Reel of Seven
Renata Bratt (cello)
Cellist and
clinician Renata Bratt (www.renatabratt.com)
is a member of the ASTA Alternative String Styles Advisory Committee and is the
author of "The Modern Cello Method," "The Fiddling Cellist"
and "Celtic Grooves for Two Cellists" for Mel Bay Publications. She
teaches cello at the Santa Cruz Waldorf Elementary School, the Pacific
Elementary School in Davenport, CA and beginning orchestra through the Cabrillo
Youth Strings program.
She has taught
classical styles, jazz improvisation and fiddling at national string workshops
for children and adults including the Mark O'Connor String Conference, Valley
of the Moon Scottish Fiddling School, New Directions Cello Festival, the
National Cello Institute, IAJE, ASTA, MENC and Suzuki institutes and
conferences and is a past president of the Suzuki Music Association of
California and the IAJE String Caucus. Ms. Bratt received her Ph.D. in Music
from the University of California at San Diego. Her CDs, "Great Big
Taters" and "Jazz Trio 2006" are available through CD Baby.
Renata has performed
with luminaries such as Liz Carroll and John Doyle, Darol Anger and Alasdair
Fraser and played back-up with Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, David Sanborn, Lyle
Lovett, and Dionne Warwick. Rolling Stone dubbed her an "ace
performer" for her work recording and touring with alternative rocker
Cindy Lee Berryhill's Garage Orchestra.
Gary Campus
(percussion)
Gary has been playing and studying drums and percussion since
the age of 8 years old. He spent most of the first 10 years playing
in concert bands, marching bands and playing jazz. He has also enjoyed playing in theater
productions. Since moving to Northern
California in 1976, Gary has played professionally in bands, playing many
different styles, from rock to classical, as well as teaching.
Teaching percussion at Alasdair Fraser's Scottish fiddle camps
introduced Gary to the world of Celtic music; he has been playing with many
different groups and exploring this exciting traditional style. This year will
be Gary's third time playing at the ball at Asilomar. Gary can also be seen playing with regional
bands, including harpist Christine Bonner, Latin jazz with Ivan Najera, and in
a very popular rock and roll band called the Deadbeats.
Gary lives in Nevada City California, with his son Angelo, who
is also playing many instruments and also enjoying this wonderful Celtic music.
Deby Benton Grosjean
Deby is a resplendent fiddler who has appeared on over 30 recordings. Besides
her well-received, solo CD productions O'er the Moor Among the Heather
and Beyond the Shore, she has appeared on two recent releases by
members of famous rock band "Journey" No Nation Illumine and VTR
Cinema, Bob McMurtry's The Devil's Quandary, a Scottish Dance
recording with Andy Imbrie, Mary McLaughlin's Celtic Requiem (Windham
Hill), Chris Caswell's Celtic Tidings (North Star), and her many Gourd
Music titles including William Coulter's Celtic Sessions and Barry
Phillips' Music on the Mountain. Deby joins Gourd artists on two film
scores, including Ken Burns' Not for Ourselves Alone, viewed on PBS.
Deby's music can be heard on several ecological documentaries; most recent is
renowned photographers Kennan & Karen Ward's Antarctica: 100 Days in the
Wildest Place on Earth. You'll find her published in Mel Bay's Fiddle
Anthology along with the 'top 40' in the fiddle world today and her latest
self-published book Fun Celtic Music Series. She's received
awards in national and regional fiddle championships and tours both nationally
and internationally. She received 1st place awards in the MTAC classic
competitions in throughout high school. She had classic formal education at
UCSC with interest in orchestration and performance. A teacher of distinction,
Deby is on faculty at Alasdair Fraser's Valley of the Moon Fiddling School and
his Sierra Fiddle Camp, Cabrillo College Suzuki Program, Community Music School
and is a highly sought after clinician for workshops throughout the USA. Please visit www.gourd.com for more information.
Andy Imbrie (piano,
band leader)
Andy began studying classical piano as a child, and started
playing for Scottish Country Dancing in 1984 with the encouragement of Kim
McGarrity and Barbara McOwen. He plays
regularly for dances throughout the US and Canada with Calum MacKinnon, and has
also played for dance tours and workshops in Scotland, Shetland, Orkney, and
New Zealand with fiddler John Taylor. Andy is featured on several albums of SCD
music, including "Steppin' Out" and "LIVE" with John Taylor, "March Hare" with
Susan Worland, "The San Francisco Collection, Vol. 2" with many local
musicians, and "The Devil's Quandary" with Deby Benton Grosjean. He has recently been on music staff at
Pinewoods and is honored to have been invited to teach piano accompaniment at
the Valley of the Moon Scottish fiddling school for several years.
