- Elke Baker
- Liz Donaldson
- Dan Emery
- Ralph Gordon
- Arthur McNair
- Becky Ross
- Dave Wiesler
- Jane Ziki
Elke Baker, fiddle
ELKE BAKER - MUSIC DIRECTOR, fiddle, viola (Glenelg, MD), U.S. National Scottish Fiddle Champion.
Elke Baker's distinctive,
dance-driven fiddle style has made her one of the most sought-after Scottish fiddlers of our time. Elke's skills are not
limited to one style of fiddling, and her range of style encompasses folk, classical, swing, and a range of dance music from
around the world. She has performed at the Kennedy Center, the Birchmere, Honolulu Academy of Arts, in most of the fifty
States, and on five continents. She is world-renowned as a Scottish country dance musician, bandleader, and arranger, and has
headlined major Scottish dance events in Italy, Canada, New Zealand and the U.K. A scholar of Scottish music, Elke taught for
many years at the Washington Conservatory of Music, as Artist-in-Residence at Montgomery College, and as a panelist at
Harvard University, and her talks on the history of Scottish dance music (amply enhanced with musical examples) have been
presented by the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society and the Teachers’ Association of Canada. Elke directs the Potomac Valley Scottish
Fiddle Club, a non-profit Scottish music educational organization now in its 33rd year, and has taught at fiddle camps and schools
across the country. Playing Scottish music for dancers is one of Elke's very favorite things, although dancing runs a close second.
Instagram @elkebakerfiddlemusic
www.elkebaker.com
Liz Donaldson, piano and accordion
LIZ DONALDSON (Bethesda, MD) is a full-time musician and dance caller, and has been
playing piano 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 and square dances, Liz teaches all these styles, and
dances, too!
She is a member of Terpsichore, Waverley Station, The New Hipsters, Gyrations, The Treble
Makers, and Elegant Echoes. Liz’s newest recordings are "English Echoes II: More English
Country Dance Favorites" with Becky Ross, Colleen Reed, and Bruce Edwards, and another
Scottish Country Dance CD "A Dancer’s Best Friend" with Elke Baker and Ralph Gordon. “A
Dancer’s Best Friend” is a welcome addition to “Caledonian Muse” and "Terpsichore, Scottish
Dance Music.” Liz also joins David Knight and Ralph Gordon on "Waverley Station: First
Stop!" She is the Artistic Director and pianist on the hot live Scottish Country Dance recordings
"Memories of Scottish Weekend (‘98) and "More Memories of Scottish Weekend ('02).
Liz has published two books of Scottish tunes: "Scottish Dance Class Tunes" (revised in 2021)
and "Scottish Tune Medleys" which have become mainstays for Scottish Dance Player’s libraries
worldwide. She has also composed many wonderful tunes, including a host of waltzes.
Liz has taught and played at numerous dance weekends and music workshops including Scottish
Weekend, Pinewoods, Asilomar, and TAC Summer School.. Her travels have taken her across the
US as well as to Great Britain, Canada, France, and Japan. Liz performed for the Smithsonian
Institution's Piano 300 exhibition in ’00 and has performed with Terpsichore at the Kennedy
Center’s Millennium Stage in Washington, DC. In 2017 she was awarded the Scroll of Honour
from the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society for her contributions to music and dance.
In addition to playing and teaching music, Liz is a caller of Scottish Ceilidh, English Country,
and Community dancing. She particularly enjoys working with dancers of all ages and
experience levels.
Website: www.lizdonaldson.com. Photo by Ken Graham.
Dan Emery, pipes and
flute
DAN EMERY (Fort Washington, PA) has been the designated piper at Scottish Weekend since the first session at Buffalo Gap in 1989. He has
been the piper at Pinewoods Scottish sessions many times since 1986, where he got his first taste of piping for RSCDS. As well as the
Highland pipes, Dan plays the Scottish small pipes, Border pipes and flute with the band Thistle House. He can also be heard playing all
those instruments (and occasionally fiddle) at socials and parties around the Delaware valley. When not piping, Dan is a fine Scottish
country dancer, retired highland dancer.
Ralph Gordon, cello and bass
RALPH GORDON (Charles Town, WV)
is a classically trained bassist and cellist educated at West Virginia University and the Manhattan School of Music. Ralph has played for
more than 25 years with Terpsichore and has worked extensively on revitalizing Scottish folk cello style. He played for many years with
innovative folk band Trapezoid, and his skills span a wide range of musical styles from chamber music to big band swing. The Charleston
Post Courier wrote "His playing is more sophisticated and technically accomplished than the next ten string players of any sort and he
uses his instruments to subtly ground, stabilize, and inspire the rest of the ensemble as they pursue their experimentations."
Ralph is in great demand in the Washington, DC area as an artist and session musician. He can be heard on more than 60 recordings,
including Scottish, English country, contradance, hoedown, folk, bluegrass, klezmer, blues, swing, jazz combos, and big band styles.
Arthur McNair, accordion
ARTHUR MCNAIR, accordion
Arthur grew up in a house full of music, playing percussion and teaching himself to play piano as a teenager. He first picked up an
accordion in 2000 soon after starting Scottish Country Dancing. He apprenticed with Bobby Brown for two years at Thistle School, and also
learned from Etienne Ozorak of the Music Makars. He now plays for SCD classes, and plays regularly with the SCD band Highland Square. Arthur
is also an avid dancer and certificated teacher of SCD.
Becky Ross, fiddle
BECKY ROSS, fiddle (Gaithersburg, MD) Becky was classically trained on violin during her schooldays but was drawn to begin playing
again in 1991 after discovering Celtic fiddle music. Becky is known for her rich tone and sensitive emotional connection to the music, whether
that is a sorrowful Scottish lament, a majestic march or a driving reel.
Becky is a founding Board member and current President of the Potomac Valley Scottish Fiddle Club, a non-profit group promoting
Scottish fiddle music. Becky plays regularly for Scottish and English Country Dances.
Dave Wiesler, piano and guitar
DAVE WIESLER (Newark, DE) began playing traditional Scottish music for dances and concerts in 1993 and started
dancing it two years later. Since then he has become highly regarded for his strong rhythm, his technical skill
at the piano, and his deep knowledge of the genre, as well as for his versatility in other styles careening through
classical music, classic rock, jazz, choir music, and many other dance forms. He has played at festivals and camps
across the country, as well as in Canada, Scotland, England, France, and Switzerland. Dave plays most often with his
band Thistle House, but he regularly joins other musicians and has recorded SCD dance albums with Thistle House, Hanneke
Cassel, the Scottish Weekend ensemble, Mara Shea, and the Delaware Valley Band. He is a capable guitarist; a prolific
composer of tunes, songs, and occasionally more complex musical pieces; and a proud father of two young men, one of
whom has recently gotten hooked by SCD.
Jane Ziki, piano and fiddle
JANE ZIKI is no stranger to the folk dance and music scene in Washington, D.C. Jane has played piano since childhood, and took up
fiddle later in life. She has played for contra dances and Scottish dancing for years, frequently joining in the famous Glen Echo
Contra Dance Open Band and supporting Potomac Valley Scottish Fiddle Club's 25+ year series of Scottish dance parties. Jane has
played for many Scottish dances with fiddlers Becky Ross and Elke Baker, and has fiddled for Scandinavian dancing with local music
leaders for years. She loves the infectious fun and energy traded between dancers and musicians with all kinds of dancing.
