Tenth Annual

Read the biographies of this year's performers here. Some of them have web sites, so please take the time to click on the links and see what they have to show you there.

There are many favourites coming back. We do however make sure that there are new performers every year.

MARY ARMITAGE

A familiar face at Princeton, Mary Armitage returns this year with a selection of traditional songs on the theme, “Better to have loved and lost!” She accompanies herself on guitar and is occasionally joined on selected songs by musical colleagues. She invariably brings variety and fun to her performance and always encourages audience participation. Mary is currently the president of the Vancouver Folk Song Society of which she has been a member for almost ten years. Her CD of mostly original songs, “Second Chances” is available at the Festival booth.

ALEX ATAMANENKO and JENNIFER VOYKIN

Alex Atamanenko has been a regular feature at the Princeton Traditional Music Festival and we welcome him back in 2017. Alex lives in Castlegar and has been singing for many years both as a solo performer and with a group called the Balladeers. He performs regularly in seniors’ homes in the Castlegar area. Jennifer Voykin comes from a musical Doukhobor family in the West Kootenays. Alex and Jennifer will be singing songs in Russian.

JON BARTLETT and RIKA RUBSAAT

Jon Bartlett and Rika Ruebsaat are the founders of this festival and have been singing together for over forty years. Their repertoire ranges from sea shanties and traditional ballads to logging and mining songs. Their particular love is the songs of BC. They have collected songs and history in the Princeton Archives dating as far back as 1900. The result of this research is two books: Dead Horse on the Tulameen: Settler Verse from BC’s Similkameen Valley, and the award-winning Soviet Princeton: Slim Evans and the 1932/33 Miners’ Strike, and a CD, “Now It’s Called Princeton: Songs and Poems from the Upper Similkameen” which contains 27 Similkameen songs and poems. All of these items will be for sale at the Festival. Visit their website at www.jonandrika.org

BLACKIE and PETE

Blackie and Pete from Vancouver consists of Rick Blacklaws on shuttle pipes and Peter Huron on guitar. Peter has performed and recorded Celtic music for over 40 years. He has released many recordings on the Plant a Tree label. His arrangements and compositions have been featured on Radio Canada and the NFB. Rick Blacklaws has played pipes since the age of ten. Shuttle Pipes are a type of bagpipe which derive their name from the drones that use a sliding “shuttle” to change pitch. Blackie and Pete have CDs for sale at the Festival.

BOB BOSSIN

Bob Bossin is a songwriter from Gabriola Island. He was the founder of the group Stringband back in the “folk boom” of the early 1970's. Since then he has produced numerous LPs and CDs. He is also the author of plays that have won awards and essays that have been published nationally. Bob has performed all over the world and his songs have been sung by such people as Valdy, Ian Tyson and Pete Seeger. Peter Gzowski said that Bob created “wonderful songs that linger in a lot of people's memories”. Bob has CDs and a book for sale at the festival. Visit his website at www.bossin.com.

CAT MAC

Catherine McNeil (button accordion and song) joins with Jory Bober (bass), Jonathan Eltis (guitar) and Patti Palm (backup vocals) in presenting ‘Songs of My Ancestors”, a show based upon her aunt Florence McNeil’s In the Twilight of the Standing Stones: The Barra Poems. The book is a powerful poetic memoir that combines childhood recollections of growing up in a Gaelic-speaking community of Scottish emigrants in Canada with a mythic memory of the Hebridean island of Barra, traditional home of the Clan MacNeil. The book will be available at the festival.

CLARE BOUCHER and BRAD HURLEY

Clare Boucher is a native of Sarzeau, on the Presqu’île de Rhuys in southern Brittany. Her involvement in Breton traditions started with dance, followed by traditional singing. She has participated in a number of singing workshops in Brittany, where she learned from singers such as Joan Belz, Laurent Jouin, and Charles Quimbert. As a solo singer, Claire has been performing at a growing number of festivals and concerts in Quebec and the United States. She is joined by hr partner Brad Hurley on wooden flute and guitar. They have a CD for sale at the Festival. See their website at www.claireboucher.ca.