Andy leads the "Reel of Seven" Scottish dance band, and is the
music coordinator for the San Francisco Branch of the RSCDS. Andrew began Scottish Country Dancing in
Berkeley in 1977 and earned his preliminary pass teacher's certificate in 1984,
and one day hopes to find time to train for the full certificate. Andrew is married to Sherryl Fawx (also a
dancer and musician); they live in Santa Clara, California. In his free time,
he works as an aerospace engineer specializing in simulation, guidance, and
control design of flight vehicles.
Janet Kurnick
(fiddle)
Janet began learning to play the violin with her brother's help
when she was 10. She studied first
classical as a child, and while in college studied fiddle with the late Tiny
Moore, a well-known Western Swing fiddler.
While in college at Davis, she also began playing Celtic music with
various other students from the US, Australia, and England. Her love for Celtic
music brought her to Scottish Country Dancing, first as a dancer, and later as
a musician. She is the SCD musical
mainstay in Sacramento, as well as Membership and Insurance Chairman for the
Sacramento branch of RSCDS, and Musician Liaison for the Asilomar weekend. She has played for Scottish Country dancing
in both the Bay Area and Sacramento since the mid '80's. She is a member of Fiddlesticks & Ivory,
and has played with them since their beginning, both locally and in the Western
US and Canada. Janet also plays with Reel of
Seven and with Thistle Glen, the Sacramento Scottish Country dance band
which is in its 16th year. Janet spends the remainder of her spare time
harping, gardening, and playing with her West Highland White Terriers. Janet is a Staff Programmer Analyst for the
Department of Real Estate.
Shelley Phillips
(winds)
Shelley has a Masters of Music from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.
She plays and tours with The Anjali Quartet and The Coulter/Phillips
Ensemble, performs as a duo with her husband, Barry Phillips, sings Shape
Note music, and is currently collaborating with Rumi translator and poet
Coleman Barks.
Shelley has appeared on many recordings on the Gourd music label, including her
solo albums The Fairie Round and Pavane. She
also has recorded music of the Shakers and produced a benefit album, Verdant
Groves, for the Shaker village museums.
In addition to performing and recording, Shelley works as a music director
within the Episcopalian church and is the founder and executive director of Community Music School of Santa Cruz, where
she runs Celtic Camps for children and teens, concerts, workshops, and other
programs.
She lives on the foggy California coast with her husband Barry and three very
spoiled cats.
Patty Van Winkle
(fiddle)
Patty started playing the violin in elementary school in
Berkeley. She trained as a classical violinist, playing in the Oakland Symphony
for 5 years, and the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra for over 30 years. She
played in almost all of the SFB broadcasts and recordings during that time,
including the latest Nutcracker to be broadcast on PBS this holiday season.
When Colin Gordon started the Peninsula Scottish Fiddlers in
1990, she joined the group to learn Scottish Fiddle and played with them for 15
years, including their tour of Scotland in 2000. Avril and David Quarrie invited her to
play for the Berkeley class where more experienced class musicians made sure
she learned how to properly play for Scottish Country Dance. Thanks to the
wonderful patience and mentorship of Janet Kurnick, Andy Imbrie, and Sherryl
Fawx, Patty regularly plays with the "Lemmings," otherwise known as "Thistle
Glen" and with "Reel of Seven."
Patty is married to John Van Winkle, Principal Librarian of the
San Francisco Symphony and they have two grown daughters. In her spare time,
she teaches Emergency Preparedness classes for the City of Oakland CORE
Program.
Susan Worland
(fiddle)
Susan was described this past summer as being "famous in the Bay
Area for playing Scottish music but famous in the rest of the country for
playing Polish music". Locally she plays
for Red Thistle Dancers, Lowiczanie (San Francisco's resident Polish folk dance
ensemble), and the Santa Cruz County Symphony.
Looking for something different to do, she is also currently taking
classes in Brazilian jazz and considering becoming a Suzuki violin teacher. No one asked her to make an ad for American
Express yet, but her "perfect day" would include practicing, going to the gym,
cooking something yummy, catching up on reading, playing somewhere at night,
and hanging out with friends and her hubby, Michael Bentley.