Instructors '20Our instructors are chosen for their ability to empower students to explore, create and move beyond the traditional roles of their instruments. We are committed to finding the best and brightest music educators & performers to bring to Beyond Trad.
This year we are expanding certain programs and are very excited to welcome some new faces to the teaching team.
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Ali RomanowClasses at Beyond Trad:
Band Class Folk Harmonic Band Lab Western Swing Strings (Twin Fiddle) Ali Romanow is a multi-instrumentalist and music educator based on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Competent on a variety of instruments Ali also brings her captivating vocals, original writing and arranging to whatever project she is currently focused on. Ali spends her time in Courtenay BC, where she directs FolkHarmonic Orchestras, a Western Swing Orchestra & teaches private music lessons. |
Anthea MorrittClasses at Beyond Trad:
Kids Programming Originally from Hornby Island, Anthea Morritt is a Vancouver Island based performer and educator with a passion for music and the arts. Anthea holds a diploma in Theatre Arts from Studio 58 in Vancouver and is currently completing her degree in Education at Vancouver Island University. In addition to her studies, Anthea also works as a Volunteer with the Canadian Improv Games, a nationwide Improv organization for middle and high school students, and loves teaching drama and improv workshops to children of all ages. More Instructor info below!
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Brian TateClasses at Beyond Trad:
Morning Vocal Warmup & Sing Camp Choir (Large Ensemble) Drum Magic (Small Ensemble) Group Improv Songwriting Ear Yoga You Got This Now residing in Victoria, Brian Tate is an award-winning composer/arranger and well-known choral director. A prolific composer and arranger, dozens of his works for choir are published and his music is performed worldwide. Brian is the former director of Vancouver’s 100-voice City Soul Choir and has taught singing and choir for 22 years at Studio 58, Langara College's professional theatre school. He also performs with Dawn Pemberton and Karla Mundy in the world music a cappella vocal trio “TriVo”. Brian has had a lifelong interest in music of the African Diaspora and has travelled and studied in Cuba and West Africa. He is also a drummer and percussionist. |
Dawn PembertonClasses at Beyond Trad:
Building Your Bag of Tricks (vocal class) Soul Sessions Vocal Care 101 Vibrant, genuine and soulful, Dawn has deep musical roots that take her powerful voice from gospel and soul to jazz, funk and world music. She has become a staple of the Vancouver music scene and can often be found tearin’ it up as a vocalist, pianist, teacher, adjudicator, choir director and “go to girl” for live performances and studio sessions. She currently spends her time touring with her own original music project as well as with Canadian blues juggernaut,The Harpoonist & The Axe Murderer and The Blues Berries. Dawn has toured extensively throughout Canada and Europe and has performed with musical greats such as Betty Levette, John Boutte, Kenny Werner, Kurt Elling, Robert Randolph &The Family Band, Randy Bachman, Ruthie Foster, The Hamiltones, Linda Tillery and has opened for musical heavyweights Maceo Parker, St. Paul & The Broken Bones, The Philosopher Kings and Lee Fields. Dawn is the founder and Artistic Director of Roots ‘N’ Wings Women’s Choir and teaches masterclasses and workshops all over North America. Her debut solo album, Say Somethin’, released on DoRight! Music won Best Urban Recording at the 2015 Western Canadian Music Awards and has received praise from around the globe forecasting her as “…the new queen of Canadian soul.” A passionate educator and performer, Dawn approaches music with a sense of adventure, quirkiness, and serious groove and shapes it into her own unique and dynamic package. Tight, expressive and bold, Dawn will hit you where it counts, funk you up and make you say “Go ‘head!”. |
Eduardo GarcíaClasses at Beyond Trad:
Intermediate Ukulele Son Huasteco (Huapango) Ukulele Kick-off Chord Melody Made Easy Eduardo is a multi-instrumentalist originally from Mexico that arrived in Vancouver in April 2017.On his journey, he studied and played music in a large variety of environments, worlds, and languages. Being both classically and traditionally trained, he soon got active in a wide diversity of music projects in Mexico, teaching, performing and writing music. Eduardo played several different traditional string instruments with ‘Amate’, a traditional mariachi based in Guadalajara, that performs regularly inside and outside of Mexico. Parallel to that, he played the cello on the ‘Victor Manuel Medeles’ chamber orchestra, of which he was also the arranger/composer of almost all of their repertoire, and the repertoire of other choirs and ensembles in Mexico. During 2017, he collaborated on the book ‘Tsenten Ajab’, a book of studies and arrangements of both traditional and modern music for the Jarana Huasteca, a traditional folk instrument from Mexico’s Huasteco region that was published in 2018. He was the founder/director of the Academia de Ukuleles de la Ribera (Lakeside Ukulele Academy), a self-financed music school that provides instruments and free music lessons to all children in his community. In September 2017,he became a teacher at Ruby’s Ukes, based in Vancouver, B.C., and started conducting/arranging music for the Ruby’s Ukulele Orchestra in 2019. He has participated on the Vancouver Ukulele Festival in 2018 and 2019, the Ajijic Ukulele Retreat (Mexico) in 2017 and 2019, Coquitlam Ukulele mini festival (Canada) in 2019, Beyond Trad (Canada) music camp in 2018, 2019 and soon, 2020, and the Seoul International Aloha Ukulele Festival (South Korea) in 2019. |
