Ellen Carlson

Exeter, Manchester and Tilton Coach

Ellen is the founder and Executive Director of the New England Fiddle Ensemble. She has a strong grasp on several musical genres. She has played with bluegrass, swing, western swing, country, Irish and square dance bands. Bluegrass Unlimited Magazine gave her a coveted highlight review for her solo album "People I Play With" as well as three excellent reviews for her band High Range, calling her "a talented musician." Ellen teaches at numerous festivals and workshops including Fiddle Hell, Grey Fox, Joe Val, and Pemi Valley. She is a member of the NH State Council on the Arts Teaching Roster.

ellencarlson.com

Melissa Bragdon Caron

Kittery and Westbrook Coach

Melissa is the Associate Director of the New England Fiddle Ensemble. She is a Maine-based fiddler known for playing and teaching many different styles of music. Classically trained, she received a degree in Music Education at the University of Maine and has experience teaching string programs and general music at various grade levels in the Maine public schools. Melissa is a member of the Portland-based bluegrass bands Jerks of Grass and Cumberland Crossing. She also performs often with the old-time group Sugar Hill Stringband and recently recorded an album, "Stuff That Works," with Fiddlers Three. Melissa teams up with Ellen Carlson to organize Fiddleheads Acoustic Jam Camp, a music camp for acoustic musicians held each September in New Hampshire. Melissa was greatly involved in the development of 317 Main Community Music Center in Yarmouth, Maine, where she taught fiddle and acoustic ensembles for twelve years. Melissa also offers welcoming jams in her community, teaches at her studio in Scarborough, Maine and enjoys spending time with her two sons, Daniel and Aidan.

melissabragdoncaron.com

Shana Aisenberg

Tamworth and Rhythm Coach

Shana is a nationally recognized multi-instrumentalist, playing, composing, recording, and teaching diverse acoustic roots styles from traditional southern Appalachian and Celtic, to eastern European Klezmer, bottleneck blues and jazz. She has been a national flatpicking champion.

website

Natalie Backes

Jaffrey Coach

Natalie Backes is a multi-instrumentalist who has been playing traditional Irish and American folk music for 20 years. She's taught at Acadia Trad School in Bar Harbor, and at the Peterborough music store in Peterborough, NH, as well as many private lessons. Growing up in a musical family, she's a strong advocate of learning by ear, but has a strong foundation in theory and reading, and can meet students wherever they find themselves. She can be found playing fiddle, guitar, whistle, and concertina at sessions and contra dances around the Monadnock area and around her current home of Walpole, New Hampshire.

Steve Roy

Portsmouth Coach

Steve is a multi-instrumentalist from Eliot, Maine who plays and teaches upright bass, mandolin, fiddle, guitar, and ukulele. He is fluent in a vast array of musical styles, including bluegrass, jazz, folk, rock, jam, country, old time, heavy metal and more! As a sideman, he has toured nationally and internationally with many of the acoustic world's top acts, including Laurie Lewis and Tom Rozum, John Reischman and Eli West, Molly Tuttle, Joe K. Walsh, Frank Solivan and Dirty Kitchen, Joy Kills Sorrow, Hit and Run Bluegrass, and many others. Locally, he is well known for his work with groups such as OldHat Stringband, High Range, Jazzputin and the Jug Skunks, Steve and Dave Play Dead, Spinal Tarp, and countless others. He has been leading a weekly open bluegrass jam on the NH seacoast for over a decade. Bluegrass Now Magazine calls Steve a "devastating weapon." He is currently a faculty member at 317 Main Community Music Center in Yarmouth, ME, and at Portsmouth Music and Arts Center in Portsmouth, NH. Steve is the Program Director at Nimblefingers Old Time & Bluegrass Workshops in British Columbia, and he has taught many other music camps and workshops throughout the USA and Canada, including Steve Kaufman's Acoustic Kamp (TN), Fiddleheads Jam Camp (NH), Ossipee Valley String Camp (ME), Walker Creek Music Camp (CA), Aloha Bluegrass Academy (HI), and many others. Steve is also a violin maker, and works in the violin shop of Jonathan Cooper, in Portland, ME. 

Betsy Green

Guest Coach

Betsy grew up on a farm in central Massachusetts, playing throughout her childhood in a family country band called the Housejackers which included her parents and three sisters. Today she regularly performs around New England as part of various groups (The Hazel Project, The Green Sisters, Green Heron, Little Wishbone to name a few). She started out learning classical music, and was in the Massachusetts Central Districts orchestra for several years through high school; however, her passion turned to Irish and contradance fiddle tunes almost as soon as she took up the instrument. Old-time fiddle tunes are now her favorite, but she loves all styles. 

GreenHeronMusic.com 

Tyler Lienhardt

Guest Coach

Tyler is a contemporary fiddle player with a background in Appalachian, Irish, and Bluegrass traditions. He currently performs with the string band Tricky Britches, and has collaborated with a variety of performers such as Ghost of Paul Revere, Tumbling Bones, and Caroline Cotter. He grew up in Maine, where he currently lives and teaches music.

Sam Lyons 

Guest Coach

Sam is a violinist, conductor, and music educator hailing from the sunny state of Maine. Sam received his Bachelor's in Music Education from the University of Southern Maine. Currently, Sam works as the 6-12 orchestra director for the Timberlane Regional School District in Plaistow, New Hampshire. He is also the assistant conductor for the University of New Hampshire's Youth Symphony Orchestra program and the String Council Chair for New Hampshire Music Educator's Association (NHMEA). Over the past 10 years Sam has enjoyed teaching experiences in Maine, New Hampshire, North Carolina, England, and India. 

During the year Sam loves to play and teach various styles of music; he founded and leads the Timberlane Fiddler's, enjoys performing as a freelance violinist/fiddler, and is a member of Reverend Finster, an all-acoustic REM tribute band. When not playing music, you may find him hiking, reading, or in the pool. 

Darrell Carlson

Guest Musician

Darrell started playing guitar at age 9 and quickly developed into a sought after singer and player in the northwestern Connecticut/New York region, even as a young musician. At age 13, he started his own band with his brother Bruce and sister Ellen along with 3 neighborhood kids and has continued to play for 50 years, thoroughly enjoying playing with others of all levels.

Kris Day

Guest Musician

Kris is most recognizable as a member of the New England roots music scene. He's spent the last 25 years as a member of rockabilly quartet King Memphis and over a decade as bassist for bluegrass favorites Jerks of Grass and Travis-picking guitar slinger Sean Mencher and his Rhythm Kings. Kris has performed in 38 states, Canada and Europe holding down the low end for rock n' roll legends Link Wray, Dale Hawkins, Ronnie Dawson, Sleepy LaBeef and Joe Clay as well as performing with an array of artists ranging from bluegrass mandolin hero Matt Flinner to Brazilian singer Celia Vaz to Gypsy Jazz guitarist Stephane Wrembel (as a member of Hot Club of Portland). For the last 20 years Kris has spent his days teaching music at Buckdancers Choice in Portland, Maine and his nights performing live in and around New England.

Brendan Dowd

Guest Musician