MARIAN BUECHERT

Marian Buechert sings a wide range of folk material from traditional ballads to humorous parodies. She has performed at the Northwest Folklife Festival, the Water Valley Celtic Festival, the Langley International Festival and at folk clubs across the metro Vancouver area. She is thrilled to be returning to her seventh appearance at Princeton. See her website at www.facebook.com/marianbuechert.

LINDA CHOBOTUCK

“In my mother’s family everybody learned to chord by ear on the piano. Coming from this parlour singing tradition she was an early disciple of the folk revival and I was immersed from an early age. Surrounded by folkies, everybody I respected as a musician was also a songwriter, so from an early age I also wrote music. I’m not very prolific, but I’ve been doing it a long time, it adds up. After sleeping, people actually spend most of their time working, so I am perhaps best known as a singer and writer of labour songs, the most widely recorded of which is “Canning Salmon”, which I wrote while working in a cannery in Richmond. I am currently a librarian with Burnaby Public Library, but under normal circumstances I promise not to sing the date-due-stamping shanty.”

“CLARE”ITY

A native of Thunder Bay, Ontario, Randy Vic, a fiddler, moved to Vancouver in 1992, and has been immersed in the Irish Music community there for many years now. Becky Deryckx who plays the flute, the whistle and concertina, lives in Mount Vernon, Washington. She began playing Irish music much more recently…in what can only be described as a ‘mid-life crisis’. She and Randy met on San Juan Island at an annual gathering of Irish musicians there about a decade ago. They discovered a mutually compatible playing style and a joy in the music that has led to a great many happy hours of tours together. Hip!!

BARRY COLE

Barry taught himself to play the autoharp in 1972. He has learned to play 14 other instruments, and to sing while playing most of them. He has informally collected and arranged a multitude of dance tunes, traditional ballads, and chorus-rich songs from pubs, sea shanties, and many trades. He has also been a muso for Morris, contra, square, and international bands. Barry will play some dance tunes, sing songs, and tell their history.

COMING and GOING

A couple of regulars from the Tuesday night Jericho Folk Club jam in Vancouver, Michael Burnyeat on fiddle and Don Davidson on mandolin play tunes from all sorts of genres and traditions. Don has noodled in the shadows of the local music scene for years, and Michael acts as an ambassador for fiddle music. A popular guest musician, he plays in many combos and has recently created the first fiddle club on campus at UBC. Check out the UBC Fiddle Club on Facebook.

BARBARA and DAVID DENZ

Barbara and David met in graduate school over 30 years ago and have been singing and performing together ever since. “Our specialty together is ‘eclectic Celtic music’. The music we choose follows the Celts through their time and influences across Europe and North America and the seas in between.” Visit them on Facebook www.facebook.com/BarbaraDavidDenz.

THE DIGITARY DO’S

The Digitary Do’s are a Vancouver-based English Country Dance band who play the music that would have been enjoyed by dancers of all ages and backgrounds back in the “Old Country,” from the village fair to the stately ballrooms of the Regency period. The name might sound suspiciously like “Didgeridoos,” but that’s only because the group contains a wayward Australian. The tunes and songs they perform date from the Medieval period, Playford English Dancing Master (1600s), the Jacobean uprising and all the way up to the present day, helping keep English Country Dancing popular into the 21st Century.

LEAH WILLIAMS and MARK DOWDING

We welcome Leah Williams and Mark Dowding from Vancouver to their second appearance at the Festival. The duo has been performing together for seventeen years, creating storytelling magic framed by instrumental counterpoint on guitar, flute, whistle recorder, quena and harmonica. They have a large repertoire of original material as well as folk and traditional favourites. For the Festival they will be showcasing the songs of the Scots bard, Robbie Burns. Leah and Mark have CDs for sale at the Festival.

