A variety of talented entertainers keep the family amused, including family-friendly shows on both the Great Lawn Main Stage and the West Entrance Small Stage.
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Bios for Applefest Performers – 2022
Anthony Blackman is a steel drummer loved by many who have attended Applefest for the last seven years. The beautiful sounds of his expertly played steel drum will soothe or energize you depending on the tune. You will find him in various areas of the garden but mostly in the Children’s area during Applefest 2019. Contact: 778.227.1578
Blackthorn Blossoms ffeatures Michael Viens on guitars and vocals and Rosie Carver on fiddle. You may recognize them as half of Blackthorn, Vancouver’s longest running Celtic band. These two accomplished players have been making musical magic together for over 25 years and are regular fixtures on the local Celtic music scene. blackthornband.com
Rebecca Blair’s Rebecca Blair has been an active freelance harpist in the Vancouver folk music scene for years performing with groups such as the Maenads and Triskellion. Her audiences have included the International Bar Association, the Irish Ambassador and the President of Ireland. Her work includes sessions as a studio musician recording CD’s such as the Maenads, and Orra Chan. Rebecca regularly gives harp workshops in Vancouver as well as studies Irish dance. dancingharp.com
Dragonfly is a vocal and guitar duo, playing a mixture of contemporary tunes and jazz standards. They bring you songs of bright autumn days, sweet nostalgia, and apple pan dowdy!
Ellen van der Hoeven and Tom Rawson – Join Tom and Ellen for some humorous stories, user-friendly songs, and acoustic folk philosophy that’s guaranteed to leave you smiling. Armed with banjos, penny whistles, and other weapons of mass delight, Tom and Ellen will have you singing along in no time. Tune up your vocal chords; you’ll need ’em! ellenvdh@telus.net and tomrawson@gmail.com
The Hot Teas – The Hot Teas is an a cappella group established in 2013 and based in beautiful Vancouver, BC. Upon graduation from UBC (for some, with multiple degrees), they collectively realized that the only way to fill the a cappella-shaped hole in their hearts was to start a group of their own. While they may be young professionals by day, each singer has a musical history that includes 6-15 years of a cappella performance experience. The group rehearses over cups of hot tea and laughter, blending friendship and a love of harmony into a signature style. They sing everything from pop, funk to indie rock, and bring talent and a vast range of experience to the stage. Keep an eye out for The Hot Teas Celebratory 10 Year Concert happening in 2023! More information can be found at on our social media accounts: @thehotteas timothysma@gmail.com
The InCiders -Leah Williams and Mark Dowding have been performing together as a duo for over 20 years, creating the magic in the storytelling through thoughtful and expressive lyrics, blended with lush instrumental counterpoint. At AppleFest they will also feature Michael Burnyeat on fiddle. leah@windgod.ca
JES is Jane Slemon, Ellen van der Hoeven, and Susan Larkin. Braided voices backed by a tapestry of instruments and more than the sum of its parts, JES Trio cultivates a diverse repertoire that includes celtic, folk roots, and original songs. larkinsusan@hotmail.com
Judy Henry is a seasoned performer and a dedicated teacher with 40 years experience. She holds a Bachelor of Music and ARCT in flute performance but immersed herself in the study of the Celtic harp in the early 2000s. Judy’s repertoire is diverse and includes lovely classical, wistful Celtic, folk music of the British Isles, early music, sacred and selected popular. She combines her classical training with improvisation to create a perfect ambience for you. Judy maintains an active studio in White Rock B.C. (flute, piano, Celtic harp and music theory) and performs all over the Lower Mainland. judyhenrymusic.com
The Lawless Firm – They play music from the American songbook of the thirties, forties and fifties. The style and feel of the music is early French Gypsy jazz. Our chanteuse Eleanore will be backed up by Joe Bourchier on bass, Edgar Bridwell on violin and Michael Dunn on guitar. Rhythmic 4 to the bar and energetic, the band will have heads bobbing and toes tapping while putting a smile on faces. Contact them at: guitarbuilder43@gmail.com
Luc Lemans cut his teeth as a one-man party band, performing in the clubs, barrooms, and carnivals of Canada, armed with a loop station and a battered electric guitar. His live performances are fun, energetic, and lean, mimicking the sound of a full band with only a drum machine and a loop station. From pop-rock barn burners to funky R&B confections, LeMans’s music always guarantees a good time! luc.emmanuel.music@gmail.com
Lynn McGown, Michael Pratt and Michael Burnyeat Lynn and Michael Pratt have an infectious love of singing that has delighted audiences in Vancouver for thirty years. They have played at the Vancouver Folk Music Festival four times, various concerts and Folk Clubs throughout Canada and the British Isles. “They sing with a wonderful sense of fun, passion and with harmonies both beautiful and unique. Their songs range from traditional to contemporary but always touch the heart, entertain or delight. They will be joined by Michael Burnyeat who started fiddle lessons in Vancouver at the Open Door Music School then Celtic Traditions in 2009 at the age of twelve. With his prodigious talent he went on become a two-time BC fiddle champion. You will have the opportunity to lift your voices in chorus and tap your feet clap their hands to some wonderful fiddle music. They can be contacted at: lynnmcgown@shaw.ca
