AULD ALLIANCE FIDDLERS SOCIETY
Faculty
Hanneke Cassel
Originally from Port Orford, Oregon, two-time Junior Scottish Fiddling Champion between 1992 and 1994, US National Scottish Fiddle Championship Champion in 1997, Hanneke Cassel has helped redefine what it means to be a modern fiddler.
Hanneke blends originality and innovation with the spirit of traditional Scottish fiddling. Fusing the musical roots of the Isle of Skye and Cape Breton Island with American styles, Hanneke’s playing has been described by the Boston Globe as “exuberant and rhythmic, at once wild and innocent, delivered with captivating melodic clarity and irresistible playfulness.” Beyond the strings of her fiddle, it is Hanneke’s generous presence and passion that complement her magnetism as a performer on the world fiddle stage.
Hanneke regularly teaches at Alasdair Fraser’s music camps as well as at the Mike Block String Camp (directed by her husband, acclaimed cellist Mike Block), Harald Haugaard’s International Fiddle School, the West Denmark Fiddle School, and Live Oak Fiddle Camp. Hanneke received her Bachelor of Music degree in Violin Performance from Berklee College of Music, where she has since returned as a guest instructor in the American Roots department.
Groups
Hanneke Cassel Band, Halali, Childsplay ...
PATSY REID
Originally from Perthshire, Scotland, Patsy Reid has become the UK's most sought-after traditional fiddler after leaving the renowned Breabach band.
She performed alongside Dougie Maclean and Kylie Minogue at the 2014 Commonwealth Games Closing Ceremony. She worked with Mark Knopfler on his musical adaptation of Local Hero. In the studio, Patsy is a one-woman string quartet, contributing violin, viola and cello to numerous albums by Flook, Brian Finnegan, Duncan Chisholm, Ross Ainslie & Ali Hutton and many more.
As a child, she learned to play melodies by ear at Alasdair Fraser's fiddle camp on Skye. As a teenager, she travelled to Alasdair's sister camp in California, where she learned her signature percussive chopping style from Laura Cortese. She also holds a postgraduate diploma in classical violin performance from the Royal Northern College of Music.
As a teacher, Patsy is currently the lead teacher for Mull Music Makers and in the organisation of Mull Fiddle Week and the Perth Fiddle Workshop.
Groups
Breabach, Duo with Alice Allen ...
Kevin LEES
Kevin Lees grew up in Newcastle’s vibrant folk scene, having learned classical fiddle from the age of seven. At a young age, he attended his mother’s Scottish dancing classes and learned to dance as a child, discovering a natural love for traditional Scottish music and dance. Under the strong guidance of local musicians Kathryn Tickell and Stewart Hardy, Kevin played in the young talent group Folkestra, which led to him being part of the BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award-winning band Last Orders.
During his years touring the UK's major folk scene, Kevin gained a BA in Folk and Traditional Music from Newcastle University, whilst also establishing himself as a prominent session musician in the North East.
Kevin embarked on a Masters in Folk Music at the Syddansk Musikkonservatorium, specialising in performance and teaching pedagogy, graduating in 2014.
Now based in Denmark, Kevin works as a professional musician, integrating a wide variety of performances, teaching and recording.
Groups
King Cole, Katie Doherty Trio, Tappy Lappy Quartet, DuK, Fiddle 8 ...
SARAH-JANE SUMMERS
Sarah-Jane Summers is a versatile Scottish performer and composer, freethinker and passionate. Her expressive style blends the lyricism of traditional music with experimental improvisation. She has released six solo albums, most recently Echo Stane, on the highly respected experimental music label Another Timbre.
Their four albums of contemporary traditional folk music with Juhani Silvola have all been awarded the coveted Top of the World status by Songlines. The duo was nominated for a Norwegian Grammy (Traditional Music) in 2021 and won the prestigious NOPA Award 2022 (Norwegian Society of Composers and Lyricists).