LES FLEURS SAUVAGES

A francophone singing group from Kelowna, is composed of performance artist-scholar Jeannette Angel and her daughters Eva Rae and Etta Marguerite Angel-Fox. Jeanette comes from a French background and grew up in Manitoba where she attended the Festival du Voyageur for years. Her children have gone to École de l’Anse-au-sable where they were immersed in a local francophone environment. Les fleurs sauvages sing a cappella and will be sharing a rich repertoire of French-Canadian songs. This is their fourth appearance at the Festival.

JOHN GOTHARD

John Gothard is a singer and multi-instrumentalist who has been performing his own brand of traditional music for many years. Born and raised in Liverpool, England, John’s style is a mixture of songs he first heard and learned there, together with other songs he acquired after making his own journey to a new life in Canada. John is well-known in singing circles throughout Vancouver and Seattle. During his performance, you will hear traditional songs for the British Isles, many with Irish connections, performed with voice, guitar and English concertina.

ROSALEEN GREGORY

Rosaleen Gregory from Nelson was born in England with Irish, Welsh, Scottish and French ancestry. She discovered traditional songs in books, recordings and from musical friends. Some songs she sings a cappella and some with guitar or clarinet accompaniment played by her husband, David Gregory. Rosaleen has participated many times in festivals and workshops in Britain and Canada. Her passion is to share the music, poetry and stories of the British tradition at her favourite traditional music festival, bar none. Rosaleen has CDs for sale at the Festival. Visit her website at www.rosaleengregory.ca.

JASON HALL

Jason Hall from Vancouver plays the Hungarian tárogató, a distant relative of the clarinet. Born of the intersection between Middle Eastern tonality and Middle European melody, Hungarian music is quixotic and changeable. Its premier instrument, the tárogató bridges these worlds but also knits together traditional Hungarian society as a classical concert instrument for the gentry and as a folk instrument for everyone else. As one of only two British Columbia tárogató players, Jason explores the traditional music you can still hear in the mountains of Carpathia or on the plains of Pannonia of Hungary, but also bringing a uniquely West Coast sensibility to this haunting instrument.

TIM HALL

Tim Hall from Seattle is a singer of songs from hither and thither – from old-time to maritime to ragtime. He is an accomplished instrumentalist on guitar, banjo and concertina and a collector of wonderfully clever and fun songs.

HARD ROW

Hard Row is a father/daughter duo consisting of Kim and Kaila Sinclair who enjoy the richness of traditional music. Throughout the year they each perform on their own and unite whenever they can to perform together. In the folk tradition they connect the songs of history to tell today’s stories. The songs they explore have survived through time, sometimes changing rhythm and often morphing lyrics becoming music relevant for today. They are excited to be performing again at Princeton Traditional Music Festival. Visit their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/A.Hard.Row.

DAVID INGERSON

David entertains in the old-fashioned way, on a personal, individual level, with warmth and wit, as if he were sitting with the audience around the turf fire in an Irish cottage long ago. Intimate and engaging, he transports his audience with songs and stories, by turns dramatic and humorous, poignant and revealing. David has been singing old-style Irish songs for almost 40 years and is deeply invested in collecting, researching and performing them authentically and entertainingly. This performance is centered on songs and stories about the sexual practices of the Irish. His CD ‘My Lovely Mountain Home’ is for sale at the festival.

THE IRISH WAKERS

The Irish Wakers from Vancouver perform lively traditional Irish songs, shanties, and tunes on uilleann pipes, guitar, fiddle and bodhran. The group performs at traditional sessions, pubs, Celtic festivals, and fundraisers. They are thrilled to be back performing at Princeton. Visit their website at www.irishwakers.com.

JIM AND MADELEINE

Jim and Madeleine are a duo from the Lower Mainland consisting of Jim Edmondson and Madeleine De Little. They have performed nine times at the three-day Fort Langley Brigade Days, where Madeleine was a singing washerwoman at the Fort, and Jim was a traveling bard who trapped and searched for gold. The songs they sing are about those lives and that time.

