The STEP Fiddlers are a group of fine young fiddle players, ranging in age from six to sixteen, drawn mostly from the students of the Suzuki Talent Education Program (STEP) in St. John’s. Christina Smith founded the group in 1982 to give give young Newfoundlanders an opportunity to learn their own traditional music. Currently directed by Carole Bestvater, the STEP Fiddlers continue this rich tradition, while incorporating tunes from across Canada and around the world. The STEP Fiddlers have been featured performers at the Newfoundland & Labrador Folk Festival, the Canadian Folk Music Awards Gala, and the North Atlantic Fiddle Convention, and have brought Newfoundland music to Ontario, England, and Northern Ireland. Over the years the group has released two CDs: “Galing for a Storm” and “Fiddling in the Fog.”

The Fiddlers Greene are Marlo and Sadie Greene- two sisters from St. John’s who have been playing fiddle for 9 years. They love to play and perform many different styles of traditional music, particularly Newfoundland traditional and Bluegrass. This will be their third performance at the NL Folk Festival, but you can hear them throughout the year at all ages trad sessions around St.John’s or at the Bluegrass Brunch at the Ship. They also perform at the annual Young Folk at the Hall. The Fiddlers Greene are very excited to be back playing at their favourite event of the summer!

This brand new quartet is made up of Allison Walsh, Anna Corcorran, Cassandra Ingram and Charla Woodford and they perform acapella arrangements of traditional songs and ballads. Formed out of a one time vocal workshop that was simply too much fun to quit, the blend of their voices is truly special and exceptionally compelling.

Hailing from Whiteway, Trinity Bay, Shana Brown picked up the button accordion at age 7 and it has been her main instrument ever since. Equally comfortable playing gigs with her brother Dillon or laying down award winning performances shredding Bach compositions, Shana is constantly exploring new styles and pushing the boundaries of the instrument.

Comprised of three young musicians keeping traditional Newfoundland music alive, the Salt Beef Junkies are a popular hit with tourists and locals alike. Consisting of Luke Mercer on accordion, guitar, harmonica and vocals, Ty Simms on guitar, mandolin, banjo and vocals, and Alex Mercer on bodhran, the boys tend to draw a crowd with their toe tapping tunes.

Performing as a group since 2019, they have played numerous venues, festivals, and events across the province, and were featured in an episode of HGTV’s “Rock Solid Builds”. In February, they released their debut CD entitled “Somewhere in Between”.

As part of their volunteer activities, the Salt Beef Junkies regularly play at various seniors’ homes across the St. John’s metro area, veteran’s support groups, and fundraisers in support of various causes. For their volunteer activities, they were awarded the Quinn Rockstar Award for youth that demonstrate leadership and volunteerism in their community.

All three boys have been mentored by well-known Newfoundland musicians and it shows in their lively upbeat performances.

Laura Davis, Anna Corcoran, Luke Mercer, Jake Greening, Samuel Penney

Rindfleischetikettierungsüberwachungsaufgabenübertragungsgesetz –  A German word that is the name of a law for the delegation of monitoring beef labeling.

Paul Maher is a 16 year old lead guitarist, singer/song writer who loves to perform. His music is heavily influenced by such artists as Gord Downie, Tom Petty and local artist Nick Earle. While his main instrument of focus is the acoustic he has been captivating audiences with his electric guitar and mandolin skills. Paul takes advantage of our local open mic night’s and currently performs at O’Reilly’s on Tuesday nights at 730 till 830 and Bridie Molloys on Thursday night at 730 till 830. Though New to the music scene he has already headlined at local festivals and even took home 3rd place in the 2023 Newfound Talent Contest. Paul loves any chance he can get to perform, he considers himself an up and coming artist. The next generation in NL music.

Olive has been playing the violin for almost eleven years and she is committed to her instrument and to sharing the gift of music with everyone she meets.

While Olive has primarily been playing classical music, and is part of three orchestras, she has a deep appreciation for all genres of music, as they have shaped who she is today.. She has always had a soft spot in her heart for fiddle music, but her favorite style is contemporary and modern.

Logan Buck, Claudia Carew, Alex Mercer, Sadie Greene, Bryden Stanley

Neumonoultramicroscópicasilicovolcanoconiosis – Oxford Dictionary’s longest word is the name of a lung disease caused by silica dust.