About the Teachers
Jerry O’Sullivan
has been widely hailed as America's premier uilleann piper. His reputation for technical and melodic mastery of the instrument, an Irish bagpipe known for its subtlety and expression, is unsurpassed in the United States, and is demanding considerable attention overseas. Jerry is also widely recorded on the tin whistle, the low whistle, the Highland bagpipes, and the Scottish smallpipes.
EJ Jones
is an award winning highland piper and smallpipe maker. He had the dream of playing bagpipes in a folk band as a teenager, when he was competing with the Hamilton Pipe Band, and the result was the internationally touring Celtic band, Clandestine. EJ also performs Medieval and Renaissance music on historically inspired bagpipes with the groups Brizeus and Istanpitta. EJ has also released a solo album The Willow in 2002 and was a guest piper for the band Seven Nations briefly in 2005.
Dick Hensold
is the leading Northumbrian smallpiper in North America, and for the past 20 years has performed and taught in England, Scotland, Japan, Canada, and across the United States. He has released numerous CDs as a member of the groups Piper’s Crow, Way Up North, The New International Trio. His solo Northumbrian smallpipes CD Big Music for Northumbrian Smallpipes was released in 2007. He is much in demand as accompanist, studio musician and theater musician, and frequently composes new works based on the traditions of the Northumbrian pipes.
John Skelton
was a member of the acclaimed House Band, and also toured with the Irish band Shegui and the Windbags (with Jerry O’Sullivan too). In addition to being an astoundingly good flute player, he is also known for his prowess on the bombarde and Breton pipes and is in great demand for his teaching skills. He and Kieran O’Hare recently recorded “Double Barrelled,” a flute duet CD, which became an instant classic.
Bob Mitchell
is recognized as a successful solo competitor in the US and Canada, In 2004 Bob earned a Master/Apprentice Award by the Maryland Commission of the Traditional Arts. He’s worked for 20 years at the Maryland Renaissance Festival and has performed with a number of DC area bands including Iona and Jennifer Cutting’s Ocean Orchestra. Although his greatest area of expertise is Highland piping, he also plays the Scottish smallpipes and Border Pipes.
Matthew Bell
is a percussionist known for his versatility and sensitive accompaniment style. On the bodhran, he combines a highly tonal style, while also embracing the highly syncopated, rhythmically-driving style associated with Scottish Highland Piping and Snare Drumming. A member of the The Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps as well as an emeritus of the City of Washington Pipe Band, he is in demand both as a private teacher and as a clinician in rudimental drumming and bodhran.
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