Meet our amazing instructors for 2019!
Annie Lou
With banjo and guitar in hand, Annie Lou invites us in to the joyful marriage of old and new music, where we laugh, cry, dance, reflect and connect. Her ballads, tunes, and songs are painted with a palette of oldtime folk and bluegrass, and her vocal warmth blends the sweet tones of the McGarrigles with the raw emotion of Hazel Dickens. A storyteller at heart, Annie Lou maps the homescapes of our lives and times in the world, shining a warm light on the hard ones as well as the good ones.
A Juno and multiple WCMA nominee, Genest is also committed to sharing the joy of music through teaching in both individual and group settings. She has taught at Nimblefingers Bluegrass and Old-Time Music Workshop, the Northern Lights Bluegrass and Old Tyme Music Camp, Georgia Strait Guitar Workshop, and at the Big Swig Banjo Camp. She is thrilled to be returning for her third year at Mountain Fever!
With banjo and guitar in hand, Annie Lou invites us in to the joyful marriage of old and new music, where we laugh, cry, dance, reflect and connect. Her ballads, tunes, and songs are painted with a palette of oldtime folk and bluegrass, and her vocal warmth blends the sweet tones of the McGarrigles with the raw emotion of Hazel Dickens. A storyteller at heart, Annie Lou maps the homescapes of our lives and times in the world, shining a warm light on the hard ones as well as the good ones.
A Juno and multiple WCMA nominee, Genest is also committed to sharing the joy of music through teaching in both individual and group settings. She has taught at Nimblefingers Bluegrass and Old-Time Music Workshop, the Northern Lights Bluegrass and Old Tyme Music Camp, Georgia Strait Guitar Workshop, and at the Big Swig Banjo Camp. She is thrilled to be returning for her third year at Mountain Fever!
Ben Rogalsky
Ben Rogalsky
Ben Rogalsky is a Vancouver BC-based composer and multi-instrumentalist who comes from a diverse musical background, performing and studying music in North America, Central America, Southeast Asia, Europe and Japan. With acclaimed Canadian roots band The Breakmen, he released three albums, toured extensively throughout Canada and in the USA, and with them was nominated for two Canadian Folk Music Awards and won an Independent Music Award. He composed for and toured with Uzume Taiko and Gamelan Madu Sari, has taught Indonesian gamelan music at Simon Fraser University, writes music for dance and theatre, and has been nominated for a Jessie Richardson Award for his original music. He is a lead conspirator in the Vancouver collective the East Van Country Band, and has an ongoing country duet project with singer-songwriter Marin Patenaude. He is also a sound engineer and performance designer (lighting, sound, projection), and is the Technical Director at SFU’s School for the Contemporary Arts.
Ben brings a range of experience teaching at music camps, including Nimblefingers (BC) and Camp He Ho Ha (AB), as well as private instruction. He is passionate about learning, and truly enjoys working with musicians of all experience levels. He thrives on collaboration and group energy, the thrill of ensemble musicianship and supporting each other, the magic of creating a whole that ends up greater than the sum of its parts. Ben is looking forward to seeing new friends and old and spending a week making music together.
Ben Rogalsky is a Vancouver BC-based composer and multi-instrumentalist who comes from a diverse musical background, performing and studying music in North America, Central America, Southeast Asia, Europe and Japan. With acclaimed Canadian roots band The Breakmen, he released three albums, toured extensively throughout Canada and in the USA, and with them was nominated for two Canadian Folk Music Awards and won an Independent Music Award. He composed for and toured with Uzume Taiko and Gamelan Madu Sari, has taught Indonesian gamelan music at Simon Fraser University, writes music for dance and theatre, and has been nominated for a Jessie Richardson Award for his original music. He is a lead conspirator in the Vancouver collective the East Van Country Band, and has an ongoing country duet project with singer-songwriter Marin Patenaude. He is also a sound engineer and performance designer (lighting, sound, projection), and is the Technical Director at SFU’s School for the Contemporary Arts.
Ben brings a range of experience teaching at music camps, including Nimblefingers (BC) and Camp He Ho Ha (AB), as well as private instruction. He is passionate about learning, and truly enjoys working with musicians of all experience levels. He thrives on collaboration and group energy, the thrill of ensemble musicianship and supporting each other, the magic of creating a whole that ends up greater than the sum of its parts. Ben is looking forward to seeing new friends and old and spending a week making music together.
Darcy Whiteside
Darcy Whiteside
Darcy Whiteside started playing banjo at the age of eight. In his teens he was fortunate to have Canadian banjo champion Jake Peters move to his hometown.
Since then he has played banjo across Canada with Maple Creek bluegrass band, then with The Bix Mix Boys. He has taught banjo, guitar and vocals in various workshops. Every Wednesday he teaches a Bluegrass 101 course for the Northern Bluegrass Music Circle Society. The course focuses on one song for an hour, covering harmonies, instrumentation and other intracacies that make the song interesting and bluegrass.
