Moab Folk Camp 2019 Teachers
David Surette
David Surette is highly regarded throughout New England and beyond for his work on the guitar (both flatpicked and fingerstyle), mandolin, and cittern; Sing Out! magazine calls him “A master player of fretted instruments; The Green Mandolin is a Celtic mandolin recording tour-de-force.” His diverse repertoire includes Celtic and New England tunes, original compositions, blues and ragtime, traditional American roots music, and folk music from a variety of traditions. With his wife, singer Susie Burke, the duo have performed regularly together for more than 30 years, recording several albums and building a reputation as one of New England’s top folk duos. Surette was a founding member of the Airdance band with fiddler Rodney Miller, with whom he recorded four albums and toured nationally. He has also released five critically-acclaimed solo CDs; his most recent release, Waiting For The Sun, is a duo recording with Susie. In addition, Surette is a gifted teacher, having taught at numerous workshops, camps, and festivals throughout the US, and in the UK and Italy. He is folk music coordinator at the Concord (NH) Community Music School, and artistic director of their March Mandolin Festival, now in its 17th year.
David Surette is highly regarded throughout New England and beyond for his work on the guitar (both flatpicked and fingerstyle), mandolin, and cittern; Sing Out! magazine calls him “A master player of fretted instruments; The Green Mandolin is a Celtic mandolin recording tour-de-force.” His diverse repertoire includes Celtic and New England tunes, original compositions, blues and ragtime, traditional American roots music, and folk music from a variety of traditions. With his wife, singer Susie Burke, the duo have performed regularly together for more than 30 years, recording several albums and building a reputation as one of New England’s top folk duos. Surette was a founding member of the Airdance band with fiddler Rodney Miller, with whom he recorded four albums and toured nationally. He has also released five critically-acclaimed solo CDs; his most recent release, Waiting For The Sun, is a duo recording with Susie. In addition, Surette is a gifted teacher, having taught at numerous workshops, camps, and festivals throughout the US, and in the UK and Italy. He is folk music coordinator at the Concord (NH) Community Music School, and artistic director of their March Mandolin Festival, now in its 17th year.
Cara Luft
Singer/songwriter/guitarist extraordinaire Cara Luft is that rare artist steeped in folk and traditional roots music almost from birth yet willing to alter that fabric, stretch the boundaries, not afraid to bend genres and styles. Born into a folk musical family in Calgary (Canada), Cara played with dulcimers and autoharps while her peers played with Barbies and Nintendo. An original founding member of The Wailin' Jennys, Cara has become a widely-respected and well-traveled member of the Canadian folk/roots music community and has wowed audiences and critics with her solo performances across North America and Europe. Although she has a Juno award and many other nominations under her belt, there's nothing pretentious about Cara. She's the real deal. And that sense of honesty, integrity, personality and spontaneity permeates and resonates throughout both her music and her live performances.
Singer/songwriter/guitarist extraordinaire Cara Luft is that rare artist steeped in folk and traditional roots music almost from birth yet willing to alter that fabric, stretch the boundaries, not afraid to bend genres and styles. Born into a folk musical family in Calgary (Canada), Cara played with dulcimers and autoharps while her peers played with Barbies and Nintendo. An original founding member of The Wailin' Jennys, Cara has become a widely-respected and well-traveled member of the Canadian folk/roots music community and has wowed audiences and critics with her solo performances across North America and Europe. Although she has a Juno award and many other nominations under her belt, there's nothing pretentious about Cara. She's the real deal. And that sense of honesty, integrity, personality and spontaneity permeates and resonates throughout both her music and her live performances.
David Roth
David Roth is a singer, songwriter, recording artist, and enthusiastic instructor who has taken his songs, experience, and expertise to a wide variety of venues in this and other countries full-time for three decades. His work has found it’s way to Carnegie Hall, the United Nations, several Chicken Soup for the Soul books, the Kennedy Center, Peter, Paul, & Mary and Kingston Trio CDs, the Kerrville and Falcon Ridge Folk Festivals (top honors at both “Emerging Artist” competitions), NASA’s Goddard Space Center (his song “Rocket Science” sailed on the space shuttle Atlantis in 2009), the Rise Up Singing and Rise Again (sequel) songbooks, and 15 CDs on the Wind River and Stockfisch (Germany) labels. The former artist-in-residence at New York’s Omega Institute has been on many of Christine Lavin’s seminal Rounder Records compilations, and has also taught singing, songwriting, and performance at Summersongs (NY ~ where he serves as Executive Director), the Augusta Heritage workshops (WV), Common Ground on the Hill (MD), the Woods Dance & Music Camp (Ontario), WUMB’s Summer Acoustic Music Week (NH), Rowe Center (MA), Pendle Hill (PA), Lamb’s Retreat (MI), the National Wellness Institute (WI), the Swannanoa Gathering (NC), and for many other songwriting groups and associations around the country. David is also creator/director of the Cape Cod Songwriters Retreats and organizer/host of the Cape’s Full Moon Open Mic which for the past 15 years has provided a forum for musicians to connect and be heard while at the same time collecting donations (cumulatively nearly $15,000 to date) for local non-profits to help neighbors in need.