JUGBANDITS

Jugbandits is made up of Graeme Card, Colleen and Victoria Talson and John Hewson from Victoria. They came together with the sole purpose of finding songs to jugify in that old jug band tradition, with washboard, kazoos, banjo, ukes, guitar, string bass, clog shoes, mandolin. The songs are drawn from ragtime to skiffle, old time country to blues, folk to swing.

DAVID KESSLER

The songs David Kessler sings are surrounded by the odd stories of how he learned them… and where …and what he had to trade for them. He uses these stories to explain where in his brain the songs live. With memories of growing up in New England, living in Israel, hiking in Scotland, marching in Basel, sailing in various countries, drinking in various bars, opening various books, etc. He has co-founded a shantysing, a rum cruise and the Single Malt and Song Society. He co-produced the Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony and created The Child Book of Etiquette, which will be for sale at the festival. Visit David’s website at www.ouphrontis.com.

JOHN KIDDER

They say there’s nothing so good for the inside of a person as the outside of a horse. John grew up in the North, and was fortunate as a young man to work as a cowboy. He braids songs about working cowboys with stories about cow camp and the range. His material is mostly from before 1915 – no “country and western” here – just straight (and some twisted) songs and tales from the early days of the North American cowboy, explanations of cowboy techniques, and a poem or two. You’ll laugh, you might cry, you’ll learn things you never knew. Come on along.

LIBERTY

Liberty consists of Harry and Jenny O’Neill, Nils Chase and Bob Cameron. Harry and Jenny have played traditional music (jigs, reels, hornpipes, etc.) and songs from Ireland and the British Isles for many years. Harry played button accordion in a ceili band in England for over 30 years. When they are in BC they team up with Nils (fiddle) and Bob (guitar, mandolin) to form the band “Liberty” and have added old-time songs and tunes to their repertoire. “Liberty” is named after an American old-time reel.

LYN AND STONEY

Lyn Pinkerton and Stoney Bird have been playing together for the last four years. Lyn is a university professor and Stoney is a former oil company lawyer, so they know a lot about oppression! Their presentation is titled “In the Face of Oppressors: Songs of Sadness, Rage and Laughter”, so expect to hear songs ancient and modern in which people have expressed spirit, vision, determination and satire in the face of those who oppress them.

ALLAN MARKIN

“I am a singer-songwriter-storyteller performing original songs from my album “Places – Songs of Toil and Peaceful Life”. All songs are based on stories from Doukhobor history. My ancestors, the Doukhobors, came to Canada in 1899 to escape political and religious persecution in Russia. All songs are in English and I tell the story behind them before singing them. As pioneers that helped to develop the Canadian West, the Doukhobors have a real story to tell. My main aim is to bring the Doukhobor experience to a wider audience – hence the use of English in my compositions. I also perform traditional Russian folk songs in Russian as part of my show. My website is www.allanmarkin.com. I have three CDs available for sale.”

MARTINGALE

Martingale from Vancouver consists of Peter Huron on voice and guitar and John Walsh on Uilleann pipes. Peter and John have performed and recorded together for 30 years from the seminal west coast group Martingale to the inventive critically acclaimed Celtic Works Orchestra. Come and see history in action! Peter and John have CDs for sale at the Festival.

THE MERRY MCKENTYS

The Merry McKentys hail from Cortes Island, BC. Their repertoire consists of a diverse set of original and traditional tunes and songs with Irish, Scottish, Canadian and American roots brought to life with guitar, fiddles, banjo, bass, keyboard, cello and multipart vocal harmonies. They’ve been performing together for about 10 years and have played for dances, festivals and community gatherings up and down the West Coast, as well as in small towns throughout France, Italy and the UK. The Merry McKentys have CDs for sale at the Festival. Visit their website at www.merrymckentys.com.

