Meet the Staff
Jody Adams is a multi-instrumentalist who has studied and performed professionally on a variety of instruments, among them the fiddle, mandolin and banjo. He's recorded five CDs and is in high demand as a performer on the Front Range. Jody brings a special motivation to the group lessons for the beginning student of these instruments and offers a seasoned approached for his songwriting and music marketing classes as well. His songs have been recorded by a variety of acoustic, country, gospel and bluegrass artists for the last fifteen years.
Cathy Camp-Davidson holds a Master's degree in Music – Double Bass Performance and performs with the Colorado Springs Philharmonic. Throughout her music career she has performed in a wide variety of groups including western, bluegrass, rock, folk, and classical, and is currently managing and performing in three of her own groups.
Shannon Carr was born and raised in Alabama and has been playing since he could hold a guitar. After playing in several bands and studying music in College, he moved to Colorado and gave birth to Grass It Up, lately an immensely popular bluegrass band where Shannon plays guitar, harmonica and banjo (3 finger and Clawhammer).
Ray DeMers is the founder and director of Colorado's Mandolin Orchestra. He has been performing professionally for over 40 years, and has over 24 years teaching experience on mandolin, guitar, bass, Dobro, and mandola.
Michael Dunn started his professional music career as a road musician in 1967. In the early eighties, Michael was a member of the popular local band The Colorado Swings Band. More recently, Michael has performed with The Tube Radio Orchestra and Jazz Beau's Rent Party. Michael has studied guitar with both Fred Noyes and Michael Dowling.
Kailin Yong has been an educator and clinician of violin for more than ten years, teaching in all kinds of settings in the USA and abroad. As an educator, Kailin works with students of all ages and abilities to unleash their creativity and inspire them to make music without boundaries and find their own voice through improvisation. He is a founding member of the innovative quartet Boulder Acoustic Society; he also plays with Tango Camerata, Strings of Tao and Saltanah Middle Eastern Ensemble. He counts fiddle wizard Darol Anger and jazz guru Art Lande among his musical mentors.
Charlie Hall, one of the founders of the Black Rose Acoustic Society, holds a bachelor's degree in music education and has played and taught string and wind instruments for many years. He currently teaches private lessons on guitar, bass, mandolin, and plays with a number of local performers. He performed for ten years with the popular bluegrass/folk group Black Rose, was a finalist in the 2000 National Finger Style Guitar championship, and was nominated Bluegrass Guitarist of the Year by the Colorado Bluegrass Music Society in 1996. Click here for his website.
Doug Huggins is a local performer (multi-instrumental and vocals) who has performed locally with the Rare Ould Times, Inisheer, Celtic Cross, occasionally with the Mountain Road Ceili Band, and with folk and traditional Irish bands in Iceland, Japan and China. Doug is also a regular performer at various traditional sessions in the area. He has attended classes at the Frankie Kennedy Winter School in Donegal and locally has taught beginning whistle and bodhran for some time.
Eric Olson has been playing Irish music since rocks were new; bluegrass and folk before that. Eric says "there is something about music that just keeps me in its spell. Sharing it with others is one of the very favorite things I do."
Marianne Danehy teaches Suzuki violin and fiddling in Colorado Springs; her students range from children age 4 to adults. She has played with several symphony orchestras, church music groups and is the fiddler for the bluegrass band Blue Sage. She received her Suzuki teacher's training from Kathleen Spring in Aurora, Colorado. She is a registered Suzuki Instructor for Book 1 – Book 4. She has an interest in fiddle and has learned from many fiddlers at workshops and at The Colorado Roots Music Camp. Member: Suzuki Association of the Americas, Inc.
Debbie Seychelle has 25 years experience as a voice teacher, teaching private voice lessons in Tulsa, OK, Windsor, CO and Colorado Springs. Debbie graduated from University of Northern Colorado with a minor in music. She finish her music training at Grace Fellowship School of the Local Church, Tulsa, OK. She is experienced at performing in front of large audiences.
John Swayne is a performing songwriter with 35 years experience writing songs. He is a member of BMI and NSAI. He's been a staff writer with Don King Music in Nashville, TN and has had several of his songs recorded by Nashville recording artists, and others. He has taught songwriting workshops locally, in Nashville, as well as online. For more information refer to johnswayne.com.
Luke Tripp has over 10 years of experience in teaching string instruments and fiddle and has performed in venue's varying from circus's to concert halls. He currently teaches private lessons and performs with Duke Davis and the Buckshot Boys, and a variety of local artists.
Adam Gardino has been dazzling audiences across Colorado and Kansas since 2005. Sharing the stage with such acts as Grammy winners Doug Smith, Pat Donohue and Al Petteway, he blends a wide mix of music from acoustic blues, to jazz, classical, country and rock. In 2010 he took 3rd Place at the International Fingerstyle Competition at the Walnut Valley Festival. Adam is also a phenomenal composer and songwriter, and his solo acoustic compositions and arrangements show intense musical insight and depth.