David Roth is a singer, songwriter, recording artist, and enthusiastic instructor who has taken his songs, experience, and expertise to a wide variety of venues in this and other countries full-time for three decades. His work has found it’s way to Carnegie Hall, the United Nations, several Chicken Soup for the Soul books, the Kennedy Center, Peter, Paul, & Mary and Kingston Trio CDs, the Kerrville and Falcon Ridge Folk Festivals (top honors at both “Emerging Artist” competitions), NASA’s Goddard Space Center (his song “Rocket Science” sailed on the space shuttle Atlantis in 2009), the Rise Up Singing and Rise Again (sequel) songbooks, and 15 CDs on the Wind River and Stockfisch (Germany) labels. The former artist-in-residence at New York’s Omega Institute has been on many of Christine Lavin’s seminal Rounder Records compilations, and has also taught singing, songwriting, and performance at Summersongs (NY ~ where he serves as Executive Director), the Augusta Heritage workshops (WV), Common Ground on the Hill (MD), the Woods Dance & Music Camp (Ontario), WUMB’s Summer Acoustic Music Week (NH), Rowe Center (MA), Pendle Hill (PA), Lamb’s Retreat (MI), the National Wellness Institute (WI), the Swannanoa Gathering (NC), and for many other songwriting groups and associations around the country. David is also creator/director of the Cape Cod Songwriters Retreats and organizer/host of the Cape’s Full Moon Open Mic which for the past 15 years has provided a forum for musicians to connect and be heard while at the same time collecting donations (cumulatively nearly $15,000 to date) for local non-profits to help neighbors in need.
Susie Burke
In addition to her work for adult audiences, Susie Burke is an exceptional children's performer, as her many fans both young and older will testify. Drawing on her unique background as both a professional musician and an early childhood teacher, she presents a program that is entertaining, educational, involving, inspiring, and of high musical caliber. Themes of friendship, the environment, and a child's sense of self are often a focus, along with lots of songs that are just plain fun. Children are encouraged to participate, with singing, clapping, call-and-response, and movement games. They are also presented with songs that encourage a more thoughtful response, regarding their feelings, their relations with other children, and their day-to-day trials and triumphs. Susie's strong, beautiful voice and her warm, heartfelt stage manner help to create a memorable and valuable musical experience for children. From the beginning of her musical career, Susie Burke has been involved with children. In fact, it was only after leaving her job as a preschool teacher that she was able to devote herself full-time to music. She has established herself as one of New England's finest children's performers, as well as building a strong and devoted following on the regional and national folk circuits. She has released six acclaimed recordings to date.
In addition to her work for adult audiences, Susie Burke is an exceptional children's performer, as her many fans both young and older will testify. Drawing on her unique background as both a professional musician and an early childhood teacher, she presents a program that is entertaining, educational, involving, inspiring, and of high musical caliber. Themes of friendship, the environment, and a child's sense of self are often a focus, along with lots of songs that are just plain fun. Children are encouraged to participate, with singing, clapping, call-and-response, and movement games. They are also presented with songs that encourage a more thoughtful response, regarding their feelings, their relations with other children, and their day-to-day trials and triumphs. Susie's strong, beautiful voice and her warm, heartfelt stage manner help to create a memorable and valuable musical experience for children. From the beginning of her musical career, Susie Burke has been involved with children. In fact, it was only after leaving her job as a preschool teacher that she was able to devote herself full-time to music. She has established herself as one of New England's finest children's performers, as well as building a strong and devoted following on the regional and national folk circuits. She has released six acclaimed recordings to date.
Cosy Sheridan
Cosy Sheridan has been called "one of the era's finest and most thoughtful singer/songwriters." A storyteller as well as a songwriter, she weaves children's fables into tales of modern adulthood. She has written about the stock market crash of 2008 and fall-out from uranium mining in the American southwest. She has re-written greek myths: Persephone runs away with Hades the biker. And then there are her signature parodies on aging and women.
She first caught the attention of national folk audiences in 1992 when she won the songwriting contests at both the Kerrville Folk Festival and The Telluride Bluegrass Festival. She has been touring, writing and recording ever since. Her latest CD, Pretty Bird, was included in Sing Out Magazine’s “Great CDs of 2014”.
