learn and perform, and is now a respected teacher as well. She has a penchant for Tin Pan Alley, old-time music, and is a master of the old-school uke chord solo flourish.

Tony Marcus has found joy playing many styles of music. He’s played bluegrass with mandolin legend Frank Wakefield, jug band music and blues with Geoff Muldaur, fiddle tunes with the Arkansas Sheiks, string swing with Cats & Jammers, big band jazz with the Royal Society Jazz Orchestra, weird old Hawaiian and hokum with R. Crumb and the Cheap Suit Serenaders, and honky tonk country with Rose Maddox, to name a few. Playing music has taken him from Japan to Ireland, and from Alaska to Florida in the USA. He currently performs with Patrice Haan in the vocal duo Leftover Dreams and with the country band Crying Time.

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.

Libby McLaren sings and plays piano, accordion, and banjo. She composes original songs as well as instrumental tunes in a Celtic/Americana style. She has sung with and been the accompanist for Holly Near, Ronnie Gilbert, The Roches, and many others. With her partner of 34 years, Robin Flower, she has recorded six CDs. The latest, “One Plus One," features Robin and Libby at their very best! Libby lives and teaches privately in Oakland, and she loves to fly fish.

Peter McLaughlin is an acclaimed acoustic guitarist, songwriter, vocalist, performer, recording artist, and music instructor in Tucson, AZ. He plays many genres and styles, specializing in acoustic flatpicking and fingerpicking techniques. He’s toured and recorded with Chris Brashear, Todd Phillips, Laurie Lewis, Tom Rozum, Jody Stecher, Perfect Strangers, The Sonoran Dogs, Junior Brown, Flying South, Titan Valley Warheads, and The John Coinman Band. In 2013 Peter was inducted into the Tucson Musician’s Museum. He is the 1988 National Flatpicking Guitar Champion.

Quirky conversations, odd jobs, narrow escapes; Michael McNevin songs read like short stories—full of heart, humor, and a keen eye for detail. Skillful guitar work and seasoned vocals underscore the characters and places of his travels: a scarecrow in love, a busking clown on a frozen Michigan lake, a trailer mechanic in Barstow, a night spent in a Jersey jail. Michael tours the U.S. and regularly offers workshops at festivals, songwriter retreats, and colleges coast to coast. Every January, he co-directs the Pacific Songwriting Camp in Cambria, CA. Michael is an eight-time “Song of the Year” winner for West Coast Songwriters, a Performing Songwriter magazine top twelve DIY Artist of the Year, a Kerrville New-Folk Winner, and a Top Three at the Telluride and Rocky Mountain Folks Fest troubadour competitions.

Ami Molinelli is a professional percussionist and educator specializing in American Roots, Brazilian, and Latin percussion. Her performance and recording credits include theater and television, and she's a freelance performing artist. She’s endorsed by Latin Percussion (LP) and Rhythm Tech. She is co-founder of the choro group Grupo Falso Baiano, which has three albums, and leads the Brazilian Jazz Collective group in San Francisco.

Geof Morgan was raised in New England and, after college, spent nine years in Nashville, Tennessee as a commercial songwriter. In 1982, he moved to Bellingham and recorded several albums of original songs on Flying Fish Records. He continues to play, write, and teach music and creative nonfiction writing. He is part of a group of songwriters in Bellingham that inspire, encourage, and remind him that the inherent creativity in us all is beautiful to see emerge.

Joe Newberry is a powerful musician and an award-winning songwriter. A frequent guest on “A Prairie Home Companion,” he sang on the 2016 Transatlantic Sessions tour, and at the Transatlantic Sessions debut at Merlefest in 2017. Joe plays in a duo with mandolin icon Mike Compton, and also performs with the dynamic fiddler April Verch.

Singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Kristina Olsen has added "author" to her quiver with the release of her e-book with embedded songs. Kristina is an award-winning songwriter whose songs have been covered by artists including Eric Bibb, Mary Coughlin, Maddy Prior and Fairport Convention. With 14 recordings of original songs (four on Rounder/Philo Records), she is typically on the road ten months a year having way too much fun.

Monica Pasqual is the winner of 5 Independent Music Awards and Six Emmy Awards. Her song “Bird in Hand” charted on both Americana and Roots Radio and was among the top 10 Folk Radio songs for 2011. In 2017 her song and video “You Can't Kill Light” garnered radio play and views on stations across the U.S. and Germany. Monica performed the song at the 2018 Women’s March. Her songs have been used on numerous network television shows, and she has composed soundtracks for PBS, the History Channel, and National Geographic Television. For the last 18 years, Monica has been a member of the popular Bay Area band Blame Sally, touring the U.S. and Europe extensively and releasing 8 albums in addition to her own 5 solo albums.