Sarah-Jane has performed with many leading artists in the folk, jazz, pop and contemporary music genres including the Bozzini Quartet, BBC SSO (Strings), GRIT Orchestra, Highasakite, Susanna Wallumrød, Benedicte Maurseth and Julie Fowlis. She is a custodian of the old Scottish Highland fiddle style. She is currently working on a PhD in Artistic Research at the Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo.
Groups
Sarah-Jane Summers & Juhani Silvola, Fribo , Reitir , Ricercar Consort , Siskin Quartet...
JULIETTE LEMOINE
Trailblazing a path as a cello soloist, Juliette Lemoine is exploring and redefining the cello’s role within Scottish Traditional Music. She recently burst onto the Scottish music scene with her debut album ‘Soaring’, supported by the Beatrice Huntington Award for cellists, launching the album with a sold-out headline performance at Celtic Connections 2023. Her emotive compositions weave through Scottish Traditional, Western Classical, and Jazz genres to create a highly personal new voice. Leading an all-star band of some of Scotland’s most exciting young musicians in the unique line-up of cello, fiddle, piano, and tenor saxophone, the album is a euphoric celebration of the theme of freedom.
An experienced teacher, teaching both traditional and classical music for a number of years, Juliette is a cello tutor at ‘The Folks’ Music Project CIC’ alongside having taught at the RCS Juniors and the Glasgow Folk Music workshops. She has had the privilege to study with a wide variety of top-class musicians throughout her degree, including Marie Fielding, Innes Watson, Robert Irvine, Martin Storey, Alison Wells, Patsy Reid, and Alice Allen. This has deeply informed her teaching style, which she adapts to to allow each student to meet their unique personal goals. She is a member of Live Music Now with her duo partner singer-songwriter Nicky Murray.
Groups
Juliette Lemoine & Nicky Murray
Jenn Butterworth
Jenn Butterworth, originally from West Yorkshire, England, is one of the most notable folk guitarists on the Scottish acoustic music scene. In recent years she has been awarded the title of ‘Musician of the Year’ at the Scots Trad Music Awards and has been nominated for the same title at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards.
She works with a range of high profile folk music projects including Ross Ainslie and Ali Hutton's SYMBIOSIS, the award-winning folk powerhouses Kinnaris Quintet.
In recent years she has been featured on numerous award-winning and nominated studio albums, including Kinnaris Quintet's Free One, which was longlisted for Scottish Album of the Year in 2019. The same year Kinnaris Quintet won the coveted Belhaven Award for Innovation in Traditional Music.
Jenn is also a highly regarded teacher with extensive teaching experience, and was recently awarded 'Tutor of the Year' at the 2015 Scots Trad Music Awards.
The lessons will be given in standard tuning: EADGBE.
Groups
Kinnaris Quintet, Duo with Will Pound, Duo with : Laura-Beth Salter, Alice Allen, Ryan Young ...
REBecca Hill
Whether she is subtly tackling the traditional music of her native west coast of Scotland or exploring her own contemporary compositions, Rebecca Hill approaches the Celtic harp with thoughtfulness and elegance. Rebecca’s musical interest was sparked at the local Féis and she now looks back on her studies as a first-class honours graduate of the prestigious Traditional Music programme at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.
After reaching the final of the Princess Margaret of the Isles Senior Clársach Competition in 2019, Rebecca was inspired to release some of her own music in the form of her EP The Airing. She teamed up with fiddler Charlie Stewart and musician/sound engineer Graham Rorie to create a recording that encapsulated her blend of influences into four unique tracks. The EP was launched at Celtic Connections in Glasgow in January 2020. Rebecca was voted ‘Emerging Artist of the Year’ at the MG Alba Scots Trad Music Awards that same year.
In 2023, Rebecca collaborated with the aforementioned Charlie Stewart, recently releasing their debut album, Thawcrook.
Groups
Duet with Charlie Stewart