Jeff DillClasses at Beyond Trad:
Beginner Guitar Accompaniment 101 Bluegrass Guitar Runs All You Need is the I IV V - Nashville Numbers Jeff Dill began music at a young age, singing in his school choir and playing piano and trumpet in his school jazz ensemble. His earliest performance memory is singing a solo with his choir at age 9, for the song Old Paint. As a teen he taught himself to play guitar, and formed his first band, playing original songs and rock covers. He has spent the last ten years immersed in the Victoria bluegrass and old-time scene playing rhythm and lead guitar. He performs regularly with fiddler Miriam Sonstenes (Old Paint Duo), who have just released their debut album, and toured throughout BC and Western Canada. Further musical travels have taken him to Ireland, North Carolina, Louisiana, and across Canada on VIA Rail's Artists on Board Program. He has also spent time studying celtic guitar accompaniment, Western swing, was a member of Victoria's Riverside Bluegrass Band, and even did a stint playing klezmer guitar with the Yiddish Columbia State Orchestra. As a dedicated teacher he has shared his love of guitar playing at workshops across BC, including Mountain Fever Bluegrass Camp, Georgia Straight Guitar Workshop, Vancouver Island Music Workshop, and Nimblefingers Bluegrass & Old Time Workshop. |
Jennie BiceClasses at Beyond Trad:
Beginner Fiddle Improv Comedy Strathspey Singing; & Fiddlin' Fiddler, singer, actor, composer, educator Jennie Bice is at home in many musical genres. From frenzied boot-stomping Irish craic, country & eastern, roots and rhythm styles, to world fusion, rock,jazz and blues, Jennie shines on every stage she meets. Bice began playing fiddle at the age of fouraround the family piano, and never stopped. Currently recording and performing on the west coast ofCanada with Roads Unknown, Ari Neufeld, Boris Sichon, John Welsh, The Doolins, Boilie's Goat andmany others, Jennie also loves taking time out every once in a while to teach workshops at a few of BC's fantastic fiddle camps. A producer, engineer, and teacher at Annwyn Studios, Bice is devoted to musical exploration and artistic inspiration. An absolute delight to watch perform. |
Jenny LesterClasses at Beyond Trad:
Harmony Singing The Blue Grass Stack Songwriting in an hour Jenny Lester is a dynamic Canadian Bluegrass performer and recording artist who has established herself as an important singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Her original songs are carefully crafted in the bluegrass convention while at the same time displaying a contemporary freshness and vitality that breathes new life into the fabled "high lonesome" sound.Jenny is a veteran stage performer from Smithers BC, beginning on the fiddle at age eight and continuing on to become a notable rhythm guitarist and bassist.Bands include Driftwood Canyon Family Band, Just For Fun, Dark Horse, John Reischman & Bluegrass Signal Hungry Hill and the Bluegrass Made in Taiwan. Popular original songs include The River Mother Nature & Me, Friends Like You, Mountain Girl and more. |
Julian SmedleyClasses at Beyond Trad:
Advanced Violin Ter-Riff-ic (the art of accompaniment) Jazz Violin Greats Duets Julian Smedley is a jazz violinist who has made his home in the Pacific Northwest. During a musical career of 45 years, he has performed in multiple countries, produced and recorded numerous projects and has an active interest in jazz theory, song writing and composition. Early formal training in England helped spawn a lasting desire to play and teach improvised music. He is frequently on staff during summer camp sessions of Fiddlekids, BC Swing Camp, Puget Sound Guitar Workshop. While playing in several bands, Julian is currently archiving the work of Northwest songwriter, Linda Waterfall. |
Marc AtkinsonClasses at Beyond Trad:
Tools for Jamming Finger Picking Marc Atkinson is one of Canada's finest JUNO-nominated, Western Canadian award-winning musicians. He is the leader and composer of the internationally renowned Marc Atkinson Trio (and co-founder, composer and performer in the acclaimed, The Bills). The music of this virtuosic group is melodically captivating, sensually charged and ferociously, technically awe-inspiring. Embracing a lifetime of musical influences, Marc and the Trio have just released their fourth CD, The Marc Atkinson Trio IV, praised as the finest yet. The compositions on this CD are punchy, driving and rhythmically inventive. The Trio, formed in 2000, has toured North America, England and Europe and has received standing ovations everywhere they perform from the Montreal Jazz Festival to the Vancouver International Folk Festival to DjangoFest Northwest. |
