Featuring: Jenny Gear, Sandy Morris, Darren Browne & Erin Best

Heather Patey is a fiddler, singer and dancer in St, John’s, having spent 15 years focusing on the musical traditions of Newfoundland and Labrador. She especially enjoys passing on the fun of Newfoundland music to young people, and has taught and performed at the Suzuki Talent Education Program, STEP Fiddlers, Young Folk at the Hall, the Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Festival, and schools and youth groups in the St. John’s area. Often in company of her duet partner, accordionist Terry Goldie, she can lead a group of kids through the Lancers, share a beautiful ballad or a chorus shanty for everyone to sing, add traditional dance-music to the repertoire of student musicians, or join in any size of group for a rousing set of tunes. Always happy to bring authentic Newfoundland and Labrador material to ears and feet of all ages!

Heather Patey has been dancing in squares, lines, and circles, and amassing dance tunes for her fiddle, for nigh on twenty years now. She has led Newfoundland music- and dance-workshops and classes for children with the Suzuki Talent Education Program (“STEP”), Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Festival, Young Folk at the Hall, and Soundbone Traditional Arts Foundation; and at schools and youth groups around the province.  Sharing the fun of Newfoundland musical traditions with young folks is what makes her happy!

Harry Ingram was born and raised in Arnold’s Cove Placentia Bay, or as Ray Guy would call it, “That far greater bay”. Recitations have always been a core element of Harry’s upbringing, which he now performs in various venues. He’s a part of the popular “Stage to Stage” group and also a comedy recitation duo known as “The Liar’s Bench Show” with his cohort Ken Parsons. Harry writes his own original material with a published book titled “Don’t be Talkin’, however, he also enjoys keeping alive the works of greats such as John Joe English, Baxter Wareham and others. 

Glen Tilley and Bill Rose share a deep love and passion for the music they create. Their repertoire, an homage to the great songwriters and tunesmiths who gave voice to a generation.

With stops in New York’s Greenwich Village, Liverpool, Los Angeles and a waltz across Texas, the duo cover a sweeping range including country swing, rockabilly, dazzling guitar instrumentals, folk, contemporary singer songwriter material, alt country and original compositions by Rose and Tilley.

Sherry Ryan, Andrea Monro, and Maria Cherwick bring their beautiful harmonies, instrumentation and songwriting together combined with the music of bluegrass legends Dolly Parton, Bill Monroe and Gillian Welch to name a few. Sherry’s songwriting has been winning hearts across the country and her song ‘Stop The Trains’ was voted best song in the province by The 2018 People’s Choice Awards. She was also awarded 2018 Music NL Female Artist of the Year. Andrea Monro is a singer/songwriter and multi instrumentalist who has performed in Canada and the UK. Her performance highlights include Juno, ECMA and MusicNL showcases, performances for the CBC and The St. John’s Folk Festival. Maria Cherwick is a highly trained violinist and musician versed in multiple styles and traditions. Music has taken her around the world as a performer of both classical and folk music. Maria was awarded 2018 Music NL Side Musician of the Year.

Gerry Strong is from Little Bay Islands, Notre Dame Bay and grew up between there and nearby Little Bay. His parents moved to Ireland just before he finished high school, which marked the beginning of his immersion in traditional music. Around the same time as his mother bought him a recorder, his older sister bought an album by what was then a brand new Irish traditional music group called Planxty. Along with the Bothy Band, Planxty would become a major influence on Gerry’s interest in music, and in no time at all he switched from the recorder to the tin whistle.

While working in Stephenville Crossing in the early 1970’s, Gerry became more involved in the local music scene through the influence of Stephenville physician, Dr. Kevin McCann, who introduced Gerry to several traditional west coast musicians such as Emile Benoit and Ed Doucette, among others. Around the same time, local bands Red Island and Figgy Duff were experimenting with and developing new and exciting ways of playing local music, and Gerry became part of the renewal of interest in the folk and traditional music of Newfoundland and Labrador.

In the 1970s Gerry became a founding member of the award-winning group Tickle Harbour. Gerry travelled throughout Canada and the US while playing with Tickle Harbour, and through Ireland, England and Australia with A Crowd of Bold Sharemen. Retirement from his job as an X-ray technologist at the Carbonear General Hospital has left him more time to pursue his love of music, sitting in on as many sessions as he can and performing solo or with What Odds, Cotillion and A Crowd of Bold Sharemen.

In November of 2017 Gerry was awarded the Slaight Music Unsung Hero award by the Canadian Folk Music Association for his contributions to the Canadian folk music scene.

Acoustic guitarist/composer Gordon Quinton was born in Grand Falls-Windsor, Newfoundland and Labrador and now lives in St. John’s. An innovative fingerpicking and flatpicking guitar stylist, he specializes in original compositions and arrangements of traditional and contemporary folk music. As a veteran artist participating in the province’s cultural life, Gordon today continues on his chosen path of musical exploration and expression, composing, performing and recording as a soloist and with others.