Gaye Fifer is an accomplished caller from Pittsburgh, PA. An active dancer herself, Gaye understands the subtleties of making dances particularly satisfying for dancers. Her instructions are clear and concise, as she is a teacher by profession. An easy smile and delightful sense of humor are part of Gaye’s relaxed, pleasant style at the microphone. Gaye calls contra and English dances throughout the US and Canada.  We are so happy that Gaye is returning to Stellar after many years when she last called for us!

Wendy Graham:

Wendy Graham (Brasstown, NC) is a self-described “dance maniac.” Her passion for traditional folk music, song, and dance caught fire in 1991 on a youth dance tour in Denmark. Today, she leads many kinds of dance, including English Country, American contras and squares, partner (swing, latin, waltz, blues, country), community and intergenerational dance, and line dances at community and private events around the country and abroad —from Alaska to Denmark and everywhere in between. When not leading and teaching dance, Wendy programs dance weeks/weekends and classes for teens and adults at the John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, North Carolina. She proudly served on the Lloyd Shaw Foundation and Country Dance and Song Society (CDSS) board and Lifetime Contribution Award committee. She is a current CDSS nominating committee member.  Stellar THANKS Wendy for being a long time member of our Stellar community – having called for us many times!

SUPERTRAD:

featuring

Sam Bartlett – mandolin, tenor banjo, 5-string banjo
Eric Schedler – piano, accordian
Owen Morrison – guitar, foot percussion
Dave Langford – fiddle

Supertrad – This band is a sonic supernova…a percussive chocolate pavlova….  a rolling ocean… They make your dancing so easy to do. The phrasing, moods, and modes and then something explodes….. …..Sam Bartlett and Eric Schedler are center, a tour de force of traditional Irish music on accordion and banjo, two friends from Bloomington, Indiana, but have played tunes with each other nearly every week for 15 years.

Then there is the frenzy, caress and the pounding of Dave Langford’s fiddle. Dave is from the heart of contraland, outer Boston, and has circumnavigated our beloved dance world for most of his adult life.  On the other side, the band is complemented and counterpointed by the wild THRUM of Owen Morrison’s guitar, accompanied by Owen Morrison’s foot percussion, and also Owen Morrison playing guitar solos, like the 4th, 5th, and 6th member of a four piece band. What the dancer said to them, after that last dance “when you play like that, I need to smoke a cigarette afterwards.”  This band…. so TRAD and so SUPER. They have played for contra dancers all over the country and they cannot wait to play for YOU.

More about these band members, and click below to demo their music:

Blue Sky on Walnut – Supertrad (Sam Bartlett & Eric Schelder)

+ Sam Bartlett, is a traditional musician known throughout the United States contra dance circuit for his mandolin, banjo, and guitar playing as well as his original music. His compositions have been profiled on NPR’s All Things Considered and his playing has been featured in two Ken Burns documentaries, Prohibition and The Dust Bowl.  As a native Vermonter, Sam grew up going to contra dances and has been a member of a broad swath of well-known ensembles: Wild Asparagus, the Clayfoot Strutters, Reckless Ramblers, the Sevens, Notorious, and Rodney Miller’s Stringrays. He continues to play with the latter two bands, and well as with Supertrad.  Sam has also performed and recorded with a virtual who’s who of old-time musicians, among them: Garry Harrison, Brad Leftwich, Paul Brown, Rafe Stefanini, Pete Sutherland, Dirk Powell, and Rick Good.  When not doing music, Sam is a performer, writer, and illustrator of Stuntology (those kind of dumb but hilarious maneuvers humans do when avoiding boredom…) He is the author of The Best of Stuntology (Workman, 2008) which is sold internationally and 
translated into Finnish and German.

+ Eric Schedler plays accordion, banjo, and piano for contra dancing (with Supertrad, the Cosmic Otters and Steam Packet), for English country dancing (with Barham’s Circus), and for Irish set céilís (with the Cosmic Otters). Eric has performed and taught at camps and festivals around the country and served as a past program director of Cascade of Music & Dance and Cumberland Dance Week. Eric has been a dance organizer in Bloomington, Indiana since 2008. Eric’s dance playing is grounded by two decades of study of Irish traditional music in the Midwest and counties Clare and Leitrim in Ireland, and old-time banjo study with Brad Leftwich at home in Bloomington.

+ Owen Morrison is a highly regarded flatpick guitarist known for his clean, expressive style and deep musicality. A mainstay in the contra dance circuit for more than two decades, his guitar has grounded bands such as Elixir, The Figments, The Morrison Brothers, and many more. His current bands include Topspin, The Faux Paws, and Supertrad. As a teacher, Owen has a gift for breaking down complex techniques into approachable lessons that inspire players at all levels. He has been a featured instructor at many trad music camps including The Ashokan Center, Swannanoa Gathering, and Augusta Heritage Center, among others.

+ Dave Langford is an experienced and versatile fiddler and guitarist and fiddle teacher from the Boston area. A veteran of 30+ years of playing for public dances, weddings, parties, and late night sessions, Dave combines multiple styles of fiddling with fierce energy and drive. He has been a staff member for music and dance weeks at Pinewoods, Ogontz, Mendocino, Augusta, and Christmas Country Dance School in Berea, KY, as well as hundreds of weekend dance events around the US and beyond. Dave currently performs and tours with bands Stomp Rocket, The Latter Day Lizards, and Supertrad.

STELLAR Guest Talent – Callers & Workshops:

Thanks to our amazing Stellar community talent who will also run fun programs during the 2027 weekend!  Are you coming to Stellar 2027 and have a special talent you wish to volunteer to share by running a session or offering a dance/musician/singing/other fun workshop – please reach out to us!