SHISSF 2012 Instructors
Catherine Fraser - Scottish Fiddle
Scots/Australian fiddler Catherine Fraser has gained a reputation as a world-class performer and teacher, and presents the music of her heritage with finesse, passion and sensitivity.
Constantly in demand for concerts and workshops and acknowledged for her ability to combine a high level of technical skill with a rare depth of emotional expression, Catherine has gained the respect of audiences and students alike.
She is the recipient of numerous awards and scholarships, including Open Fiddle Champion, Kirriemuir, Scotland 2005, and the South Australian Music Industry Award for Most Outstanding Contribution to Folk Music, 1996, 1997. Most recently she won the Golden Fiddle Award for Best Fiddler as Soloist, Australasia 2010.
Performances include concert tours in the UK, Canada, North America, New Zealand, Germany, and Australia.
Her teaching credits include teaching at the 2010 Rocky Mountain Fiddle Camp USA, the 2007 and 2010 Boston Harbor Fiddle School, USA, The Scots Fiddle Festival, Edinburgh, and presenting at the 2006 and 2009 Australian National String Teachers Conference, amongst many other international engagements.
"An outstanding fiddler, Catherine has a rare grasp of Scottish dance music..." The Living Tradition Magazine, UK
Stan Chapman, Cape Breton Fiddle
Stan Chapman is a renowned Cape Breton fiddle teacher and an accomplished player. At an early age he progressed through the Toronto Royal Conservatory violin and music theory programs. His interest in fiddling came from his Father and Uncle who were both fiddlers.
Stan, a retired elementary school music teacher, currently resides in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, Canada. He has taught the Cape Breton Fiddle style of fiddling for over 36 years. He has taught both private and group lessons to many students including Natalie MacMaster and Ashley MacIsaac. He has directed the Cape Breton Fiddlers Association and many youth groups in public performances and has also conducted workshops in The USA and Canada.
He has taught fiddling at St. Ann's Gaelic College in the summer time for approximately the last 20 years and is presently a part time lecturer in Culture and Heritage at Cape Breton University in Sydney, Cape Breton where he teaches a performance course in CB fiddling.
He has also recorded 2 tracks on a Rounder recording of traditional Cape Breton Fiddling.
Hanneke Cassel, Fiddle
A shissf favourite from the early years, Hanneke Cassel returns by popular demand in 2012.
"EXUBERANT AND RHYTHMIC, somehow both wild and innocent, delivered with captivating melodic clarity and an irresistible playfulness," says the Boston Globe about Hanneke's playing. Such charismatic fiddling has brought the native Oregonian many honors and awards. She is the 1997 U.S. National Scottish Fiddle Champion, she holds a Bachelors of Music in Violin Performance from Berklee College of Music, and she has performed and taught across North America, Europe, New Zealand, Australia, and China.
Hanneke is a founding member of the SHISSF Feijoa Appreciation Society
Duncan Smith - Piano/Guitar/General Accompaniment
Duncan Smith is in demand as a performer and teacher of Scottish musicand dance throughout Australia and New Zealand, and across North America.
A multi-instrumentalist and singer, he has performed in a wide range of musical styles including medieval plainchant, rock and roll, jazz and bluegrass.
A native of Boston (USA) currently based in Melbourne, Australia, he began playing piano for Scottish Country Dancing in 1980 as the first pianist in Barbara McOwen's band "Tullochgorum".
In recent years he has specialised as an accompanist and teacher of accompaniment for Scottish music and dance.
Since starting to work with Catherine Fraser in 2001, he has developed a unique improvisational approach, fusing multiple musical styles to create a sensitive and imaginative backdrop for the rich emotional range of the Scottish fiddle repertoire.
Ariel Friedman, Cello
Ariel Friedman, a classically trained cellist from the Boston area, USA, is one of few musicians to be challenging the boundaries of cello-playing. She graduated from Northwestern University in 2008 where she studied cello performance with Hans Jorgen Jensen, and received a masters of music in Contemporary Improvisation from New England Conservatory in 2011.
A winner of ASTA's 2009 Alternative Styles Award, she is in current exploration of American roots traditions, early jazz and standards, and in composing songs and tunes influenced by her diverse musical tastes. She performs, tours, and records with Scottish National Fiddle champion Hanneke Cassel, is a member of the Boston-based trad band, Long Time Courting, and plays with New England's highly acclaimed fiddle band Childsplay. She teaches at various fiddle camps during the summer and has her own private studio.