Max WallaceClasses at Beyond Trad:
Kids Program Max Wallace is a theatre artist and educator based in the Comox Valley. A graduate of the Studio 58 acting program, Max has a passion for all things, theatrical, musical and comedic, with a deep appreciation for the natural world that surrounds us. Max is currently working towards a degree in Education at Vancouver Island University, and loves working with children and nurturing the spirit, perspectives and ideas they bring to everything they do. |
Miriam SonstenesClasses at Beyond Trad:
Intermediate Violin Fiddle for Violinists Fiddle Improvisation Practice tech Based in Victoria, BC, Miriam Sonstenes is a versatile fiddle player, and prominent fixture in the west coast folk/roots music scene. A decade of performing and recording with many west coast bands and solo artists has helped shape her original sound, encompassing bluegrass, country and Western swing. Miriam performs regularly with award winning trio The Sweet Lowdown, The Unfaithful Servants, and her newest project, Old Paint Duo. Formally trained in classical violin, Miriam turned to fiddle music in her mid 20’s. Victoria’s longstanding old time and Celtic fiddling scene provided a wealth of learning and inspiration, which has found its way into her current playing, projects and compositions. Freelance study throughout the Pacific Northwest, Ireland and Louisiana has further enriched her knowledge and appreciation of diverse fiddle traditions. She has toured Canada, the US and the UK, and with The Sweet Lowdown was featured on CBC’s Vinyl Cafe with Stuart McLean. Miriam was recently awarded a Canada Council grant to study with bluegrass fiddle legend Bobby Hicks, in North Carolina, and her newest album with Old Paint Duo features some of the tunes she learned in those sessions. A composer as well as performer, some of Miriam’s original songs have been published, recorded and performed by musical groups across North America. In 2020 she will be publishing her first book of original fiddle tunes. When not performing and touring, Miriam can be found teaching at music camps in BC and across Canada, and has a full teaching studio at home in Victoria. |
Neal ChinClasses at Beyond Trad:
Advanced Ukulele Low G 'Ukulele The Art of the Kanikapila Intro to Jazz 'Ukulele Award winning artist and Maui, HI native Neal Chin, has been both an ‘ukulele educator and performer over the course of his musical career of 20 years. His clear and direct enthusiasm for music has come to life in countless workshops, concerts, and private instruction. While his heart is in jazz, Neal has played with many musicians of different genres including Hawaiian, folk, rock, and hip-hop. His contribution to the collective The Akira Project,won his first Nā Hōkū Hanohano Award in 2014 before moving up to the Pacific Northwest. Since then he has been nominated for the Nā Hōkū Hanohano Award for ‘Ukulele Album of the Year two years consecutively for ‘Ukulele Paintings and The Spotless Mind in 2017 & 2018,started his own ‘ukulele practice in the Pacific Northwest,and has toured across North America and even back to his home state, Hawai’i.Neal currently lives, teaches, and performs in Seattle, WA. |
Patrice HaanClasses at Beyond Trad:
Songwriting Listening to the Lyrics Celtic Tunes Mind Meld Patrice Haan is a harper, singer, songwriter, composer and wordsmith, devoted to the healing presence of listening. She’s most familiar in the camper-community for romantic and complex harmonization of jazz standards with Tony Marcus in the Oakland-based duo, Leftover Dreams. As well as playing therapeuticharpmusic with Healing Muses, a San Francisco-Bay-area non-profit that provides music for healing in local hospitals, she has recorded three albums of original music, lush, melodic collections for harp and piano and voice. |
Tony MarcusClasses at Beyond Trad:
Western Swing Guitar Clawhammer Banjo Intro to Western Swing Guitar Western Swing Strings Tony Marcus has found joy playing many styles of music. He has played bluegrass with mandolin legend Frank Wakefield, jug band music and blues with Geoff Muldaur, fiddle tunes with the Arkansas Sheiks, string swing with Cats & Jammers, big band jazz with the Royal Society Jazz Orchestra, weird old Hawaiian and hokum with R. Crumb and the Cheap Suit Serenaders and honky tonk country with Rose Maddox, to name a few. Playing music has taken him from Japan to Ireland, and from Alaska to Florida in the USA. He currently performs with Patrice Haan in the vocal duo Leftover Dreams and with the country band Crying Time. |
Sofya BiceKids Programming
Sofya Bice is very excited to be back at Beyond Trad! Some of her talents, besides being a great helper, include acting, anything art-y, playing saxophone, piano, ukulele, accordion and is known to be silly at the drop of a hat. She is looking forward to this year's shenanigans! |