MIKE and NAKOS

Mike and Nakos Marker from Bellingham are a father and son duo who have been performing together for over eight years. Mike performed at folk clubs in Britain, was a crew member on the sloop Clearwater in New York State and an artist in residence in Oregon schools. He was an instructor at the Puget Sound Guitar Workshop and has played at many festivals throughout the Cascadia region and beyond. Nakos is an accomplished dobro player who plays a wide repertoire and has performed with bands that include bluegrass, blues and country music. He currently performs with the Bellingham-based bluegrass duo Marcel and Nakos.

MURPHY, MIDDAUGH and RIDEOUT

Orville Murphy, Jerry Middaugh and Joanne Rideout play old-time and traditional songs about the “good old days” of the civil war, prohibition, the Depression and World War II.
 Orville was born and raised in Kentucky in a family where nearly everyone played an instrument or sang. He learned to tell stories from his Uncle Jim and how to play the harmonica from his Grandma (Gospels and Hymns) and, when Grandma wasn’t listening, his Aunt Virginia (Blues).
  Jerry Middaugh is originally from Ohio with roots in folk and Appalachian music. He sings and plays guitar, banjo and mandolin. Jerry has lived in the Northwest for more than twenty-five years, and has been active in various types of folk music. He has played in the Silverback String Band. His repertoire includes songs about work, trains, cowboys, hobos, loss women, and philosophy.
  Joanne Rideout hails from the East Coast but now calls Astoria, Oregon, her home. She’s been singing along with folk music and noodling around on the guitar since she was knee high to a capo, harmonizing at family gatherings and potlucks. In what’s comically referred to as “real life”, she is a maritime journalist and manager of Astoria’s community radio station. Murphy and Middaugh have CDs for sale at the Festival.

HARRY and JENNY O’NEILL

Harry and Jenny O’Neill perform traditional music (jigs, reels, hornpipes, etc) from Ireland and the British Isles together with songs. Harry played button accordion in a ceili band for over thirty years in England. Now retired, Harry and Jenny divide their time between Ireland, Spain and BC, and have played in sessions, concerts and festivals in Spain, Ireland, the US and Canada.

RATTLEBONE BAND

Rattlebone Band is part of the Morris dance scene in Vancouver. The band members are also members of the Vancouver Morris Men and they are as swift on their feet as they are with their fingers. Rattlebone plays rollicking English jigs, reels and hornpipes as well as throwing in the odd song. The band often puts on ceilidh dances. Visit their website at www.rattlebone.weebly.com.

RAVENSONG

Murray and Christine MacDonald play traditional British music from drinking songs to ballads and lullabies, with mandolin, guitar and banjo. They have been playing since they were about twelve years old. Murray leads music groups and teaches guitar and mandolin. Christine is a Girl Guide Music Advisor for Fraser Skies Area from Delta to Hope, leading singing for a few and up to 200 people. Christine and Murray have performed in BC and Arizona. “Ravensong” plays regularly at two Seniors’ Homes in the Lower Mainland.

TOM RAWSON

Tom is a folksinger/storyteller from Orcas Island, Washington. When he grows up he wants to be Pete Seeger. He travels all over the Northwest playing at festivals and coffeehouses, as well as leading community singing at conferences and retreats. Tom involves his audience throughout his set with gospel, old time, and contemporary easy-to-sing-along-songs. Tune up your vocal chords – you’ll need ‘em! Visit his website at www.tomrawson.com.

DOUG REID

Originally from Scotland, Doug now lives in West Kelowna. He moved to Princeton in 1983 and was a family doctor there for 25 years. He’s appeared in the festival several times and today will be singing a selection of Scottish songs and reciting some Robert Burns poetry.

THE RELATIVE MINERS

The Relative Miners are Bevan Bartlett, Morgan Bartlett and Stephen Ruebsaat. Coming from a family with a rich musical tradition, the three of them have been involved in music since childhood, with outputs ranging from hip hop to Balkan brass, to heavy metal. They will be performing mostly traditional songs with a focus on North American songs. Expect rich harmonies, sweet slide guitar and probably a pun or two.