Maria Ho and Bob York. With a smile in her voice, Maria’s impeccable articulation and diction captivate audiences in a musical breeze of swinging standards, Brazilian rhythms and pop classics. Maria has recorded with top Canadian and international musicians. Maria has performed in Italy, Las Vegas, Denver and North Carolina, and was invited to perform at a syndicated show in Las Vegas. She has released 3 albums, with rotation airplay in New York, Denver and California. Maria has recently written a number of original compositions, and is now working on a recording project with Fred Stride, orchestra conductor and music director at UBC. Bob York had two careers in his life. One as a graphic designer at Chan-TV and BCTV, then Global TV, for 23 years. He paralleled that job with playing piano on weekends for the various hotels and clubs in Vancouver, places like the old Rossini’s Jazz Bar and Sylvia Hotel. While at BCTV, he used his musical skills to compose TV themes for the station. Currently, he has performed for Seniors’ care and assisted living homes throughout the Lower Mainland. mariah809@gmail.com
Michael and Kosta – Michael Burnyeat and Kosta Bozhinov are a fiddle-accordion duo who play lively Celtic, Folk, and World music. Michael is a two-time BC Fiddle Champion and co-founder of the UBC Fiddle Club. He performs in a variety of music projects and is an in-demand music instructor. Kosta is a multi-instrumentalist and classically trained folk musician, teacher and researcher with a PhD in Musicology. He performs in many different genres of music from Early Music to Balkan, to Celtic and Breton and beyond. michaelburnyeat@gmail.com
Sangre Morena – Romance, passion and lively rhythms. Sangre Morena is a musical duo that performs music from Mexico, Latin America and Spain. We bring the most beloved Spanish-language songs to life with beautiful, passionate singing and the fiery sounds of the Flamenco Guitar. sangremorena.com
Tim Readman and Prairie Wolfe – Tim is a musician, singer, songwriter, producer and music journalist that engages the audience with his stories and songs. Prairie Wolfe has a rhythmic, driving fiddle style that blends well with Tim’s guitar playing and gets toes tapping.
The Trout Lake Trio –Trout Lake Trio is a new grouping of songwriters and tune makers who share music that is serious and silly, poignant and original – all in a variety of genres. They are Jane Slemon – guitar and flute, Bernard Gobin – fiddle and Kitty King – bass. For more information contact Jane Slemon at: jslemon@telus.net
The Tiddley Cove Morris Dancers is a women’s Morris dance and music group that has been active in the Vancouver area for over thirty years. Originally from England, these dances are part of a worldwide family of ritual ceremonial dances sharing the common features of colour, vitality, disguise and choreography based on circles and processions. Morris traces its roots back to medieval times, although we like to say that its origins are lost in the mists of time, and was traditionally done to mark both seasonal and agricultural highlights such as first ploughing, harvests and summer solstice. It later became an important part of most village and town community celebrations. Our costumes and music reflect the lively, celebratory nature of this ancient English tradition. facebook.com/TiddleyCoveMorrisDance
The Vancouver Morris Men were formed in Vancouver BC Canada in 1982 to maintain English folk traditions, specifically the Morris, locally. They have danced throughout the Lower Mainland and have often ventured further afield. They have toured the Okanagan, the Gulf Islands and three times to England. They use their performances to celebrate the changing of the seasons throughout the year. The Spring and Summer are the seasons when they perform South Midlands morris, while Welsh Border morris and Molly are performed during the Autumn (Fall) and Winter. Most of their mummer’s plays are performed at the appropriate traditional seasonal time – however, they have one, modern play which they perform year round.
They sometimes incorporate seasonal songs into their performances and they certainly sing them at the pub afterwards! The Morris is essentially a public performance – as such, they commonly dance it on the streets, in parks, often in the vicinity of good pubs. However they also perform at folk festivals, community events and private functions. vancouvermorrismen.org
The Wheat in the Barley features Mark Dowding (whistles, woodwinds & harmonica), Annie Brown (violin & vocals), Victor Smith (accordion, whistles and percussion), Steve Gidora (guitars, mandolin and lead vocals). This is Canadian roots music with a major make-over. Crack songwriting, brilliant and warped arrangements and stunning instrumental solos unite under an eclectic banner that’s been the band’s trademark for a quarter century. The Wheat in the Barley pulls together a lot of great influences into one package: Celtic, Slavic, French Canadian, Yiddish, Cajun and more. These roots tunes provide a frame for original songs and inventive arrangements of traditional songs as well. With an impressive array of instruments at their command, the band puts on a show that’s as danceable as it is listenable. wheatinthebarley.com