CANADA

Jean-Michel VEILLON has created a place for the wooden transverse flute in the traditional music of Brittany, France . Over the years, he has developed a type of playing that is both very “flutistic” and very close to the tradition sung or played in Brittany. His perfectly identifiable style is now recognized in Brittany as much as in Ireland. Self-taught, he draws his repertoire from the Breton and Gaelic tradition in general, but his playing betrays – through furtive phrases – a deep interest in various flutes from all over the world.

One of Ireland’s finest flute players and gifted teachers, June comes from Ballintogher, Co. Sligo. In 1998, she was awarded The TG4 Gradam ‘Young Musician of the Year Award’ in the Town Hall Theatre in Galway, and that same year, she won the All Ireland Senior Flute Competition at Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann in Ballina. A primary school teacher by profession, June has published two seminal flute tutorial books in recent years, Fliúit (2006) and Fliúit 2 (2009).  She has recorded three CDs with Michael Rooney; ‘Tobar an Cheoil’ (2022), ‘Land’s End’ (2006) and Draíocht’ (2004). June is a member of Sligo’s Dartry Ceili Band.

The early flute, recorder virtuoso and conductor Francis Colpron is recognized as one of the most talented musicians of his generation. His capacity for artistic and interpretative innovation and integrity has earned him worldwide acclaim by the public, critics and cultural authorities. Francis is the founder and artistic director of the ensemble Les Boréades de Montréal. Each year, he organizes a highly popular Montreal season with the latter, performs in North America and Europe and records under the Atma Classiques label. Francis’ music making is always endlessly creative, dazzling, thought provoking, fun, generous and welcoming.

Bríd Harper is regarded as one of the leading Irish traditional fiddle players of the last forty years. She is an MA graduate of the Irish World Academy of Music & Dance at University of Limerick.  She has toured extensively and performed with many great musicians including Dermot Byrne, Steve Cooney, Arty McGlynn, Nollaig Casey, Maeve Donnelly, Harry Bradley, John Doyle, Sylvain Barou and more. Bríd is highly respected and much sought after as a teacher. She has tutored at Summer Schools and workshops throughout Ireland, The UK, The USA, Canada, many parts of mainland Europe, New Zealand and Australia.

For over three decades, David has enjoyed a double career as a Baroque violinist and Cape Breton fiddler. His fluency and experience in these two genres makes him uniquely qualified to interpret the wild music of 18th-century Scotland. He has recorded over 80 CDs, including three groundbreaking Scottish-Cape Breton-Baroque recordings with his own ensemble Puirt A Baroque in the 1990s. David co-authored The DunGreen Collection (1996), an influential treatise on Cape Breton fiddling. As a composer and arranger, many of his tunes have been recorded by Cape Breton musicians such as Buddy MacMaster, Carl MacKenzie, Jerry Holland, and The Rankins.

Michael Rooney is a prolific composer and widely regarded as one of the foremost players of the traditional Irish harp and anglo concertina. Michael was awarded the TG4 Composer of the Year in 2017. Originally from Scotstown, Co. Monaghan and now a long time resident of County Sligo, Michael has composed 19 suites of music in the past 20 years, including ‘A Deep Ravine’ (2023), ‘The Ulster Suite’ (2022), ‘Clairseoireacht’ (2022), Constance (2020), The Famine Suite (2019), The Macalla Suite (2016), Boróimhe Suite (2014), The Second Coming (2014), De Cuellar Suite (2011) and Battle of the Books Suite (2007).

Pierre Chartrand is a national treasure in Canada. His work as a step dancer, teacher, historian, ethnologist, choreographer, and caller, as well as sharing his love of dance, both traditional and ancient, has had a worldwide impact over the past 45 years. Pierre earned a master’s degree in dance from the Sorbonne in France, a Medal in traditional dance at the Jeux de la Francophonie (Madagascar – 1997) and Best Choreography Award from the Independent Reviewers Of New England (IRNE) in 2005. He is a founding member and former president of Danse traditionnelle Québec and a former president of the Conseil québécois du patrimoine vivant (CQPV).

Colin Cotter is a multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, recording artist, and creative-at-large from the San Francisco Bay Area who has played gigs from coast to coast in the USA, toured internationally in Canada, Ireland, and Spain, and teaches regularly at some of the top folk music camps in the country. Colin grew up immersed in Finnish, Irish and American folk music. When he was four years old, his mom Tuula Tossavainen began teaching him to play the fiddle tunes she had learned as a child, building on several generations of a family tradition in Finnish dance music and song.

Nick Halley is a drummer/percussionist, keyboardist, composer, and choral conductor. As a drummer and world percussionist, he has performed and recorded internationally with a wide range of world-class musicians. Nick is busy as a choral director in Halifax, Nova Scotia as the founder and Artistic Director of the Capella Regalis Men and Boys Choir, Assistant Director of Music at the Cathedral Church of All Saints, Halifax, where he co-directs choral services and concerts and assists with pipe organ accompaniment. Nick is a uniquely versatile musician, equally at home with classical English church music as with traditional jazz, with Brazilian percussion as with North African and South Indian rhythms.

The Boxwood Flute Choir, led by Andra Bohnet, explores new and delightful music for this unique sonic universe. The Boxwood Flute Choir is an eagerly anticipated part of Boxwood Canada 2025 and is open to all who are adventurous and love to play the flute!