Ken Perlman is a skilled guitarist and a pioneer of the 5-string banjo style known as melodic clawhammer. He’s known for his skillful adaptations of Celtic, Appalachian, and Canadian fiddle tunes. Ken has toured throughout most of the English-speaking world and in Western Europe, both as a soloist and in a duo with renowned Appalachian-style fiddler Alan Jabbour. An acclaimed teacher of folk-music instrumental skills, Ken has written widely used banjo and guitar instruction books, including Clawhammer Style Banjo, Fingerstyle Guitar, and Fingerpicking Fiddle Tunes. He’s been on staff at teaching festivals around the world, and has served as director for several music-instructional camps, including American Banjo Camp, Midwest Banjo Camp, and Suwannee Banjo Camp. As an independent folklorist, Ken spent close to two decades collecting tunes and oral histories from traditional fiddle players on Prince Edward Island in Eastern Canada. His most recent solo recordings are Frails & Frolics and Northern Banjo.

Veteran Seattle guitarist Ron Peters has played professionally for many years, appearing with acts including The Manhattan Transfer, Jennifer Scott, Lance Buller, Stephanie Porter, The Northwest Sinfonietta, Pearl Django, and Sylvia Herold, to name a few. When not performing, he teaches privately and at music camps and workshops in the U.S. and Canada.

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.

Karin Plato is a Juno award nominee and a Western Canadian Music Awards nominee. Three times she was nominated Jazz Vocalist of the Year at the National Jazz Awards in Toronto. She has appeared at concerts and festivals across Canada and has performed at concert societies in the USA. She works as a composer, arranger, music educator, and occasionally as a concert producer. She has released nine independent recordings of jazz standards and originals. Karin teaches voice, piano, and theory in her studio in Vancouver to students of all ages.

In 2021, Missy Raines was named International Bluegrass Music Association Bass Player of the Year for the 10th time (more than any other player in the history of the organization!). Having proven herself as an iconic bluegrass instrumentalist, Missy has also stepped into the spotlight as a songwriter and singer, with the success of her latest release, Royal Traveller, which was nominated for a Grammy in 2020. Missy has taught bass at workshops and music camps all over the world, and heads the ArtistWorks Academy of Bluegrass School of Bluegrass Bass. Missy tours with her band, Missy Raines & Allegheny. 

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.

Del Rey started playing guitar when she was four years old. Rags, blues, and tunes of the early 20th century are her specialty, even as she writes new music to add to the tradition. She’s taught and played all over the world, and brings her distinctive fingerstyle approach to guitar and ukulele to her teaching DVDs on Homespun, including Boogie-Woogie Guitar, The Music Of Memphis Minnie, and Blue Uke. She has fashion sense that would make Minnie Pearl smile. Her albums can be found at www.hobemianrecords.com.

Brian Rice began his orchestral career at age 15, playing percussion with the Northwest Michigan Symphony. After attending Interlochen Arts Academy and heading to Oberlin Conservatory, Brian had an epiphany: There's a whole world of music beyond the classical and jazz of his youth! Brian has since established himself as an expert on Brazilian music as well as other worldly genres. Brian recently performed with Brazilian master Danilo Brito at the Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, and the Savannah Music Festival, and has guest taught at universities across the U.S. and in Brazil. Currently Brian teaches the samba and Afro-Cuban ensembles at UC Davis, co-chairs the Brazilian focus at the California Jazz Conservatory, and is co-founder and Artistic Director of the Berkeley Festival of Choro. Brian’s percussion is heard on over 70 recordings. He regularly performs around the Bay Area with Wake the Dead, Cascada de Flores, and the Berkeley Choro Ensemble.

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.

Julie Sakahara is a highly experienced guitar teacher, and a specialist in beginning and intermediate class instruction. She is renowned for her effectiveness, patience, and good humor in motivating her students. Director of and instructor for Guitar for Grownups in Seattle, Julie has taught at Puget Sound Guitar Workshop, Everett Community College, YWCA, and a number of West Coast music retailers. A versatile instrumentalist and vocalist, she performs in the Seattle area, and is a member of Local 76-493 of The American Federation of Musicians.

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.

Greg Schochet is a full-time performer, teacher and producer in Boulder, Colorado. Equally adept on guitar and mandolin, he is fluent in all manner of acoustic and electric styles, specializing in bluegrass, swing, and country. He was lead guitarist for Halden Wofford & the Hi*Beams, Colorado’s beloved and venerable honky-tonk and western swing band, for sixteen years. Greg is an integral part of Colorado’s thriving roots music scene, and is a sought-after instructor, session player, producer, and collaborator. A veteran of many teaching camps, Greg was also guitar and mandolin teacher at Woodsongs Music, Colorado’s premier acoustic music store, for some twenty years. His teaching practice centers on preparing students to thrive in ensemble settings, whether it be a campground jam or a working band. Greg’s enthusiasm for the music he teaches, as well as his personable manner and attention to detail, have earned him a loyal and committed student body.

