Gearoid OhAllmhurain: Gearoid holds five All-Ireland championships as a soloist on both the concertina and the uilleann pipes, and as a member of the legendary KILFENORA CEILI BAND (Ireland's oldest traditional dance band). A gentleman and a scholar, Gearoid is also a distinguished music historian and is the Jefferson Smurfit Corporation Professor of Irish Studies at the University of Missouri-St Louis. In addition to sharing his considerable expertise in all things concertina, he may also teach us how to pronounce his name correctly!

Pierre Schryer: As a solo performer Pierre has received numerous titles and awards including Canadian Open Fiddle Champion, Canadian Grand Masters Fiddle Champion, Violoneux Championnat, and North American Irish Fiddle Champion. Pierre truly captivates audiences with his energy, genuine warmth, and flawless ability in any style from Irish, Scottish and Québecois, to Canadian, American, or Swing. In addition to his talent as a musician, Pierre is also a renowned water colour artist and luthier, and currently performs on one of his own violins. His uncanny resemblance to Captain Morgan also assures his popularity in Newfoundland.

Ian Clark: A solid grounding in swing guitar has given Ian a seemingly unlimited chord vocabulary and a great sense of groove. Though brought up in Scotland, his passion for Celtic playing only developed when he discovered Ottawa's session scene, and he soon became a favourite among that city's many great players, adding a mastery of DADGAD tuning to his already broad palate. In 2002 Ian and Pierre recorded a live duo CD called Heat of the Moment; a classic showcase of uninhibited and inventive duet playing. He has also performed in the last few years with the FRIENDS OF FIDDLER'S GREEN and lived to tell tale. We wonder how he'll make out with Frank Maher....

The Mahers Bahers: Newfoundland traditional group the MAHERS BAHERS (Frank Maher-accordion, Jean Hewson-guitar, Christina Smith-fiddle, Rick West-bodhran) have played at events and festivals from St. John's to Vancouver, interpreting their repertoire of Newfoundland singles, jigs and reels with great speed, passion and humour. Their recent CD, Mahervelous ! (2005), garnered two Canadian Folk Music Award nominations. Frank has a long list of accolades (and accolytes) to his name including the Stompin' Tom Connors Award from the East Coast Music Awards Association in February 2007. An international incident was narrowly avoided at the ECMAS when Frank almost threw Bud the Spud into a deep fat fryer during an all-night party with the Trailer Park Boys.