Welcome to our 2009 website and to the SIXTH year of the Algoma Traditional Music and Dance Family Camp (ALGOMATRAD)! We are a non-profit, weeklong, intergenerational, residential camp offering workshops in traditional instruments, dance and song. Workshops are for campers of all ages and all levels of proficiency. Highly qualified and experienced practitioners of the traditional arts lead the workshops. Concerts and dances are scheduled each evening. We have activity programs for young children and an arts and crafts program for a variety of age groups. The camp is aimed at individuals and families who would like to experience traditional music and dance in an inclusive, caring and family-friendly environment. Although AlgomaTrad is primarily a residential camp, there are some openings for day-campers; please inquire as to availability. This year, 2009, the camp runs from Sunday, August 16 to Sunday, August 23. If you are interested in our camp please read on!

Who We Are

The first Algoma Traditional Music and Dance Family Camp (ALGOMATRAD) was inaugurated in August 2004 for an inspiring and amazing week of music, dance, song, art, great food by Jane Wildman, and huge amounts of fun with 50 attendees of all ages and an instructing staff of ten including Rick Avery, Charlie Cares, Shane Cook, Dan Gorno, Judy Greenhill, Anny Hubbard, Brian Pickell and James Stephens.  Julie Schryer and Pat O'Gorman, founders, administrators and artistic directors of AlgomaTrad, had an incredible amount of help from a great board of directors, a wonderful group of local community volunteers and a grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation. (Thank you OTF!)

Due to requests from the board and from our 2004 attendees we decided to bring the same staff back for 2005 plus Kathy Reid Naiman, another children's workshop leader. We had, as well, 8 volunteer staff members who brought their families to the camp and gave a few workshops as well. Big thanks go to Ben Grossman, Linette Segal, Jonathan Avery, Katie Avery, Martin Gould, Bill Henry, Maureen Keating, Steve Schneider and Marsha Edgar for adding their talents and time to the success of AlgomaTrad. In 2005, we were bursting at the seams and the camp was full to capacity. Everyone had a great time, ate more amazing food and learned a whole bunch of great tunes, songs and dances. Check out our photo gallery to see some moments. Bill Henry not only led a couple of workshops but he took over 400 amazing photographs, only a fraction of which you will find here.

In 2006, staff members includedMark Sullivan, Anne Lederman, Ian Bell, Kathy Reid Naiman, John Mayberry, Laurie Cumming, Bill Russell, Barry Prophet, John Skelton and Mary Colmer as well as Julie Schryer and Pat O’Gorman. Because of class sizes (we maxed out attendance at 95 this year) we were lucky to have the wonderful fiddle and piano playing brothers, Kyle and Jake Charron, to step aboard as staff at the last minute. As usual, several volunteer staff members gave (and to this we offer our sincere gratitude) of their time and talents. These included Martin Gould, Christine Williams, Dan Gorno, Sean Brady, Steve Schneider and Diane Meyer. Another great week with great food provided by chefs Ashley and Matthew Knight. Once again the board and a large group of volunteers were indispensable in mailing it all happen. We would like to acknowledge the assistance of the Ontario Arts Council and The East Algoma Futures Development Corporation for their aid in helping to create a wonderful learning experience and another joyful community of campers.

In 2007, We were able to once again have a marvellous staff including Anne Lederman, Bill Russell, Barry Prophet, John Skelton, Kyle Charron and Mary Colmer returning from 2006, with the addition of African drummer, Mbira player, and African Village Festival leader Njacko Backo; Canadian Old-time music practitioners Paul (fiddle and stepdance) and Melika Lemelin (piano), Cape Breton Fiddler Dan MacDonald; Rick Avery, who once again helped us stay organized and led some singing as well; Judy Greenhill, leading singers, the Gathering and the Mummer play; Jonathan Avery who helped teach fiddle, play for dancers and aid with the Mummer Play; Dan Gorno returned not only to dance but to lead Pottery workshops; Jesse and Justine Naiman worked with our teen campers as well as singing and belly-dancing!; and we were lucky once again to rely on the volunteer musical services of Martin Gould, guitar, Steve Schneider, cello and accordion,  and Christine Williams, fiddle. For the second year in a row amazing food was provided by Ashley and Matthew Knight Once again the camp was aided by an Arts Education Grant from the Ontario Arts Council and we know that all campers are thankful for the help the OAC gives to organizations like ours which try to keep our fees affordable to families.