Jennifer Scott is a Vancouver-born vocalist and jazz pianist specializing in jazz, blues, and world music. She is considered one of the most important jazz artists working in Canada and the United States today. From sold-out concerts in San Francisco to exclusive local club performances, Jennifer’s performance experiences have been varied. Jennifer has appeared at jazz festivals all across Canada and the U.S., appearing with such jazz luminaries as: Tommy Banks, Don Thompson, Jon Batiste, Kenny Wheeler, Skywalk, and Hugh Fraser, to name a few. She has numerous ongoing musical projects, including performing as the pianist/vocalist for San Francisco–based Novo Tempo, a Brazilian/jazz fusion group, and is a founding member of Crossing Borders, an international jazz group that performs and records music from the heart. Crossing Borders has released two CDs and performed at Kuumbwa and the Monterey Jazz Festival. Jennifer continues to perform at festivals worldwide and has two new recordings: Live at Samson Winery and Music for Bigs and Smalls. Her duo recordings and concerts with bassist/husband René Worst are critically acclaimed. Jennifer is in demand as an educator and clinician in the U.S. and Canada, and has taught and created many workshops and college courses.

Grammy-nominated mandolinist Tristan Scroggins is a voice of both music and community in the world of bluegrass. An old soul with the drive and curiosity of youth, Tristan is dedicated to learning the history of traditional music while creating an open and inclusive space for the music moving forward. In 2021 Tristan was honored with a nomination for the International Bluegrass Music Association's Mandolin Player of the Year Award and was the recipient of their Writer of the Year award. As a teacher, Tristan has gained a reputation for his logically laid out curriculum, generous resources, and relaxed, encouraging presence. Tristan’s teaching materials help students achieve personal inspiration and overcome their musical hurdles.

Steve Seskin has written seven number-one songs, including the Grammy-nominated “Grown Men Don’t Cry,” recorded by Tim McGraw, and “Don’t Laugh at Me,” winner of NSAI Song of the Year and Music Row magazine Song of the Year. Other chart toppers include “I Think About You,” recorded by Collin Raye, and “All I Need To Know,” recorded by Kenny Chesney. “Don’t Laugh at Me” was recorded by Peter, Paul and Mary and became the impetus for the Operation Respect project, a curriculum designed to teach tolerance in schools. Steve enjoys performing at school assemblies and writing songs with kids in support of this program. Steve is also an active keynote speaker and songwriting teacher for the West Coast Songwriters Association, the Nashville Songwriters Association International, the Swannanoa Gathering, and the Song School at Rocky Mountain Folks Festival. He has also been the director of the Kerrville Songwriter’s School since 2012. As an artist, he recently recorded his 20th album, Some Sunsets.

Originally from Goshen, Indiana, Ethan Setiawan won both the National Mandolin Championship at Winfield, KS and the Rockygrass Mandolin Championship. After studying with Don Stiernberg, Setiawan attended Berklee College of Music on a full scholarship. On his new album, Gambit, Setiawan moves aptly between stylistic influences, harkening back to the experimental string band music pioneered in the early ’80s while presenting entirely original compositions. In addition to his solo projects, Setiawan is an in-demand side man, and can be seen playing with his band Corner House, Darol Anger, and Tony Trischka among others. He has taught the mandolin and assorted classes at Ossipee Valley String Camp, Ashokan Western & Swing Week, Great Lakes Music Camp, 317 Community Music Center, Club Passim School of Music, and TG Music.

Jon Shain is a veteran singer-songwriter known for his words and his fiery acoustic guitar work, and an evolved musical style that combines improvised Piedmont blues with bluegrass, swing, and ragtime. As a young man, he had the good fortune to learn directly from a number of North Carolina’s older blues players, and became a member of Big Boy Henry’s backing band. Jon is the 2019 winner of the International Blues Challenge in the solo/duo category. His album Gettin' Handy with the Blues: A Tribute to the Legacy of W.C.Handy was published last year by Mel Bay as a book of fingerstyle guitar arrangements. Also a record producer, Shain has produced a number of successful folk and roots records for other artists at Good Luck Studio in Chapel Hill, NC.

Cosy Sheridan first appeared on the national folk scene in 1992 when she won the songwriting contests at the Kerrville Folk Festival and the Telluride Bluegrass Festival. She has been on the road ever since, playing clubs, concert halls and coffeehouses across the country. Her song “My Fence and My Neighbor” listed at #4 on the folk radio chart in 2018, her 2014 release “Pretty Bird” was listed in Sing Out! magazine’s Great CDs of 2014. Cosy was a guitar student of legendary fingerstyle players Eric Schoenberg and Guy Van Duser. She teaches classes in songwriting, performance, and guitar at workshops and adult music camps across the country, and is the founder of Moab Folk Camp in Utah.