Scottish Weekend

Steve is from the Isle of Arran in the west of Scotland where the Gaelic language and Celtic culture are still strong. For the past 25 years he has traveled the world on small expedition ships, mainly with National Geographic, as an historian, international tour guide, and cultural expert. He has several books in print, has appeared on TV and radio on both sides of the Atlantic, and regularly gives presentations at conferences and events. His presentations are informative, relevant and often from a unique perspective. When he is not on the High Seas, he leads small, custom designed group tours to Scotland.

Mike has been piping since 1977, learning from PM Avery Head, of the Syracuse Scottish Pipe Band. He later joined the Manchester Pipe Band, under the direction of PM Chuck Murdoch, which is one of our oldest bands, having been founded in 1914. He is the instructor for the Police Pipes & Drums of Waterbury Connecticut, and has worked with the Catamount Pipe Band of Vermont. Mike is the Pipe Major of the Stephen P. Driscoll Memorial Pipe Band of Carmel, New York, and is a founding member of Bagad New York, the only Breton style pipe band in North America. He plays a variety of Scottish, Irish and Western European bagpipes and has been a prominent figure in the revival of Scottish smallpipes in the Northeast. A stalwart of the pipe band scene, Mike has also played at festivals, workshops, dances and concerts for over 40 years. Based in the Hudson Valley, he makes and repairs bagpipes, teaches and performs. Mike leads the Mohonk Pipe Band Ensemble this weekend and is joined by Alex Bartholomew, Dave Wonsey, and Ian Bennett.

Patrick is a professional artist, designer, sculptor and printmaker. He specializes in carved decorative architectural artifacts for public, private and spiritual environments. His expertise is in the Book of Kells style of Celtic Art. He has taught Celtic studio art at hundreds of venues including three Summer Celtic Art Workshops at the Oideas Gael School at Glencolumkille in Ireland. Mr. Gallagher is an Adjunct Professor at the County College of Morris. He teaches Sculpture, Three Dimensional Design and Art History. He has a Masters in Fine Arts Education from Kean University. Please visit his YouTube Channel under Patrick Gallagher Celtic Art. For more information: [email protected] and at: www.celtart.com

Ave apprenticed to learn the art of kilt making with Doreen Browning, owner of “Kiltmakers Apprentice” in Highland, NY. Doreen was apprenticed to Ann Stewart (1938-2022), a renowned kilt maker who is responsible for teaching many kilt makers in the Eastern United States. Ava’s interest in tartan stems back from her first trip to Edinburgh, Scotland, when she was eight years old. Her parents would not let her purchase the expensive clan tartan of her mother’s namesake from a tourist shop due to its expense, and yet the fire was lit. Ava has a background in fine arts and has a BFA from Purchase College Conservatory of Filmmaking. She lives in Port Jervis, NY with her three daughters and her husband, Jeremy Freeman, who is a competitive professional bagpiper. Her Kilt Business is called “Lamb’s Kin Kilt Co.”

Named for Mohonk’s iconic Sky Top lookout, the Sky Top Highland Dancers bring the precision, power, and spirit of Highland dance to Scottish Weekend. The 2027 celebration marks Kendra Monroe’s 13th appearance and Emily Ritter’s 11th. For both dancers, returning to Mohonk has become a cherished tradition and a performance they prepare for all year. Kendra directs the Monroe School of Highland Dance in Hillsborough, North Carolina. Emily co-directs the NYC School of Highland Dance and performs with Shot of Scotch NYC, where she and Kendra first met. Both are certified teachers and accomplished premier-level dancers who delight in sharing the artistry and athleticism of Highland dance with Mohonk audiences.

Managed by Margaret Mackenzie, The Castle Point Scottish Country Dancers dance in regional branches of the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society. The ensemble team this year will present both modern and traditional dances. Dancing with Margaret this year are Alice Doyle, Mary Gray, Suzanne Paynter, Becka Pouy, Ian Foster, Keith Myers, and Adrian Velonis. Some of the dancers are certified Scottish dance instructors. All have intensively studied this dance form and share a passion for its grace, intricacy, and pure fun. Margaret Mackenzie has been dancing Scottish for almost 15 years. In addition to teaching Scottish country-dance, she works in research administration, performs as an orchestral, and chamber harpist. She is delighted to bring the team back to Mohonk.

Jill Chambless has performed across the US, Canada, Scotland, and Israel with a variety of Celtic and traditional music groups and artists, including Henri’s Notions, Chambless & Muse, Scottish singer Ed Miller, Scottish fiddler John Taylor, Vulcan Eejits!, The Mairtin de Cogain Project, the John Whelan Trio, and the Vogt Family Contra Band. She has completed numerous recordings and appeared as a guest artist on other musicians’ projects. Scooter Muse, an accomplished five-string banjo player with roots in bluegrass, transitioned to Celtic guitar in the late 1980s and founded the Full Moon Ensemble, performing across the US and Scotland for eight years before joining Henri’s Notions in 2003. In addition to multiple recordings with the ensemble and Jill, he has released two solo albums of mostly original guitar instrumentals, Saddell Abbey (2005) and Road to Kintyre (2021). Dan Vogt, a longtime rock guitarist who has played in various Tuscaloosa-based bands since the early 1980s, developed an interest in Celtic-style acoustic guitar in DADGAD tuning after years of attending Celtic music events with Jill. He later took up the bouzouki and tenor banjo and is now passionate about Irish, Scottish, English, and American folk and traditional music. Dan also works at The Guitar Gallery of Alabama. For more information, visit www.jilchambless.weebly.com.