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Performing Artists 2011


Pipe Major of the Glendale Pipe and Drums

Trans Celtic Gala

A Nonstop Celtic Variety Show




Performers include:
  • Glendale Pipe Band
  • Celtic Dance Academy
  • Brid Dower
  • Liz Warren
  • Billy Parker
  • Sule
  • John Good
 

John Good of Tramor playing the Welsh bagpipes Tramor


John Good
potelobop@hotmail.com

Special guest Brid Dower
With special guest

Brid Dower

John Good and Billy Parker in Minnesota
    

Tramor (Overseas) is the new traditional music project of John Good.   John is well known through out the West, South, Midwest and in his native Wales as a multi-instrumentalist, Welsh piper, singer/songwriter, composer and poet.  Veteran of many CelticSule Greg Wilson photo festivals and concerts, including Estes Park, Chicago, San Diego and Denver, he brings the subtly different flavor of traditional Welsh music to the Phoenix stage. On this occasion he is aided and abetted by mandolin virtuoso Billy Parker and percussion wizard Sule Greg Wilson...            ...a gala not to be missed!


See John and Billy with Brid at a Scottish Benefit on YouTube.



D-Squared logo

D-Squared

Don Charles & Deb Gessner
Phone:  (928) 632-7530


D-Squared photo

Arizona harp and guitar duo, D-Squared, weaves a tonal fabric of poignant lyrics, earth-rooted melodies and stark, hypnotic rhythms. Combining guitar, mandola, banjo and a low, resonant voice with folk harp, concertina, accordion and beguiling vocals, Charles and Gessner lead listeners through a landscape that is both arid and lush, pristine and desecrated, innocent and arrogant.

Attending a show is like joining a gathering of friends around the kitchen table. Natural storytellers with a sly wit, D-Squared enchants audiences with tales of their beloved Southwest, and the rocks, stars, plants and critters that share it.

Honed on a backcountry ranch where they met, married and developed their music, D-Squared’s spacious sound reflects a life lived outdoors under high western skies. Their music is like a drink of cool water after a long walk through the desert.

 


Glendale Pipe and Drum badge

Glendale Pipes and Drums
   
Ford Dudley, Pipe Major
Phone:    623-687-6370 or 623-979-2534
Email:     piperford@gmail.com

Glendale Pipe and Drum group photo
The Glendale Pipes and Drums was started in the Spring of 2002. The band's primary function has been to perform for functions of the Glendale, Arizona, Police Department and to be an integral part of the department's honor guard. GP&D is a member of the Western United States Pipe Band Association. The band has competed at the Arizona Scottish Highland Gathering in Mesa/Phoenix, the Arizona Highland Gathering in Flagstaff, the Las Vegas Highland Games, and Tucson Celtic Festival. The Glendale Pipes and Drums has played in the Phoenix St. Patrick's Day Parade, The Flagstaff Memorial Day Parade and Festival, and played for the first game ever played in Arizona Cardinal's Stadium. GP&D was the featured musical group at the Arizona 9-11 Memorial Dedication at the state capital.


The Celtic Dance Academy

The Celtic Dance Academy


celticdance@gmail.com
602-820-3988


Celtic Dance Academy performing at the Trans Celtic Gala

The Celtic Dance Academy is dedicated to providing a safe, fun, and friendly environment for children to learn Irish Dance and form lasting friendships. Dance class at the Celtic Dance Academy is about more than competition, it is about the dancer.

Students of the Celtic Dance Academy form not only a strong sense of self esteem through their experiences in performance and competition, they also form friendships that last a lifetime. The Celtic Dance Academy is more than just dance class. It is a community of families that feel that Irish dance should be a fun, cultural experience that gives their children the tools they need to grow up strong and confident.  At the Celtic Dance Academy, Irish dance is about the dancer.




Adobe Mountain Wildlife Center logo

Adobe Mountain Wildlife Center        

Phone:     623-582-9806
Donations

Adobe Mountain Wildlife Center Owl

The Adobe Mountain Wildlife Center works in cooperation with the Arizona Game and Fish Department to provide rehabilitative care for sick or injured wildlife, and to be an outstanding resource for education concerning Arizona's unique assortment of wild animals.

The Wildlife Center’s educational program is a powerful and effective way to help students reconnect to the living world. By bringing Owl with live animals into your school, we create a comprehensive and compelling educational experience unmatched by books, television, or any other medium.

Arizona's wildlife needs your help! The Adobe Mountain Wildlife Center at Adobe Mountain in north Phoenix is a very busy wildlife rehabilitation center, with more than 1,000 animals passing through its doors annually. By providing temporary and long-term medical and rehabilitation services, the Center provides sick, injured or orphaned wildlife a second chance for survival.





Mythic Crew         
                                                  Watch a story on YouTube.

John Good
potelobop@hotmail.com




Liz Warren, a fourth-generation Arizonan, is a storyteller, teacher and writer. She is the director of the South Mountain Community College Storytelling Institute in Phoenix, Arizona. Her recorded version of The Story of the Grail received a Parents Choice Recommended award in 2004 and a Storytelling World award in 2006.  Her textbook, The Oral Tradition Today: An Introduction to the Art of Storytelling, was published in 2008.

John Good is well known throughout the West, South, Midwest and in his native Wales as a multi-instrumentalist, Welsh piper, singer/songwriter, composer and poet.  Veteran of many Celtic festivals and concerts, including Estes Park, Chicago, San Diego and Denver, he brings the subtly different flavor of traditional Welsh music to the stage.

