Sarah Bull |
Sarah is a Canberra musician who enjoys playing historic music at dances. Her instruments include clarinet, saxophone, tin whistle and keyboard.
She has been a welcome addition to the live music component of the DanceFest. (ed) |
George Bolliger |
George is a Bush Music Club stalwart, running the Monday night workshops, and leading the Concert Party for dances. His CV includes regular performances with the Heritage Ensemble and his Ryebuck Bush Band is one of the longest running bands in Sydney. |
Ian Hayden |
Ian is an enthusiastic button box player living on the NSW Central Coast. Besides Irish and English dance music he enjoys playing a range of other instruments and various styles of music. Eoin O'Keeffe from County Kerry is a fine singer and guitarist who adds great life to the music for Irish set dancing. |
 
Denise Hibbs & Robert Stephens |
Denise has been an active member of Melbourne Colonial Dancers for 40 years. She was originally a display dancer performing with the group at festivals around Victoria, and at the Edinburgh Tattoo in Scotland in 1988, and has been a fiddle player and leader of the Melbourne Colonial Dancers Band for the past 20 years. She is particularly passionate about the preservation and continued playing of our heritage of early Australian collected dance tunes, and worked closely with the late Peter Ellis to contribute to the publication of Australian traditional dance music. She has also collaborated in the research, compilation, engraving and editing of several other volumes of dance music which can be viewed at www.australianfolkmusic.com.au
Robert has been a lead musician in the Melbourne Colonial Dancers Band for the last 15 years, playing piano and piano accordion at regular monthly dances and various balls in Melbourne, and at dance events at the National Folk Festival in Canberra. He also regularly plays with Alan Musgrove from Alan's large Australian collected tune selection. When not playing folk accordion and piano he can be seen on Baritone Ukulele touring with the world premier David Bowie ukulele trio The Thin White Ukes. |
Dave Johnson |
Dave, as the original architect of the Bundanoon DanceFest, needs little introduction. He has led bands for over 40 years including playing for many BMC and MFS and NFF Balls and dances.
He is joined for the Line Dancing workshop by local music legend Greg Olsen on guitar. |
Bob McInnes |
Bob has long pursued, arranged and played good traditional dance music with a special emphasis on the fiddle music of Scotland that goes hand in hand with Scottish Country and Ceilidh dance. |
Beck McCullum |
As a youth, Beck spent her Saturday nights with her family at all the bush dances across Sydney. After 6 years of professional violin lessons during high school, Beck is now a reasonably competent English concertina player and has been playing recreationally for ( oh god it's been) 18 years. Her speciality is Australian folk tunes. She volunteers for the BMC as a Saplings tutor and makes ad-hoc appearances as a band member: Most recently with the BMC Youth Bush Band at the National Folk festival. |
Ray Mulligan |
I bought my first English melodeon in the mid 1980s. After I had learned how to play it a bit I spent ten years playing dance music with 'Mulligans Flat', which led to an interest in collected Australian music before taking an interest in Scandinavian and Bavarian dance music. |
Kathy Potter |
From classical beginnings Kathy fell into folk music more years ago than she is willing to admit. She is currently focusing on English Country Dance music both traditional and modern and her favourite expression when it comes to taking on new musical ideas is ‘why not’. Based in Sydney, but always open to a collaboration anywhere musicians are keen to try something new. |
Ralph Pride |
Ralph Pride, Goulburn NSW, comes from a musical family, he studied classical violin from an early age. In the 1960’s, with encouragement from mentor John Meredith, he managed to put that all behind him and joined the Bush Music Club concert party, beginning a lifelong passionate relationship with Australian traditional music. He has been performing, singing, and playing in a wide variety of musical styles for many years. He performs currently with Bush Music Club, Ryebuck Bush Band, Barangaroo Bush Band, Sydney Playford Players, and anyone else who'll have him. His technical expertise is put to good use on this occasion operating the sound system in the main hall. |
Helen Strutt |
I have been involved with playing for dances since 1978 when my family formed our band Coalbrook Ceilidh. We played for Australian, Scottish, Irish and oldtime ballroom dances. Since 1996 I was involved with our 2nd band Salmiakki Pelimannit, playing for Finnish, Swedish, Danish and Estonian dance groups. We performed at festivals in Sweden, Finland and Denmark. Recently I have developed an interest in the music of Wales. I live in Cardiff NSW. |
Updated 2/5/24 |
