For the past 36 years, Jean Hewson and Christina Smith have been ambassadors of Newfoundland culture, bringing the music and songs of their Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador to festival, concert and folk club audiences in North America and Europe. They are the recipients of the Ernie King Tradition Bearer award from the Celtic Roots Festival, Goderich, Ontario. Their music has been broadcast nationally by the Canadian Broadcasting Coorporation, and their CDS Like Ducks! and August Gale (Borealis) have received multiple nominations and awards.

Over the past 20 years, award winning singer-songwriter Chris Picco has established himself as one of Atlantic Canada’s most dynamic and diverse musicians both as a solo artist and as front man for St. John’s based rockers, The Long Distance Runners.

 Since 2004 Chris has recorded and released eight critically acclaimed records. His most recent, Split Down The Middle  (2023) has earned him a MusicNL nomination for Rock Artist of The Year. His most recent LDR record received several ECMA,  Juno and MusicNL nominations in 2016/17 and in 2013 Chris’ solo record The Beach earned him a MusicNL Male Artist Of The Year Award. He has worked as both a session musician and producer and has shared the stage with artists ranging from Wintersleep, Said the Whale, Mother Mother and The Wooden Sky to Jim Cuddy, Bob Snider, Ron Sexsmith, Kyp Harness, and Ron Hynes. 

Currently, Chris is busy songwriting, producing and performing material from his new record Split Down The Middle available everywhere you get your music.

Christian Dauble (they/them) is a trans-nonbinary craftsperson, scholar, and musician currently living in St. John’s, NL. Originally from Florida, they moved to NL in 2017 to pursue their graduate studies in music and folklore. Along the way, Christian became more enthralled with the world of textile crafts and participated in Heritage NL’s Craft-at-Risk program in 2023 as a weaving apprentice. They are committed to craft education and the promotion of craft as a tool for sustainability and community building. 

Charlie-Rose Neis has been writing music since she could talk. Luckily for her, her best friend Sydney Oliver is able to help bring the dream to life. They started off as two friends just jamming with each other, and became an official duo a few months ago. They’re both headed to grade 10 this year, at Holy Heart of Mary and Holy Spirit High School. 

Catherine Wright is a storyteller, multi-arts practitioner and arts educator who
divides her time between St John’s and Port Kirwan, Newfoundland.
A versatile performer, Catherine has presented folk and fairy tales, personal
narratives, ballads and recitations to a broad range of ages from preschoolers to
seniors; at schools, festivals, theatres, galleries, outdoor venues and online in her
over 30 years of performance experience. Her most recent show, Shrouds and
Stays: The Ballad of Jane Wright, is an ancestral tale of shipwreck interweaving
storytelling, songs and movement.
Catherine is past president of St John’s Storytelling and current provincial
representative for Storytellers of Canada (SC-CC).

Friends, there are artists, fiddlers, side musicians aplenty.

There is only one Carole.

 Originally from Toronto, Brad Klucowicz moved to St. John’s, NL in 2018 and quickly became immersed in the traditional music scene of the city. With familial roots in Fox Harbour, Placentia Bay, Brad learned the basics of the button accordion as a child by watching his Grandfather and uncles. Despite rarely playing the accordion throughout his teens and 20s, he developed a life long appreciation for the culture and traditional music of Newfoundland. Brad returned to his musical roots and began playing the accordion again in 2018, and has not looked back. Moving to Newfoundland rekindled his interest in traditional music, deepened his connection to Newfoundland and stoked his interest in the musical connection between Newfoundland and Ireland. This interest became an obsession, which  is evident in his extensive repertoire of traditional Newfoundland and Irish music, which he shares with willing – and unwilling – listeners each weekend in downtown St. John’s.

Brian Cherwick’s Weirdo Show Brian Cherwick is a multi-instrumentalist and leader of the speed-folk band Kubasonics. His “Weirdo Show” combines quirky original songs about his weird family with a variety of weird instruments from his extensive collection.

Billy Sutton is an award winning Multi-Instrumentalist/Producer/Recording Engineer from Hr. Grace, NL. He currently resides in St. John’s. His musical ability is evident in the impressive roster of musicians with whom he has worked. A member of the multi-award winning band The Fables, he also has toured, and recorded with such groups as Ron Hynes, ShanneyGanock, The Irish Descendants, The Ennis Sisters, The Matthew Byrne Band, Cordeen, Rum Ragged, and has recently been recruited to join one of Ireland’s most famous traditional bands, Danú.