Kevin Angus
Kevin Angus plays whistles & pipes, saxophones (the other famous Celtic instrument) and percussion. He also adds an extra voice to Christmas Ceilidh Band's ensemble. Steeped in the traditions of piping, Scottish & British music, and jazz since childhood, he researches much of the repertoire currently performed by CCB. Kevin is the former Pipe Major and founding member of the Feadán Òr Pipe Band where he produced concerts and medal winning performances throughout the eastern United States and Canada.
(Feadán Òr Pipe Band – http://www.feadanorpipeband.com)
Chuck Boda plays the bagpipes, Scottish small pipes & border (reel) pipes, mandolin, guitar, cittern, whistles and anything else CCB can throw at him. He is a founding member of the Scottish trio Haggis Du Jour and is in demand as a solo piper for weddings, charitable events, and concerts. Chuck fancies himself an inventor having created a unique hybrid set of small pipes that he regularly plays in concert, as well as his own mandolins and banjos. Chuck also plays bass with young singer, songwriter & fiddle player Kate Lee.
His previous musical life includes a ten-year stint as a founding member of the bluegrass band Cabin Fever where he played bass. Chuck’s musical interest began with stringed instruments and is firmly rooted in bluegrass and old-time folk styles. He began his current foray into Celtic music after discovering it as one of the primary roots of bluegrass & early American folk music. Chuck was formerly an alpaca farmer.
(Kate Lee with No Strings Attached – http://www.kateleemusic.com)
Dick Bolt is a versatile musician and entertainer who sings and plays fiddle, Celtic harp, viola, guitar, and keyboards. He has a long history of playing Celtic music as a member of the Blackthorn Ceilidh Band, and most recently the Tullamore Celtic Band. Dick was a featured performer at the Champlain Valley Festival in 2004 and in 2005 was a featured performer at the nationally acclaimed Old Songs Folk Festival held in Altamont, NY. He regularly performs traditional American music at the Farmer's Museum in Cooperstown and as a member of the Flint Hill Folk at the Genesee Country Museum. Retired as a physician with the Eastman Kodak Company, Dick frequently fiddles for contra dances, teaches fiddle, and plays harp for weddings and church services.
(Dick Bolt – http://www.dickbolt.com)
(Tullamore Celtic Band – http://www.tullamorecelticband.com)
Pat Carey is a triple contributor adding Irish flute, guitar and voice to the CCB. Pat treasures her family’s Irish & Welsh background and lends a balance to the Scottish & Cornish influence of the other members. Pat also plays with her traditional Irish trio Cuisle mo Chroi and is a member of the Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann – Rochester’s Irish musicians’ association. She has been a featured performer at the Rochester Irish Festival and can be found throughout upstate New York playing and co-leading Irish music sessions.
(Cuisle mo Chroi – MySpace Page)
Ben Ford brings his well honed skills to the Christmas Ceilidh Band playing guitar, mandolin, cittern, & bouzouki. He has played in various Celtic and bluegrass bands over the years, most recently as a member of No Strings Attached with Kate Lee. Ben has also been the guitar accompanist at the Kanack School of Music with his wife Linda. Percussion has also struck Ben who piqued his curiosity by learning the Swiss based style of Scottish snare drumming rudiments eventually playing with the successful Feadán Òr Pipe Band. He can never get enough practice and always strives for improvement for the band as a whole.
(Feadán Òr Pipe Band – http://www.feadanorpipeband.com)
Bevin MacRae Lynn plays percussion, Celtic bouzouki, banjo, keyboards, and adds a beautiful lyric voice to the ensemble. Bevin is a former member of the Feadán Òr Pipe Band where she played lead snare drum for six years. Bevin is a Percussion Performance graduate from SUNY Geneseo and continues marimba studies with Ruth Cahn of the Eastman School of Music. She began her musical studies playing piano at nine, teaching herself to read music. Bevin is also an accomplished Highland dancer and instructor having performed throughout the United States and Canada with groups such as the World Champion Simon Fraser University Pipe Band (Vancouver). She is the founder of the Kintail School of Scottish Highland Dance. Bevin is also a gifted designer and seamstress of period clothing focusing on the Civil War era.
Miss MacRae's - Seamstress (http://missmacraes.wordpress.com/)