For the past 20 years she has taught classes in songwriting, performance and guitar at workshops and adult music camps across the country including the Puget Sound Guitar Workshop, California Coast Music Camp and The Swannanoa Gathering. In 2008 she co-founded the Moab Folk Camp.
Cosy Sheridan has been called "one of the era's finest and most thoughtful singer/songwriters." A storyteller as well as a songwriter, she weaves children's fables into tales of modern adulthood. She has written about the stock market crash of 2008 and fall-out from uranium mining in the American southwest. She has re-written greek myths: Persephone runs away with Hades the biker. And then there are her signature parodies on aging and women.
She first caught the attention of national folk audiences in 1992 when she won the songwriting contests at both the Kerrville Folk Festival and The Telluride Bluegrass Festival. She has been touring, writing and recording ever since. Her latest CD, Pretty Bird, was included in Sing Out Magazine’s “Great CDs of 2014”.
For the past 20 years she has taught classes in songwriting, performance and guitar at workshops and adult music camps across the country including the Puget Sound Guitar Workshop, California Coast Music Camp and The Swannanoa Gathering. In 2008 she co-founded the Moab Folk Camp.
Dave Steward
David Steward is a guitar picking singer-songwriter who has been hiding out in the canyonlands of southeast Utah for more than 30 years. He loves to play many different styles of music. He has been a singing cowboy for many years, both as a solo performer and with the Bar-M Wranglers. Yes, he can yodel! He currently is playing with high energy alt-bluegrass band Quicksand Soup along with fellow camp instructor Eric Jones. He regularly performs in a jazz setting with legendary bassist Gene Perla. He enjoys mixing it up with other groups whether it is fronting a rock band, playing classic country or accompanying fiddler Sue Sternberg at a contra dance.
Eric Jones
Eric Jones is a student of early Americana music. His sound reflects a fondness for dressing-up traditional songs in new musical styles. He was a founding member of the Irish-American band Keltika, and the western slope string band Big Timbre. In addition to his solo work, he can be heard playing mandolin with the alt-bluegrass band Quicksand Soup and the folk-rock Rogue Assets. Eric has been hosting jams and teaching mandolin at the Moab Folk Camp since its first year.
Eric Jones is a student of early Americana music. His sound reflects a fondness for dressing-up traditional songs in new musical styles. He was a founding member of the Irish-American band Keltika, and the western slope string band Big Timbre. In addition to his solo work, he can be heard playing mandolin with the alt-bluegrass band Quicksand Soup and the folk-rock Rogue Assets. Eric has been hosting jams and teaching mandolin at the Moab Folk Camp since its first year.
Peter Danzig
Pete grew up listening to his opera trained, banjo pickin’, pipe organ mechanic, father play him tunes about riding the rails as Pete lay in bed trying to sleep. All these years later he has matured (if indeed banjo players ever truly mature) into an award winning multi-instrumentalist and songwriter touring coast to coast with his wife Mary as the folk/Americana duo Otter Creek. The title track from their most recent album, “The Fiddle Preacher” reached the top ten on the Folk DJ Charts in February of 2015. He has won the Utah State Fiddle, Banjo, and Mandolin Championships and took Second place in the National Mandolin Championship held in Winfield Kansas (where he also incidentally made history by playing clawhammer style banjo in the National Bluegrass Banjo Competition). He taught banjo and ukulele at the University of Utah for several years and maintains a small studio of private students when he’s not out on the road. More information is available at www.OtterCreekDuo.com
Pete grew up listening to his opera trained, banjo pickin’, pipe organ mechanic, father play him tunes about riding the rails as Pete lay in bed trying to sleep. All these years later he has matured (if indeed banjo players ever truly mature) into an award winning multi-instrumentalist and songwriter touring coast to coast with his wife Mary as the folk/Americana duo Otter Creek. The title track from their most recent album, “The Fiddle Preacher” reached the top ten on the Folk DJ Charts in February of 2015. He has won the Utah State Fiddle, Banjo, and Mandolin Championships and took Second place in the National Mandolin Championship held in Winfield Kansas (where he also incidentally made history by playing clawhammer style banjo in the National Bluegrass Banjo Competition). He taught banjo and ukulele at the University of Utah for several years and maintains a small studio of private students when he’s not out on the road. More information is available at www.OtterCreekDuo.com
Anke Summerhill
Anke has been with the Moab Folk Camp since its beginnings and is an invaluable member of our staff. In recent years, she has worked with people of all ages in her community and beyond and is continually inspired by the healing power of music. She especially enjoys exploring songwriting & the creativity of playing the guitar with others as a way to weave community.
