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SOME OF THE PRESENTERS WHO WILL BE APPEARING AT
OCTOBER 3,4,5

MARY JANE LAMOND, gaelic singer, collector, musician
Her work has garnered Mary Jane numerous Juno and East Coast Music Award nominations, critical acclaim and a worldwide audience. Mary Jane has just released her fourth recording Òrain Ghàidhlig (Gaelic Songs of Cape Breton), a traditional recording dedicated to the fine Gaelic singers of Cape Breton. Despite the important role her music plays in preserving Scottish Gaelic songs what would otherwise rarely be heard outside Cape Breton, Mary Jane Lamond says her primary purpose is to entertain. "This is a huge oral literary tradition that is being lost at an alarming rate," she says, "and I am involved with community things that help conserve it for younger people. But I'm also an interpreter, a singer and musician and in my music the challenge is to create something new and exciting that doesn't destroy the heart of it."
EILEEN NIEHOUSE, musician
Eileen Niehouse is one of very few women playing fingerstyle Celtic guitar music (DADGAD tuning). She credits or blames her mother, a native of Co. Galway, for the massive Irish influence in her life. Herself a native of Denver, Colorado, Eileen has been a performer of note since the 70's, when she and 10 other women formed the once-a-year showcase, free-for-all, multi-styled musical group, The Mother Folkers. Eileen will go down in history as the person who thought of their name. She has released one solo recording, the critically acclaimed "Mad Grace".
FRANKIE ARMSTRONG, Traditional singer, teacher, feminist
Once heard, never forgotten, Frankie has been a pivotal figurehead for many, whose passionate singing on stage is matched every inch of the way off it by an uncompromising attitude that's long won her the admiration of the entire scene. Training as a social worker, she recognised early on the political and social relevance of folk song. She has worked closely with traditional singers like Louis Killen, Ewan MacColl and Peggy Seeger yet she has pioneered innovation and improvisation. She is popular figure at festivals all over the world, not merely as a concert performer, but holding vocal workshops and giving talks on traditional song and womens issues. Despite a serious long-term impaired vision, Frankie Armstrong has been one of British folk song's most energetic, consistent and uncompromising artists.
ANNE LEDERMAN, Canadian musician, folklorist
Anne is a unique Canadian performer: fiddler extraordinaire, singer of songs old and new, composer, improviser and multi-instrumentalist--a musician's musician whose musical explorations into both old and new seem to know no bounds. She has been called "a national treasure" (Gary Cristall/Vancouver Folk Festival), "one of the most talented musicians in the country" (Derek Andrews/Harbourfront Centre) and an "an amazing artist" (Richard Flohill/Mariposa). She "brings to life the traditions of our country's people and she does it all well" (Cristall). Anne has made a special study of the influences of Scottish music on Metis fiddle styles
TESS LeBLANC, Acadian singer, bodhran player, step dancer
Born in Moncton New Brunswick, to a family where music was a way of life, Tess began singing alongside her musically talented father and sisters. The LeBlanc home regularly resounded with bagpipe and fiddle tunes, classical music and folk songs, and as her interest grew, Tess went on to join several Moncton choirs. In 1980 Tess's interest in step dancing and Gaelic singing led her to attend St Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, where she studied Gaelic. This was followed by a program of studies in Ethnology at Laval University in Quebec City, the place she now calls home. Tess's remarkable voice, terrific stage presence and personal charm has captivated audiences at festivals and concerts across Canada, the United States and France.

MARY CONDREN PhD, Irish writer, theologian and feminist theorist
Mary Condren is author of "The Serpent and the Goddess" (1989, 2002). She is now Director of the Institute for Feminism and Religion, an independent educational company, whose aim is to reclaim religion by engaging theoretically and experientially with the issues of theology, ethics, ritual and spirituality. She is a Research Associate in Women's Studies at Trinity College in the Centre for Gender and Women's Studies, and is currently writing and teaching on issues of sacrifice, war, religion, violence, and feminist philosophia.
AMY HALE PhD, Cornish Scholar
Dr. Amy Hale is an anthropologist and folklorist who is primarily interested in the modern Celtic experience. She has conducted fieldwork in Ireland, Wales and the United States, but has spent the better part of a decade working with the Cornish. She has almost thirty publications to her name about contemporary Celts, including two co-edited collections New Directions in Celtic Studies (with Philip Payton) and Inside Merlin's Cave: A Cornish Arthurian Reader (With Alan M. Kent and Tim Saunders). Research interests span from cultural tourism and popular Celtic cultures to integrating culture and technology. She currently teaches Humanities for St. Petersburg College.