Darcy Whiteside also hosts the Bluegrass Hour on CKUA and Prairie Pickin' on CJSR.
Darcy Whiteside started playing banjo at the age of eight. In his teens he was fortunate to have Canadian banjo champion Jake Peters move to his hometown.
Since then he has played banjo across Canada with Maple Creek bluegrass band, then with The Bix Mix Boys. He has taught banjo, guitar and vocals in various workshops. Every Wednesday he teaches a Bluegrass 101 course for the Northern Bluegrass Music Circle Society. The course focuses on one song for an hour, covering harmonies, instrumentation and other intracacies that make the song interesting and bluegrass.
Darcy Whiteside also hosts the Bluegrass Hour on CKUA and Prairie Pickin' on CJSR.
Ivan Rosenberg
Ivan Rosenberg
Now living in Toronto, Ontario, Ivan was a university instructor before becoming a professional musician, and he is well known for his enjoyable and systematic Dobro, clawhammer, and bluegrass jamming instruction. Ivan has taught at music camps over 60 times, including ResoSummit, Walker Creek Music Camp, Old School Bluegrass Camp, Sore Fingers, Acoustic Music Camp, 108 Mile Cabin Fever, British Columbia Bluegrass Workshop, California Bluegrass Association Music Camp, and most other notable acoustic camps.
Ivan has released seven solo albums, and his original music has appeared in the background of over 450 television programs and films including The Daily Show and Oprah. Ivan earned an IBMA Award for co-writing the 2009 Song of the Year; played Dobro on the CD Southern Filibuster: A Tribute to Tut Taylor (produced by Jerry Douglas); and performed with Chris Coole, The Foggy Hogtown Boys, Chris Jones & The Night Drivers, the April Verch Bigger Band, John Reischman and the Jaybirds, Lizzy Hoyt, Chris Stuart & Backcountry, and many more.
Now living in Toronto, Ontario, Ivan was a university instructor before becoming a professional musician, and he is well known for his enjoyable and systematic Dobro, clawhammer, and bluegrass jamming instruction. Ivan has taught at music camps over 60 times, including ResoSummit, Walker Creek Music Camp, Old School Bluegrass Camp, Sore Fingers, Acoustic Music Camp, 108 Mile Cabin Fever, British Columbia Bluegrass Workshop, California Bluegrass Association Music Camp, and most other notable acoustic camps.
Ivan has released seven solo albums, and his original music has appeared in the background of over 450 television programs and films including The Daily Show and Oprah. Ivan earned an IBMA Award for co-writing the 2009 Song of the Year; played Dobro on the CD Southern Filibuster: A Tribute to Tut Taylor (produced by Jerry Douglas); and performed with Chris Coole, The Foggy Hogtown Boys, Chris Jones & The Night Drivers, the April Verch Bigger Band, John Reischman and the Jaybirds, Lizzy Hoyt, Chris Stuart & Backcountry, and many more.
Jeff Dill
Jeff Dill
Jeff Dill began music at a young age, singing in his school choir and playing piano and trumpet in his school jazz ensemble. His earliest performance memory is singing a solo with his choir at age 9, for the song Old Paint. As a teen he taught himself to play guitar, and formed his first band, playing original songs and rock covers. He has spent the last ten years immersed in the Victoria bluegrass and old-time scene playing rhythm and lead guitar. With a strong passion for traditional bluegrass and western swing, he performs regularly with fiddler Miriam Sonstenes (Old Paint Duo) and is a founding member of Flash In The Pan.
His musical travels have taken him to Ireland, North Carolina, Louisiana, and across Canada on VIA Rail's Artists on Board Program. He has also spent time studying celtic guitar accompaniment, playing with Victoria's Riverside Bluegrass Band, and even did a stint playing klezmer guitar with the Yiddish Columbia State Orchestra. As a dedicated teacher he has shared his love of guitar playing at workshops across BC, including Vancouver Island Music Workshop, and Nimblefingers Bluegrass & Old Time Workshop.
Jeff Dill began music at a young age, singing in his school choir and playing piano and trumpet in his school jazz ensemble. His earliest performance memory is singing a solo with his choir at age 9, for the song Old Paint. As a teen he taught himself to play guitar, and formed his first band, playing original songs and rock covers. He has spent the last ten years immersed in the Victoria bluegrass and old-time scene playing rhythm and lead guitar. With a strong passion for traditional bluegrass and western swing, he performs regularly with fiddler Miriam Sonstenes (Old Paint Duo) and is a founding member of Flash In The Pan.
His musical travels have taken him to Ireland, North Carolina, Louisiana, and across Canada on VIA Rail's Artists on Board Program. He has also spent time studying celtic guitar accompaniment, playing with Victoria's Riverside Bluegrass Band, and even did a stint playing klezmer guitar with the Yiddish Columbia State Orchestra. As a dedicated teacher he has shared his love of guitar playing at workshops across BC, including Vancouver Island Music Workshop, and Nimblefingers Bluegrass & Old Time Workshop.