Introducing and engaging modern audiences
in the folklore and mythology of Celtic nations



Prescott's Celtic Cloggers

Phone:    928-445-0792
Email:     tlopeman@msn.com


Prescott's Celtic Cloggers


Prescott's Celtic Cloggers are a small group of dancers bred from the Lynx Creek Cloggers.  Their love of Celtic instruments and sounds inspires them to blend choreography using steps more similar to the true heritage of the clog dancing from the old countries.  They've made appearances for the last three years at the Prescott Highland Games as well as local pubs.  Making their Celtic Harvest Festival debut in 2009, they're very happy to be a part of the event again this year.




Vyktoria Pratt Keating playing guitar

Vyktoria Pratt Keating

Phone:      928 204-0537
Email:       vyktoria@sedona.net


Vyktoria Pratt Keating photo

Vyktoria Pratt Keating’s music has been described as “Some of the most free-handed, lithe and resilient music around” by The Washington Post. She recently opened a 42 show, 5 month tour for rock legends Jethro Tull, and has performed at such prestigious venues as England’s Apollo Theater, The Greek Theater in LA, Magness Arena, House of Blues in LA, Mountain Stage and The Royal Concert Hall in Glasgow Scotland.

“Truly the troubadour, VPK combines age-old
songstress seduction with technical expertise... 
the touching, provocative and observational
songs pierce the heart and soul.”
  - Ian Anderson, Jethro Tull




Maschino School of Highland Dance logo

Maschino School of Highland Dance


Kari Maschino
Email:    kari@maschinodance.com


Maschino School of Highland Dance dancers


The Maschino School of Highland Dance is under the direction of instructor Kari Maschino.  Lessons are offered for age 2.5 and up in the East and West Valley.  Highland dancing is a great form of exercise and can be traced back to the 13th century.  It builds stamina, muscle strength, and self-confidence.  In competition, dancers are judged individually on technique and step execution, as well as timing, and poise.




The Shamrockers

                                               Hosts for the Friday night sing-along


The Shamrockers

The Shamrockers were formed almost six years ago, by Betty McGinnis, to perform at charity functions in Sedona. Betty, originally from the Boston area, wants Sedona to experience the "Back East" St. Patrick's celebrations she grew up with. The group now has four members, and has a growing base of loyal fans. In addition to Betty on bass, guitar and tin whistles, the group includes John Buckley (lead guitar, vocals), Joe Tulley (vocals and guitar), and Maura Betler (mandolin, vocals).






 Learn more about Celtic music.

View the Stage Schedule.

Go to our Tickets & Lodging page.



Activities

Activity schedule coming
  
For families with children, there will be activities for young Celts in their own special area!  It will include hands-on arts and music fun.  Last years activities included:
  • Bodhran Making - Children will decorate an "Irish Drum" and Tipper from a pizza box and dowel.
  • Celtic Face Painting - Celtic symbols were painted and worn for the Festival!
  • "Iron Age Celts" an interactive computer activity - Children had the opportunity to learn about their forbearers by creating a family or community scenario on a laptop.
Children also performed in groups: singing, dancing, drumming and storytelling. 

                                                                     
Learn more about Celtic arts and crafts.



Whisky Tasting

Full Moon Saloon logo
Hosted by the Full Moon Saloon, in Tequa Festival Marketplace.

Formal tasting times will be announced soon, so check back soon!

Guests will be tasting The Glenlivet 12yr, 15yr, 16yr, 21yr, and the 25yr.

Glenlivet logo




Glenlivet ambassador Rick E. Edwards
RICK E. EDWARDS            
The Glenlivet Ambassador in 2009 and 2010

Rick E. Edwards feels immeasurable pride in the fact that he is able to make a living from his true passion: Scotland and Scotch Whisky.  A native of Des Moines with Scottish-Norwegian heritage, Edwards spent the bulk of his youth in Minneapolis until he joined the military in 1986.  After serving six years in the army as a Red Beret Paratrooper, he moved to Hollywood, and in 1996 began working in the whisky industry.   Working at first as a promotional model, Edwards fell in love with the taste, history and heritage of Scotch Whisky.  He eventually worked his way up to become Master of Scotch in 2003 before being appointed The Glenlivet Ambassador in 2007.

Edwards has traveled all over Scotland in his quest to learn more about Scotch Whisky, and counts sailing around the inner Hebrides and building peat fires in the rain on the Isle of Skye as some of his most treasured memories.  However, he asserts that nothing compares to sharing his passion and knowledge with others, interacting with people and seeing them become enthused and excited about Scotch.  At the end of the day, Edwards says, "That’s something tangible I can walk away with."  Edwards’ favorite drink is The Glenlivet Archive 21-Year-Old, which he believes offers an unparalleled complexity and depth. He drinks it neat with a splash of ice cold water.

Rick Edwards is a graduate from the Royal Lochnagar Academy of Malt Advocates at Balmoral Castle. A Master of Scotch and Brand Ambassador for The Glenlivet Distillery.


Your web editor had a GREAT time and learned a lot at last year's Whisky Tasting
 (for example I learned that the proper spelling for Scotch Whisky is without the 'e').



Contact Us


John Good
Cultural Director
 
potelobop@hotmail.com
623-939-0209



Join us for the best Celtic music in the Southwest