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Contra Dance Musicians in Connecticut

accordion banjo bass bass guitar bodhran bouzouki button accordion cello
concertina dobro fiddle fife flute guitar hammered dulcimer harmonica harp
mandolin percussion piano piccolo recorder viola viola da gamba violin whistle

Alphabetical list of CT contra dance musicians and what instrument(s) they play


Accordion:
Craig Edwards (Wild Goose Nation)
Fran Hendrickson (The Reel Thing)
John Kalinowski (Wild Notes)
Norb Spencer (Dogtown)
Linda Thomas (Step It Up!)

Banjo:
Mark Bobman (Heart's Ease)
Howie Bursen (Get Reel)
Bill Campbell (The Reel Thing)
Craig Edwards (Wild Goose Nation)
Mike Fischman (Wild Goose Nation)
Jeffrey Friedman (Celtic Knots)
Tom Randall (Dogtown)
Jim Rusling (Rambling Pitchfork)
Jim Sirch (Fiddleheads)
Dirck Westervelt (Wild Goose Nation)

Bass:
Dan Hocott (Wild Notes)
Mike Fischman (Wild Goose Nation)
John Soltys (Thread City String Band)
Dirck Westervelt (Wild Goose Nation)

Bass guitar:
Ed Dale (Neo-Contras, Rambling Pitchfork)

Bodhran: (See also percussion)
Jim Sirch (Fiddleheads)
Julie Sorcek (The Reel Thing)
Andy Weiner (Woodkerne) e-mail

Bouzouki:
Howie Levine (Neo-Contras, Rambling Pitchfork)

Button accordion:
Jim Rusling (Rambling Pitchfork)

Cello:
Ken Mitchell (Step It Up!)

Concertina:
John Kalinowski (Wild Notes)
Britt Goodman (Step It Up!)
Linne Landgraf (Heart's Ease)
Tim St. Jean (Neo-Contras)

Dobro:
Howie Levine (Neo-Contras)

Fiddle:
June Bisantz-Evans (Thread City String Band)
Mark Bobman (Heart's Ease)
Craig Edwards (Wild Goose Nation)
Jan Farrar-Royce e-mail
Gwen Glasser (The Reel Thing)
Keith Harvey (Rambling Pitchfork)
Colin Healey (Fiddleheads)
Nancy Murphy Kalinowski (Heart's Ease)
Chris Keenan (Heart's Ease)
Mickey Koth (Wild Notes)
Becky Miller (Dogtown)
Chuck Morgan (Thread City String Band) e-mail
Louise Muller (Neo-Contras)
Stacy Phillips (The Swivets) e-mail
Willow Sirch (Fiddleheads)
Tim St. Jean (Neo-Contras)
Dan Tressler (Jackson Pike Skifflers)

Fife:      
John Kalinowski (Wild Notes)

Flute:
Mickey Koth (Wild Notes)
Linne Landgraf (Heart's Ease)
Dana Placzek (Celtic Knots)
Jim Sirch (Fiddleheads)
Julie Sorcek (The Reel Thing)
Nat Woodruff (Heart's Ease)

Guitar:
Bill Campbell (The Reel Thing)
Peter Delaney (Wild Notes)
Craig Edwards (Wild Goose Nation)
Mike Fischman (Wild Goose Nation)
Jeffrey Friedman (Celtic Knots)
Dave Howard (Please & Thank-You Stringband)
Howie Levine (Rambling Pitchfork)
Dave Mazur e-mail
Laura Mazza-Dixon (Heart's Ease)
Noreen Morgan (Thread City String Band)
Norm Plankey (Fiddleheads)
Tom Randall (Dogtown)
Bill Shevin (Neo-Contras, Rambling Pitchfork)
Dan Tressler (Jackson Pike Skifflers)
Dirck Westervelt (Wild Goose Nation)

Hammered dulcimer:
Britt Goodman (Step It Up!)

Harmonica:
Larry Boisvert (Thread City String Band)
Bill Campbell (The Reel Thing)
Jim Rusling (Rambling Pitchfork)

Harp:
Kasha Breau (Wild Notes)

Mandolin:
Peter Delaney (Wild Notes)
Cynthia Eller (Celtic Knots)
Mike Fischman (Wild Goose Nation)
Colin Healey (Fiddleheads)
Howie Levine (Neo-Contras, Rambling Pitchfork)
Gary Mitchell (Step It Up!)
Dana Placzek (Celtic Knots)
Tom Randall (Dogtown)
Tim St. Jean (Neo-Contras)
Linda Thomas (Step It Up!)
Dan Tressler (Jackson Pike Skifflers)
Bill Wallach (Please & Thank-You Stringband)
Gary Wickfors (Fiddleheads)

Percussion: (See also bodhran)
Baba David Coleman (conga) (The Swivets)

Piano:
Ellen Cohn (The Swivets)
Fran Hendrickson (The Reel Thing)
Becky Miller (Dogtown)
Tom Randall (Dogtown)
Beth Reichert
Linda Thomas (Step It Up!)