In 2008, AlgomaTrad was full to the brim once again and a wonderful year it was! We had a number of new staff members who were amazing additions to the camp including Pierre Schryer, fiddle, Ian Bell, songs, guitar and harmonica, Duncan Gillis, pipes, whistles and Irish flute, Ananda Kelly, Cape Breton dancing and kids program, David Rankine, Celtic design artist extraordinaire, Jake Charron, piano and guitar, Emilyn Stam, piano, and Judy Moore, children’s programs. Returning to the camp, either for their second year or to fill different roles than in previous years were Dan MacDonald on fiddle, Rick Avery, singing and Camp coordinator, Judy Greenhill, singing and caller (her first year as the head dance caller and teacher at AlgomaTrad), Dan Gorno, stepdance and pottery, Paul Lemelin (fiddle, stepdance, guitar) and Melika Lemelin (piano), and Kyle Charron (playing for dance workshops). Of course, our heartfelt thanks to Martin Gould, Merrie Klazek, Raymond Schryer, Rebecca Ardley and Claryssa Webb who offered their time and talents as volunteer instructors to make the week that little bit more special. We were not successful in our grant applications this year but we are pleased to let you know that we were able to just make ends meet thanks to all our wonderful camper/registrants! Our Bursary Fund auction was also a grand success and we thank all of you for providing auction items and services and for generously supporting the auction with funds.

SO, HERE WE ARE, 2009. Returning from last year are our fabulous staff members Pierre Schryer, Ian Bell, Duncan Gillis, Jake Charron, David Rankine, Ananda Kelly, Judy Moore, Dan Gorno, and Emilyn Stam. They will be leading workshops similar to last year’s. The kitchen will be run once again by the quiet-centre-of-the-storm head chef, Nelda Kent (hooray!) We are sad to say that our invaluable supporters and two people who have given so much to the success of AlgomaTrad, Rick Avery and Judy Greenhill, due to a conflicting commitment, will not be able to return this year. Instead, Julie and Pat will share the daily running of the camp and turn over most of their teaching roles to some other wonderful musicians. We are excited about our new staffers this year (though this is always tempered by saying good bye, at least for this year, to staff members who have been with us for a couple of years: thank you Dan, Paul, and Melika. As much as we love and appreciate all our staff members, we try to make changes every two years to expose our campers to new teachers and new inspiration…there are soooo many great musicians out there!) SO, introducing the new staffers for 2009:

James Stephens – James was with us the first two years, and we are pleased to be able to bring this wonderful fiddler and multi-instrumentalist back. He has an incredible amount of knowledge of tunes and songs from many different traditions and was a well-loved teacher those first two years. As well, he and Anne Lederman have been working on a fiddle project, called Eh!, that we hope to hear more of at this year's AlgomaTrad.

Anne Lederman – Returning to AlgomaTrad after a year’s absence. Anne is a well-known teacher and did a wonderful job with the Amazing AlgomaTrad Celtic Orchestra and Choir workshop, a feat we would like her to do again this year.

Mark Roberts – Pat met Mark for the first time at the Foxhollow Festival, New York, in 1978 when Mark was with New England trad group Clanjamfrey, and has been a friend and a fan of his flute and whistle musicianship ever since. He played with the seminal Irish American group Touchstone as well as with the Appalachian-rooted Red Clay Ramblers. He also plays clawhammer banjo.

Terri-Lynn Mahusky – plays fiddle and piano and stepdances. She is a product of the Ottawa Valley traditional music and dance scene and has been a mainstay at Ontario Fiddle and Stepdance competitions for many years.

Andrea Cooper – A whistle, flute and banjo player, Andrea is working on her Music Together certificate, a program to teach music and movement to 0 to 5-year-olds with their caregivers. She also has experience teaching adult and children beginners on the whistle and banjo.

Chelsea Sleep – Chelsea is a fiddle player from Canada’s west coast who has a lot of experience for her young age teaching fiddle to kids, and being a firm disciple of Oliver Schroer’s music.
Please check out Artist Bios for more information about our 2009 staff. And please feel free to contact us with any questions or for more information about AlgomaTrad.