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Welcome to the 2011 BCBW Website!
We had a blast with our 2011 instructors and students - thanks so much for making this a workshop to remember. The Photos page will be updated shortly with links to 2011 camp photos. We'll update the website with 2012 information in the fall. In the meantime, you can peruse this website to learn about our recently concluded August 2011 workshops and to get a feel for the BCBW.
Week 1 2011, we're delighted that Kathy Kallick will be at the BCBW for her first time leading a rarely offered seminar on Songwriting. We have 2 National Flatpick Champions this week: the always astounding and world-famous Steve Kaufman and contest picker and bluegrass singing all-around cool guy Tyler Grant. Kathy Barwick, who was a big hit at our 2010 workshop, will be leading the other Flatpicking seminar. On rhythm guitar, we have BCBW all-stars Lee Watson and Chris Coole, and leading our first ever "Guitar 101" seminar (beginning rhythm and flatpicking), we're happy to have expert instructor and unstoppable jam instigator Keith Yoder making the long trek from Iowa! On mandolin, Caleb Klauder is back again by popular demand along with John Kael--a great mandolinist and singer who knows a couple hundred bluegrass songs you've never heard--and BCBW favourite Andrew Collins (Foggy Hogtown Boys).
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Leading our Lead & Harmony Vocals workshop, we have two of Canada's most powerful singers, Max Heineman and Anne Louise Genest. From the Kathy Kallick Band, Greg Booth--one of the most original and talented Dobro pickers anywhere--is making his first appearance at the BCBW, and Ivan Rosenberg, (who you all know well enough by now!) will lead the other Week 1 Dobro seminar. Our bluegrass banjo staff is comprised of all top-notch performers and workshop all-stars: Jason Homey (Clumsy Lovers), David Keenan (The DownTown Mountain Boys), and Archie Pateman (The Breakmen). We have two first-time BCBW seminar leaders on Clawhammer Banjo: Christopher Suen from Vancouver stringband "Shout!WhiteDragon" and, all the way from Whitehorse, Kim Barlow from the Juno-nominated band "Annie Lou." We're thrilled that the electrifying fiddler from the Kathy Kallick Band, Annie Staninec, will make her first BCBW appearance, with John Showman from the Foggy Hogtown Boys--always a BCBW favourite--leading the other bluegrass fiddle seminar.Miriam Sonstenes, back by popular demand, will be leading the intermediate old time fiddle seminar. Last but not least, our bass workshops will be led by BCBW favourites Mick Nicholson and, from The Breakmen, Matt Lawson.
Week 2 2011 is going to be outstanding this year! We have 3 excellent flatpickers on staff: National Flatpick Champions Tyler Grant and Roger Ferguson, as well as the excellent multi-instrumentalist and jam specialist Keith Yoder. Steve Fisher is back for advanced rhythm guitar,Anne Louise Genest will lead the "Guitar 101" seminar, and we're offering our first ever seminar on "Old Time Backup Guitar" with guitarist extraordinaire Jere Canote. Jere's twin brother Greg Canote is a highly respected and talented old time fiddler who will be joining us as well, and together The Canote Brothers are a fun and uplifting combination who are sure to bring a lot of good times to camp! On bluegrass fiddle we have John Showman, who's well known as one of Canada's most exciting and inventive fiddlers, and Miriam Sonstenes, who's fast becoming a favourite with audiences and fiddle students alike. Old time music fans have more to look forward to: Jason Romero will be offering our first ever seminar on 3-Finger Old Time Banjo, and Chris Coole will be holding down the clawhammer banjo duties this week. Bluegrass banjo players have a great choice of BCBW veterans--Chris Quinn (Foggy Hogtown Boys), perenial camp favourite Chris Stevens, and Gene Bretecher, who's always a great source of bluegrass knowledge--along with Shanti Bremer from "The Sweet Lowdown" who will be on our staff for the first time. For bass, we have 2 all-star instructors, Max Heineman (Foggy Hogtown Boys) and Tammy Fassaert (Shearwater). Pharis Romero, who's become one of the most popular singers at workshops throughout the northwest including the Centrum workshops in Port Townsend, will lead our singing workshop this week. On Dobro, we have multi-instrumentalist Kathy Barwick--who wowed us with her tasteful guitar playing last year--and Ivan Rosenberg, who always gets top reviews for his organized approach to sliding. For mandolin, we have some of our very finest BCBW regulars during Week 2: Andrew Collins (Foggy Hogtown Boys) and Bob Hamilton (Done Gone String Band), along with Mark Vaughan, the extraordinary mandolinist from the band Viper Central, who will be joining us for the first time in 2011. Sue Malcolm will also be joining us for Week 2 to lead the Slow Pitch Jam! |
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More about the BCBW: Spend an inspiring, challenging, and joyous week with others who share your passion for bluegrass! Each August we're proud to host the British Columbia Bluegrass Workshops in Sorrento, BC—about 5 hours from Vancouver by car between Kamloops and Salmon Arm. Now in our 22nd year, we provide a friendly and noncompetitive environment for everyone from beginners to advanced players, with ample opportunity for group learning, electives, organized jam sessions, and many other spontaneous activities. There are student concerts, band scrambles, instructor concerts, campground picking sessions, and an old time dance. We hear from many of our regulars that the BCBW is what they look forward to the most each year. We offer two separate weeks of workshops, and many of our attendees stay for both! Our home for the workshops, Sorrento Centre, is a beautiful retreat by the shores of Shuswap Lake operated by the Anglican Church of Canada. The site contains two lodges, cabins, and lots of campsites; other facilities include a covered amphitheatre, a private beach, and beautiful trails. The kitchen specializes in fine home-style cooking, now using fresh ingredients from their own organic garden! Sorrento Centre is also the location of our annual Bluegrass Festival, which will take place on August 28, 2011. |
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Registration/Contact:
Our official first day of registration is Monday, February 14. Please do not contact Sorrento Centre before then.
BCBW Director: Jay Buckwold
1159 Passchendaele Road PO Box 99
Phone: 250-675-2421 • Fax: 250-675-3032 |
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