BRIAN ROBERTSON

Brian is perhaps best known for writing well-crafted songs about his beloved west coast. He has two CDs for sale – “Saltchuck Serenade”, and his latest, “Times and Places”, which feature fine songs about love, travel, BC history and the blues. Apart from being a noted singer of rousing shanties, Celtic music is another passion, and he regularly appears as a guitarist and vocalist for the Irish Wakers and other performers. Visit Brian’s website at www.brianrobertson.ca.

HARLEY ROTHSTEIN

Harley Rothstein has been performing and teaching music for many years. He has directed school choirs, led Jewish music, sung in a classical choir, and led singalongs in diverse repertoires. Harley’s first musical love is folk, and in this set – “Singalong Songs of Traveling, Work and Love” – he will offer songs from North America, Britain, Spain and Eastern Europe. A solo performer with guitar, Harley loves it when people join in. Almost all the songs have singable choruses, so bring your energy and vocal cords.

NORBERT RUEBSAAT

Norbert Ruebsaat from New Denver will sing the first songs he learned when he arrived in Canada at age six. He learned English by singing it without, at first, knowing what he was singing about. Later in life Norbert wrote stories about learning these songs and about learning English. He will read some of these stories during his performance.

HELEN SHILLADAY

Helen Shilladay is a traditional English singer, forged in the strong folk environment of Derbyshire, South Yorkshire and the North. Her passion for singing Folk songs is in the stories of ordinary people, their lives, loves, cares and woes, and their joys. Her performance is a contrast of jolly and melancholy – songs that connect her and her audience, emotionally and personally with the people whose lives these songs represent. She now lives in Chilliwack and hosts the Chilliwack Folk Song Circle.

PATRICK SPEARING

Patrick Spearing began singing at the Bristol Troubadour Club in Britain in 1967. He came to Canada in 1969 and sang in Irish pubs around the US and Canada and ended up at the Vancouver Folk Song Circle. He performed with Jon Bartlett at the Medieval Inn in 1971, followed by a singing residency at the Blarney Stone in Gastown. Over the past number of years he has participated in folk and Celtic gatherings in Victoria before moving “off the grid” near Lumby.

SIMON TREVELYAN

Simon Trevelyan from Langley has been a mainstay of this festival since its inception. His talents as a singer, song-leader, MC and organizer have been much appreciated over the years. Simon brings to the stage a rich repertoire of songs from BC, Britain, the U.S. and Australia. Simon has CDs of his group, King’s Shilling, for sale at the Festival booth.

TRISKELE

Triskele consists of Myranda O’Byrne, Michael Price, Heather Fenwick, and Tracy Beckett. Myranda is the lead singer and plays the lap-stringed dulcimer, guitar and bodhran. Michael pays mandolin, guitar, harmonicas and bodhran. Heather plays fiddle and bodhran and Tracy plays fiddle and other percussion. Triskele performances include traditional Celtic songs and ballads plus jigs, reels, polkas, waltzes and strathspeys from Ireland, Scotland, Wales and the Atlantic Provinces. For the past 3 years, the group has been donating their earnings to help with the costs of medical treatments for Eduardo, a five year old Mexican boy who was born without a femur. CD sales of “Triskele: Live on the Westside” , available at the Festival, are also donated to this cause.

THE VAN LIDTH DE JEUDE FAMILY

Three generations of the Van Lidth de Jeude family from Bowen Island share their love of traditional songs from North America and the British Isles. Their performances feature close harmonies and songs that tell great stories.

VANCOUVER MORRIS MEN

Morris dancing is a very old type of dance from England, traditionally danced only by men. The Vancouver Morris Men have been dancing together for over thirty years. Go to any street festival in the Lower Mainland and you’ll probably see them dancing with bells ringing and handkerchiefs waving. They have also been known to dance on dark, rainy parking lots on Guy Fawkes Night. Enjoy their “guerrilla” street dancing this weekend and visit their website at www.vancouvermorrismen.org.

