Workshop Instructors

All workshops will be held on the Tara stage located in the eastern half of the Automobile building, close to Urchin Street. Traditionally the NTIF workshops are designed to be informative, educational and interactive. Please feel free to ask questions of the instructors as needed. Music workshops are designed to be hands on, so if you want to bring your own instrument and participate, please feel free to do so.

Curt Marcus, Jr. (Tracing Celtic Music in America)

Curt Marcus, Jr. is a long-time supporter of Celtic music, through the North Texas Irish Festival in Dallas TX as well as CelticFest Mississippi, and attendance at various other festivals and events around the US, Ireland and the UK. His primary interest is in Irish and Scottish history, and through his workshops he imparts a basic understanding of the historical background to many Irish and Scottish folk ballads. On occasion, his historical presentations have been combined with the ballad singing of Jim Flanagan.

Donna Fitch (Celtic Songs in America: Recycled and Parodied)

After becoming a member of Southwest Celtic Music Association, Dallas, TX in mid-eighties, Donna became aware of similarities between Celtic and folk songs and country/western music. Donna grew up in at a time when Irish-American music was popular along with folk music sung by Burl Ives, many of which were derived from Celtic areas. This led her to further explore Celtic songs in America. Donna has drawn on research done by others as well as her own to develop this workshop, presenting examples of Celtic songs during various periods, including how they may have changed in the process. At the end of her workshop, attendees will be given handouts listing references and sources for further exploration. Contact: donnafitch@tx.rr.com

John Burleson (Storytelling Performance)

A teller of stories from Ireland, the British Isles, Native America, the natural world, and distant culture--hear this native Texan spark the imagination and remind us of times past, using one of our oldest art forms, the spoken word. John is a lifelong student and collector of literature, myth, and legend who has conducted story workshops and told stories to groups of all ages at festivals, concerts, parks schools and libraries. In March 2000 he traveled to Ireland with the sponsorship of Southwest Celtic Music Association.

John Burleson/Don Penzien (Guitar)

John Burleson has played Celtic music on guitar since the mid '70's and is a regular in the Fort Worth/Dallas club and session scene. He has appeared at Texas Folklife Festival, Milwaukee Irish Festival,and Mississippi Celtic Festival. John has played at each NTIF since 1983. Don Penzien’s dexterous work on dadgad guitar provides not only the solid, driving rhythms that are a hallmark of Legacy performances, but also perceptive and sensitive accompaniments to songs and airs. Don also is a clinical psychologist and Professor of Psychiatry at the University of MS Medical Center. Don and John have conducted countless guitar workshops in festivals in Mississippi and Texas, discussing DADGAD tuning, standard tuning, drop D tuning, rhythm, melody, picking pattern, sessions, and other concerns.

Mark Stone/Albert Alfonso (Bodhran)

One of America's most respected and foremost players of the bodhran, Mark Stone has performed and taught across the United States, Canada, and Europe with many of today's most renowned Irish musicians. Mark began his professional music career at the age of fifteen playing keyboards in local dance bands and doing studio work. He later focused his attention solely on Irish music playing ceili piano. His knowledge of chord movement and structure has been transferred to the bodhran, resulting in a unique blend of rhythm and tones that has established Mark as a top player in the United States.

Albert Alfonso is clearly one of the premier bodhran (Irish drum) players in the "civilized" world. Creatively blending a variety of world rhythms, Albert plays the traditional repertoire in his own innovative style. Albert also builds excellent, high-quality bodhrans with unprocessed skins and brass tuning systems.

Rick Cunningham (Mandolin)

Winner of the 2006 Midwest Fleadh Cheoil in Solo Mandolin, multi instrumentalist Rick Cunningham has been playing traditional Irish music for over 20 years on mandolin, button accordion, bouzouki, guitar, and tin whistle. Rick has played in several regional traditional bands over the years, and has taught workshops at many festivals, including the O’Flaherty Irish Music Retreat, The North Texas Irish Festival, and CelticFest Mississippi. Rick currently appears as a solo performer, and teaches private students in the Birmingham, Alabama area.

Peggy Turner (Whistle)

Peggy Turner grew up in Illinois and Wisconsin and received a BA-Music Degree from Alverno College in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and an Education Degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She and her husband moved to Texas in 1981 and raised their family there. Peggy has been performing in various early music ensembles since 1970. In 1978 she became interested in Celtic music and studied Celtic Flute with Noel Rice in Chicago. She performed with two separate Celtic bands before she and her husband, Jim Brunke helped form the quartet they perform with now, Threadneedle Street, in 1992. Peggy and Jim created and performed educational music programs for children all over the United States until 2001, when she took a full time job as a music teacher. She has continued to perform through the years both as a member of her Celtic Band and as a free-lance musician. Peggy enjoys teaching and performing music and above all, loves to share her music with others.

Jeff Moore (DADGAD Guitar)

One of the most notable Irish musicians living in the Southwest, Jeff has been playing the guitar since the age of seven and has been studying and performing traditional Irish music for the past decade. Jeff has performed with many of the Southwest's foremost Celtic music ensembles. He was one of the founding members of the high-energy Texas Irish band Cluan and he continues to perform with Irish duo partner, fiddler Heather Gilmer. Jeff has also accompanied international touring musicians such as Scottish singer and songwriter Ed Miller, Cape Breton fiddler Jerry Holland, Dublin-born Irish accordion legend James Keane, master Irish fiddler James Kelly, button accordion player Johnny B. Connolly and most recently traditional Irish music icon, accordion player Joe Burke. www.jeffmooremusic.com

Mark Kenneth (Accordion)

Born and bred in Dundee, Scotland, Mark started learning the accordion at 6 years old. Classically trained, Mark passed all of the British College of Accordionist exams in playing and theory. He played in the Dundee Accordion Band alongside accordion greats such as James Crabb and Gordon McPherson - both world-class classical accordionists and composers. He also played, conducted and arranged for the Dundee Strathspey and Reel Society. When Mark started playing traditional Scottish music, he developed an ear for his own style of driving, foot tapping, white hot, heartfelt playing - leading his own dance band at weddings and parties throughout Scotland, Europe, Middle East and beyond. Mark Lives now in Plano, TX and has performed with On the Dole, Jiggernaut and performances with leading Celtic bands Smithfield Fair; Ed Miller; Alex Beaton; Trinity River Whalers and others. Mark is a featured performer at this year’s NTIF in the Celtic music duo “Loescher and Kenneth.”

Heather Gilmer/Valerie Plested (Fiddle)

Heather Gilmer arrived in Texas from New England, where she discovered Irish music in 1994. In 1997 she moved to Austin, where she found a place to play music before she found a place to live. She has taken Irish fiddle classes in both Ireland and the US with a variety of Irish fiddlers from various regions, including Seamus Connolly, Kevin Burke, Ben Lennon, Paul O'Shaughnessy, and Matt Cranitch, and has almost completely recovered from classical training. She has been performing with various Celtic acts in Texas since 1998, has been the music and dance coordinator for the Austin Celtic Festival, and often plays for dance classes and workshops. For more information about Heather go to: www.fiddlista.com.

Valerie Plested is one of the finest and most musically expressive young talents to have emerged on the Southern Celtic music scene. Originally from San Antonio where she performed as a member of the All Ireland-winning group, St. James's Gate, she relocated to Mississippi to complete her master's degree in Anthropology. Valerie currently plays with the Jackson, Mississippi-based band, Legacy.