MARGARET BENNETT PhD, Scottish singer, writer, lecturer, storyteller, broadcaster
Margaret Bennett has sung at folk festivals and concerts world-wide and, as one of the world's foremost authorities on Scottish Folklore, she features in several films, TV documentaries and on radio. Margaret has an MA in Folklore and a PhD in Ethnology and currently holds an honorary Research Fellowship at the University of Glasgow School of Scottish and Celtic Studies. A prize-winning author, she has published several books and articles. There can be few scholars on either side of the Atlantic who succeed in combining such a wide range of skills as Margaret Bennett. A folksinger of great sensitivity and versatility, she is undoubtedly one of the major figures of the modern Scottish Revival. Margaret embodies all that is best of the spirit of Scotland.
ANN CATRIN EVANS, Welsh blacksmith, 3-D designer/maker
Ann Catrin's business is to design and meticulously make metal items, for private and public clients. Ann exhibits and retails a variety of work, including lighting, jewellery, utensils, furniture, trophies and large-scale projects for public artworks. Balance, proportion and simplicity are the key features in her work. With a boldness in design, the work is either hot forged, fabricated or a combination of the two. It has a powerful simplicity, showing strength in visual impact, with a purposeful restraint in blacksmithing technique. Among other awards, Ann Catrin has won the National Eisteddfod of Wales, Builth Wells 1st Prise Gold Medal ‘Craft Masterpiece’ in the Art and Craft Exhibition. She has also been awarded numerous large public commissions .
photo by nigel hughes

LAURA TRAVIS, stone carver, art educator, Celtic radio host
As an artist, Laura walks between the worlds of fine and folk art, utilizing traditional iconography in some very contemporary contexts. The inspiration for her work comes from the Celtic traditions in music, dance and the visual arts, which she has studied extensively for more than twenty years. She works primarily in limestone, soapstone, and slate. She is an art teacher at an urban public school, holds an MFA in sculpture from the Maryland Institute College of Art, and lives in Providence, Rhode Island, where she maintains her studio at the unique downtown alternative arts centre, AS220
.
DEBBIE QUIGLEY, Canadian musician
Born in Newtownards, County Down, Debbie has been playing the tin whistle since her youth in Ireland. After immigrating to Canada with her parents as a teenager, Debbie undertook the study of the uillean pipes under the late Chris Langan. She was a founding member of the popular Toronto based traditional group Kitty's Kitchen. She has performed with Symphony Orchestras, recorded sound tracks for television shows and specials, regularly leads sessions in the Toronto area, has performed on CBC radio as well as on CDs with other musicians and has made numerous live solo appearances. She is a regular organizer of, and performer in, the annual Chris Langan Traditional Weekend in Toronto. She is now one of the best and most respected uillean pipers in all of North America.

CARI BUZIAK, Canadian Celtic multi-media artist
Cari Buziak currently lives in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Her Celtic and fantasy artwork has appeared on book and CD covers, jewlery, clothing, rubber stamps, and computer games to name a few. Some past clients include Merrill Lynch, the Ballykilcline Project (an archaeology dig in Ireland where she worked as sketch artist in 2000), Mythic Entertainment, Chronicle Books, Plaid, Penguin, and Llewellyn Publishing. More of her works may be viewed on the Aon Celtic Art website, www.aon-celtic.com. Cari will offer a hands on workshop in knotwork construction that will cover basic and intermediate Celtic
art techniques.

Tentative Scheule
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PROGRAMMING GOALS

If you would like to volunteer to translate text elements of the website - please contact us at celticwt@yahoo.ca

Irish Scottish Welsh Breton Cornish Manx

French

Gallego

The conference title "Celtic Routes" incorporates many of the goals that we wish to express. It evokes the concept of travelling to and travelling from in both its literal and abstract conceptions. As we explore where Celtic culture has come from, we look forward to where it will lead us in the future.

At the conference, we will present artists who can share how they approach their work technically, aesthetically and culturally. This includes contemporary and traditional forms of art, inclusive of all artistic disciplines. Also participating will be scholars who will share their expertise in academic disciplines such as history, archaeology and folklore.

Harbourfront's Brigantine Room and Lakeside Terrace will be host to talks on subjects from archaeology to music during the day on Saturday and Sunday. The Studio Theatre will see film, theatre and the premiere of a dance performance choreographed specially for the conference. Hands-on workshops and an international Exhibition of artists will explore the visual arts. An evening concert featuring performances by musicians, storytellers and poets and a banquet where conference delegates can meet and greet will also be features of the programming.

We will address how Celtic culture has grown from its origins in folk life to a viable industry that reaches around the world. This path has led to an increased profile of the Celtic culture but has sometimes also led to a sacrifice of authenticity and diversity. We want to recognize and encourage the folk life roots of our culture while celebrating the achievements of those who have brought it to the world stage.

We will have a conference where people's voices are heard. The conference programming will be inclusive and encourage participation. Our programming will emphasize what all generations offer and will encourage meaningful interaction.

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