VAZZY

Vazzy performs traditional songs from Acadia and Quebec, original compositions and refreshing arrangements of seldom heard toe-tapping tunes, from the French-Canadian, Métis, and Canadian fiddle traditions. Suzanne Leclerc is originally from St. Quentin in the Restigouche highlands of New Brunswick, from the last of the large farming families (she has 15 brothers and sisters!) that used to be the norm in French Canada. With her vocals, harmonica and percussion, Suzanne brings a unique and original perspective to the music, songs and ballads of “la Francophonie”. Bryn Wilkin, originally from Ontario, is a confirmed “Francophile” who delights in learning from the source, from various musicians willing to share with him, and digging up old repertoire from archives (virtual and otherwise) to play on fiddle and a few other stringed things!

VOICES THREE

Sandi, Gloria and Val have been singing together for some time and first came together in an auditioned choir and discovered the joint love of folk, blues, bluegrass and gospel. They sing a cappella, have been together as Voices Three for about a year, and their songs choices come from the singing of the Wailin’ Jennys, to the Oysterband and everything in between.

WHEAT IN THE BARLEY

Wheat in the Barley from the Lower Mainland offers roots music at its best. The group pulls together a lot of great influences into one package: Celtic, Slavic, French Canadian, Yiddish, Cajun and more. With an impressive array of instruments at their command, the band puts on a show that's as danceable as it is listenable. Wheat in the Barley has CDs for sale at the Festival booth. Please welcome Wheat in the Barley to their first appearance at the Festival!

WHISKEY AND THE WAILIN WITCH

Whiskey and the Wailin Witch hail from Vancouver, BC. The group is led vocally by the sheer power of Caroline Samorodin’s voice, the finger picking guitar style of Craig Williams, and the guitar and mandolin stylings of Hagen Mitchell. The music is heavily influenced by the country blues and jazz greats of the 20’s through 50’s.

WITHOUT A NET

David and Mary Lowther live in Mesachie Lake in the middle of the temperate rain forest. David sings and plays things with strings, while Mary sings and plays things you blow into. They play a mixture of traditional klezmer music and original songs with a frankly cynical inclination. After twenty years of marriage to a clarinet player David has learned to tune his banjo to an open Bb. Only recently did he discover that other banjo players consider him an eccentric. Mary wonders what took them so long. They have one self-titled CD for sale.

The Festival

Admission is FREE.  Events are held on several stages in the centre of Princeton and begin on Friday evening with a public street dance and an Irish ceili band. Between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday there's a potpourri of concerts, workshops, and jams.

The Scene

This event is primarily for and about the performers. Traditional Music lacks venue in the west, so players, singers, dancers, and fans are willing to travel in order to meet up. Professional performers are making personal sacrifices in order to be here, but the many people who come just to listen attests to the unique value of this event. For those new to the Festival please have a look at the Our Story page to learn about how it started and what Traditional Music means to us.

The Place

Nestled among rolling hills of ranchland, the little town of Princeton is the gateway to the Okanagan. About 300 km from Vancouver, it is the first town after Hope along the Crowsnest Highway. Summers are hot and dry - just what we like for our festival which takes place mostly in the streets.

Donate

In addition to the sponsors, this festival is primarily supported by hard work and artists who perform for free. However, we aim to pay for artist's meals and at least part of their transportation costs. Please consider contributing in order to help maintain this important cultural event.

Become a Member

You can support the continuing operation of the festival by buying a $10 membership.

Volunteers

Every year we need a stage crew, MCs, office staff, and many other important helpers. If you want to be part of this exciting event in this way, please let us know. volunteers@princetontraditional.org

Vendors

We encourage the sale of food, crafts, art, and more at the Festival. Please contact the Vendor Coordinator. vendors@princetontraditional.org

Sponsors

Funding for the Festival comes from donations, as well as grants from the Town of Princeton, the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen, and the Province of British Columbia.

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