Originally from Munich, Germany, Vancouver, British Columbia; and now surrounded by Utah's desert beauty, Anke’s diverse background and powerful gift of observation has seasoned her songwriting and performances with qualities which show genuine compassion. In addition to recording her own well received full-length CD projects, The Roots Run Deep & Shine On Through, her songs have found their way onto many CD compilations and samplers used in a wide variety of community fund raising projects. She recently recorded Utah Phillips' song: "Miner’s Lullaby", for the 2010 tribute project, “The Long Memory ~ Utah remembers Bruce “Utah” Phillips” and loved singing harmonies on Hal Cannon's debut solo recording.
Anke has been with the Moab Folk Camp since its beginnings and is an invaluable member of our staff. In recent years, she has worked with people of all ages in her community and beyond and is continually inspired by the healing power of music. She especially enjoys exploring songwriting & the creativity of playing the guitar with others as a way to weave community.
Originally from Munich, Germany, Vancouver, British Columbia; and now surrounded by Utah's desert beauty, Anke’s diverse background and powerful gift of observation has seasoned her songwriting and performances with qualities which show genuine compassion. In addition to recording her own well received full-length CD projects, The Roots Run Deep & Shine On Through, her songs have found their way onto many CD compilations and samplers used in a wide variety of community fund raising projects. She recently recorded Utah Phillips' song: "Miner’s Lullaby", for the 2010 tribute project, “The Long Memory ~ Utah remembers Bruce “Utah” Phillips” and loved singing harmonies on Hal Cannon's debut solo recording.
Chad Niehaus
Chad is an award-winning artist based in Moab, Utah. He creates acrylic paintings, pastel drawings, and linocut prints inspired by the open spaces of the Colorado Plateau.
His work has been featured in A Century of Sanctuary: The Art of Zion National Park,Painters of Utah's Canyons and Deserts, and on NPR's Radio West.
Chad's work can be viewed at www.MoabArt.com.
Chad is an award-winning artist based in Moab, Utah. He creates acrylic paintings, pastel drawings, and linocut prints inspired by the open spaces of the Colorado Plateau.
His work has been featured in A Century of Sanctuary: The Art of Zion National Park,Painters of Utah's Canyons and Deserts, and on NPR's Radio West.
Chad's work can be viewed at www.MoabArt.com.
Charlie Koch
Charlie Koch has trained horses, sailed across the Atlantic more than once, and fronted an R & B band. He skippered a race boat for Buckminster Fuller. He whipped in for a fox hunt in Ireland and saddle broke young horses on a breeding farm in France. He taught tennis, skiing and horseback riding. He trained as a body oriented psychotherapist. These days, he tours as the bass player for his wife, singer/songwriter Cosy Sheridan. In his first CD, Help Me To Believe, Charlie sings of his father - who was also a sailor, and of his longing for a place to call home. His love songs are heartfelt - his melodies influenced by such diverse writers as Otis Redding, Ray Charles and James Taylor. His guitar playing has roots in soulful country blues.
Charlie Koch has trained horses, sailed across the Atlantic more than once, and fronted an R & B band. He skippered a race boat for Buckminster Fuller. He whipped in for a fox hunt in Ireland and saddle broke young horses on a breeding farm in France. He taught tennis, skiing and horseback riding. He trained as a body oriented psychotherapist. These days, he tours as the bass player for his wife, singer/songwriter Cosy Sheridan. In his first CD, Help Me To Believe, Charlie sings of his father - who was also a sailor, and of his longing for a place to call home. His love songs are heartfelt - his melodies influenced by such diverse writers as Otis Redding, Ray Charles and James Taylor. His guitar playing has roots in soulful country blues.
Jon Fuller
Jon Fuller has been exploring and photographing the Moab area for almost 35 years and has been a Moab resident for the past twenty years. He is a working free-lance stock photographer and is a member of the North American Nature Photographers Association (NANPA).
His first published photo was a two-page spread in National Geographic Magazine in January 1983. He has since been published in hundreds of publications world-wide, from the Singapore Times and Ranger Rick Magazine to Geomundo and the Insight Guide Books.
He has traveled extensively internationally and has photographed in more than 40 countries, but his favorite subject is still the Colorado Plateau.
www.MoahPhotoTours.com
Jon Fuller has been exploring and photographing the Moab area for almost 35 years and has been a Moab resident for the past twenty years. He is a working free-lance stock photographer and is a member of the North American Nature Photographers Association (NANPA).
His first published photo was a two-page spread in National Geographic Magazine in January 1983. He has since been published in hundreds of publications world-wide, from the Singapore Times and Ranger Rick Magazine to Geomundo and the Insight Guide Books.
He has traveled extensively internationally and has photographed in more than 40 countries, but his favorite subject is still the Colorado Plateau.
www.MoahPhotoTours.com