Jim Malmberg
A self-taught multi-instrumentalist, Jim’s passion for music was ignited by discovering Doc Watson as a young adult. He has focused on guitar and mandolin, writing and playing bluegrass, old-time music, folk, and early 20th century swing.
Jim Malmberg
Jodi Harbin
Jodi Harbin is a career musician who teaches mandolin, guitar, banjo and bass. She was the founder of the Colorado bluegrass band, Lonesome Traveler, and has continued her involvement in the bluegrass community after moving to the Knoxville area. She now performs with several groups including The Savage Hearts, and with her husband Tim Harbin. Working with Steve Kaufman at his camp every summer has exposed her to a wide range of teachers and teaching materials on all the bluegrass instruments.
In addition to leading workshops and teaching camps, she maintains a private lesson studio with 40 students weekly."
Jodi Harbin
Miriam Sonstenes
Miriam Sonstenes is a versatile fiddle player, formally trained in classical music and well versed in many styles including Old Time and Bluegrass. Growing in up Germany until the age of nine, music was an integral part of her early childhood. Miriam discovered fiddle music while finishing up a classical violin degree at the University of Victoria. She found herself drawn to Irish, Appalachian, swing and bluegrass, the roots music which has come to inspire her current playing, projects and compositions. She has spent the last twelve years performing, teaching and composing music steeped in folk traditions.
Miriam is a member of the award winning acoustic roots trio The Sweet Lowdown. The group has toured Canada, the US and the UK, and in 2015 was featured on CBC's Vinyl Cafe with Stuart McLean. Recently, Miriam received a Canada Council for The Arts grant to study with bluegrass fiddle legend Bobby Hicks in North Carolina. She is currently performing with partner Jeff Dill (Old Paint Duo), The Sweet Lowdown, and The Unfaithful Servants. When not on the road, she has a full teaching studio at home. Her straight forward approach, infused with a broad knowledge of styles and techniques keeps her in demand at workshops and camps in BC and across Canada.
Miriam Sonstenes
Miriam Sonstenes is a versatile fiddle player, formally trained in classical music and well versed in many styles including Old Time and Bluegrass. Growing in up Germany until the age of nine, music was an integral part of her early childhood. Miriam discovered fiddle music while finishing up a classical violin degree at the University of Victoria. She found herself drawn to Irish, Appalachian, swing and bluegrass, the roots music which has come to inspire her current playing, projects and compositions. She has spent the last twelve years performing, teaching and composing music steeped in folk traditions.
Miriam is a member of the award winning acoustic roots trio The Sweet Lowdown. The group has toured Canada, the US and the UK, and in 2015 was featured on CBC's Vinyl Cafe with Stuart McLean. Recently, Miriam received a Canada Council for The Arts grant to study with bluegrass fiddle legend Bobby Hicks in North Carolina. She is currently performing with partner Jeff Dill (Old Paint Duo), The Sweet Lowdown, and The Unfaithful Servants. When not on the road, she has a full teaching studio at home. Her straight forward approach, infused with a broad knowledge of styles and techniques keeps her in demand at workshops and camps in BC and across Canada.
Penny Malmberg
Penny Malmberg
Penny is a story telling, singing, songwriting people person with a contagious zest for life. While she started playing guitar at the age of 13, it wasn’t until her early 40’s and her kids were grown that she dusted off her guitar and started writing songs.
Penny is a story telling, singing, songwriting people person with a contagious zest for life. While she started playing guitar at the age of 13, it wasn’t until her early 40’s and her kids were grown that she dusted off her guitar and started writing songs.
Tracy Lynn
Tracy Lynn is singer, songwriter and musician. Tracy has an active engagement schedule performing as a solo artist, as well as with the SAVAGE HEARTS! Tracy Lynn & Annie Savage recently released a duo gospel album TWO COATS, premiering its release at IBMA this past September in North Carolina.
Having her hand in music for nearly 50 years and with a background steeped in old country, Carter Family style music or whatever the ‘album of the month’ was when it arrived in the mail, Tracy brings a versatile and inclusive approach to her music.
Upon returning to her hometown on Vancouver Island in 2015, Tracy opened Sound Waves Lesson Studio. At the studio Tracy teaches a variety of music lessons. Whether in a private session, group classes, beginner or intermediate jam class, Tracy is passionate in her goal to ‘get people playing music together!’ With a student base ranging from ages 3.5 - 78 years old, Tracy clearly has the ability to bring players together, create a comfortable learning environment and develop relationships that support the making of a good jam!
In addition to keeping up with her own students, Tracy can be found teaching and facilitating groups at music camps, special events and wherever an opportunity to support rising musicians presents itself.