Piccolo:
Julie Sorcek (The Reel Thing)

Recorder:
Deborah Forest Hart e-mail
Mickey Koth (Wild Notes)
Linne Landgraf (Heart's Ease)
Nat Woodruff (Heart's Ease)

Viola:
Cynthia Eller (Celtic Knots)
Mickey Koth (Wild Notes)
Casie Runkle (Celtic Knots)

Viola da gamba:
Laura Mazza-Dixon (Heart's Ease)

Violin:
Cynthia Eller (Celtic Knots)
Robert Reichert
Casie Runkle (Celtic Knots)

Whistle:
Mickey Koth (Wild Notes)
Linne Landgraf (Heart's Ease)
Dana Placzek (Celtic Knots)
Jim Sirch (Fiddleheads)
Nat Woodruff (Heart's Ease)


Contra dance musicians by name:
June Bisantz-Evans (Thread City String Band): fiddle
Mark Bobman (Heart's Ease): fiddle, banjo
Larry Boisvert (Thread City String Band): harmonica
Kasha Breau (Wild Notes): harp
Howie Bursen (Get Reel): banjo
Bill Campbell (The Reel Thing): banjo, guitar, harmonica
Ellen Cohn (The Swivets): piano
Baba David Coleman (The Swivets): conga
Ed Dale (Neo-Contras, Rambling Pitchfork): bass guitar
Peter Delaney (Wild Notes): guitar, mandolin
Craig Edwards (Wild Goose Nation): accordion, banjo, fiddle, guitar
Cynthia Eller (Celtic Knots): violin, viola
Jan Farrar-Royce: fiddle
Mike Fischman (Wild Goose Nation): banjo, bass, guitar, mandolin
Deborah Forest Hart: recorder
Jeffrey Friedman (Celtic Knots): banjo, guitar
Gwen Glasser (The Reel Thing): fiddle
Britt Goodman (Step It Up!): hammered dulcimer, English concertina
Keith Harvey (Rambling Pitchfork): fiddle
Colin Healey (Fiddleheads): fiddle, mandolin
Fran Hendrickson (The Reel Thing): accordion, piano
Dan Hocott (Wild Notes): bass
Dave Howard (Please & Thank-You Stringband): guitar
John Kalinowski (Wild Notes): accordion, concertina, fife
Nancy Murphy Kalinowski (Heart's Ease): fiddle
Chris Keenan (Heart's Ease): fiddle
Mickey Koth (Wild Notes): fiddle, viola, whistle, flute, recorder
Linne Landgraf (Heart's Ease): flute, recorder, whistle, concertina
Howie Levine (Neo-Contras, Rambling Pitchfork): bouzouki, dobro, guitar, mandolin
Dave Mazur: guitar
Laura Mazza-Dixon (Heart's Ease): guitar, viola da gamba
Becky Miller (Dogtown): fiddle, piano
Gary Mitchell (Step It Up!): mandolin
Ken Mitchell (Step It Up!): cello
Chuck Morgan (Thread City String Band): fiddle
Noreen Morgan (Thread City String Band): guitar
Louise Muller (Neo-Contras): fiddle
Stacy Phillips (The Swivets): fiddle
Dana Placzek (Celtic Knots): flute, octave mandolin, whistle
Norm Plankey (Fiddleheads): guitar
Tom Randall (Dogtown): banjo, guitar, mandolin, piano
Beth Reichert: piano
Robert Reichert: fiddle, octave violin
Casie Runkle (Celtic Knots): violin, viola
Jim Rusling (Rambling Pitchfork): banjo, button accordion, harmonica
Bill Shevin (Neo-Contras, Rambling Pitchfork): guitar
Jim Sirch (Fiddleheads): banjo, bodhran, flute, whistle
Willow Sirch (Fiddleheads): fiddle
John Soltys (Thread City String Band): bass
Julie Sorcek (The Reel Thing): flute, piccolo, bodhran
Norb Spencer (Dogtown): accordion
Tim St Jean (Neo-Contras): concertina, fiddle, mandolin
Linda Thomas (Step It Up!): accordion, piano, mandolin
Dan Tressler (Jackson Pike Skifflers): fiddle, guitar, mandolin
Bill Wallach (Please & Thank-You Stringband): mandolin
Andy Weiner (Woodkerne): bodhran
Dirck Westervelt (Wild Goose Nation): banjo, bass, guitar
Gary Wickfors (Fiddleheads): mandolin
Nat Woodruff (Heart's Ease): flute, recorder, whistle


In case we've inadvertently omitted any CT contra dance musicians, please e-mail the webmistrix or the website owner so we can add you!
Last modified: November 21, 2007.