Terpsichore, Guest Band
Music Staff
Terpsichore, Guest Band
Elke Baker (fiddle) - Ellicott City, MD
Liz Donaldson (piano) - Bethesda, MD
Ralph Gordon (bass and cello) - Charlestown, WV
Elke Baker, fiddle.
U.S. National Scottish Fiddle Champion ELKE BAKER (Ellicott City, MD) has played all over North America and in
places as far-flung as Japan, West Africa, and Scotland, as well at the Kennedy Center in her hometown of Washington, D.C.
Elke is a faculty member at the Washington Conservatory of Music, where she teaches history and performance of Celtic music.
Liz Donaldson, piano and accordion.
Guest Music Teacher
LIZ DONALDSON (Bethesda, MD) plays piano and accordion and has been playing for dancing for many years. She is known for her innovative back-up style incorporating exciting rhythms, textures, and harmony lines in her music. In addition to playing for Scottish, English and American contra dances, Liz teaches all these styles, and dances, too!
She is a member of Terpsichore, Waverley Station, and The Highland Ramblers. Liz has a new Terpsichore CD, Caledonian Muse, with Elke Baker and Ralph Gordon. Her other recordings include Waverley Station: First Stop! and Terpsichore, Scottish Dance Music. She's also Artistic Director and pianist on the hot live Scottish Country Dance recordings Memories of Scottish Weekend ('98 - now sold out) and More Memories of Scottish Weekend ('02). Liz has published a new book, Scottish Tune Medleys (blue), a supplement to her Scottish Dance Class Tunes (pink) particularly suited to playing for Scottish Dance classes, and a book of her own compositions, Rain in the Desert.
Liz has taught and played at numerous dance weekends and music workshops including Scottish Weekend (MD/PA/WV), Pinewoods (MA), and Asilomar (CA). Her travels have taken her across the U.S. as well as to Great Britain, Canada and Japan. Check out her website at lizdonaldson.com.
Ralph Gordon, cello and bass.
RALPH GORDON (Charlestown, WV) plays bass and cello and is sought after by virtually every music group within driving distance of DC. He is a member of Waverley Station, Child's Play, and Terpsichore from time to time. He plays every style of dance music there is and has appeared all over the country and abroad. Ralph served as consultant for the Scottish Weekend CD project keeping everything on track and finding solutions to seemingly impossible problems. Ralph formerly played with Fred Waring and The Pennsylvanians. He tells great jokes!
Music Staff
Dan Emery, piper.
DAN EMERY (Fort Washington, PA). Dan has been the designated piper at Scottish Weekend since the first session at Buffalo Gap in 1989, and has been the piper at Pinewoods many times. As well as the highland pipes, Dan plays the small pipes. In addition he enjoys playing the flute, fiddle and cittern (like a big mandolin!) just for fun.
When not piping, Dan is a fine Scottish country dancer and is an architect in real life.
Earl Gaddis, fiddle and viola.
EARL GADDIS (Plainwell, MI) is a full-time dance musician, having played fiddle and viola for a mixture of English, Scottish, American, and international dancing for well over 40 years. He plays for dance camps, workshops, balls and other dance events throughout the United States and abroad. Earl is a member of Bare Necessities, which has released about a dozen recordings of English Country Dance music so far, and of Woodlark (with Karen Axelrod and Chris Rua), and he has recorded with a number of other musicians as well. He lives in great contentment on ten acres of woods in Plainwell, Michigan with his partner Sherry Brodock
David Knight, fiddle.
DAVID KNIGHT (Washington, DC) has been instigating dance up and down the East Coast and beyond since 1991, primarily in the Scottish, American, English, and Irish dance traditions. He also veers regularly into composition, performance, and recording. He has been featured on three recordings - Waverley Station: First Stop!, More Memories of Scottish Weekend, and most recently Ellen Gozion: Awake, Awake. His most recent tunes are collected in The Art Of, his second collection. He plays most frequently with Thistle House, Waverley Station, and the Evil Twins. Visit David's website at music.davidknight.us.
Melissa Running, piano.
MELISSA RUNNING (Lansdowne, PA) started playing piano for dancing in 1999, when she was recruited to play for the Swarthmore College folk dance class. She's been playing for English and Scottish country dancing ever since, with some forays into contra here and there. She dances all of those styles and Scandinavian, couple dancing, international, longsword, garland, English clog, whatever else is on... and works to support her dance habit.
Marty Taylor, whistle, recorders, and concertina.
MARTY TAYLOR (Baltimore, MD) has been a staple in the Baltimore-DC dance community for over twenty years. She plays for Scottish country dance, English country dance, American contradance, and vintage and couples dances. Her breathtaking whistle and recorder playing lifts the dancers off the floor -- her concertina playing adds soul and drive. You can hear Marty on the first Scottish Weekend CD, Memories of Scottish Weekend, and also on the Gadsby's Tavern Museum English country dance CD, Stepping Out in the 18th Century.
Dave Wiesler, piano and guitar.
DAVE WIESLER (Newark, DE). Dave is pleased to return to Scottish Weekend for a tenth consecutive year. Dave is a skilled pianist and avid Scottish country dancer and enjoys the chance to participate in both at Scottish Weekend. In addition to his Scottish dance music, he plays regularly for contra dance, English country dance, couple dancing, concerts, and has substantial studio experience.
He has been on staff at Pinewoods, Augusta, Ashokan, Buffalo Gap, and Sierra Swing and has performed at the Kennedy Center and at the Smithsonian. His music has taken him to Hawaii, Canada, England, Scotland,and the Galapagos Islands. Check out his CDs including Cracks and Shadows and Many Happy Returns with Hanneke Cassel, and Dave Tunes, his book of original tunes. You can also find out more about Dave on his website at www.azaleacityrecordings.com/davewiesler.
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