Our 2026 Instructor Lineup!
Scroll down to see more about each instructor
Fiddle
Gord Stobbe
JJ Guy
Daniel Gervais
Ivonne Hernandez
Troy MacGillivray
Raw Beginner Fiddle
Joseph Desjarlais (Adult class)
Mitch Dureault (Kids)
Guitar
Alanna Jenish
Piano
Kimberley Holmes
Clawhammer banjo
Daniel Koulack
Gord Stobbe
JJ Guy
Daniel Gervais
Ivonne Hernandez
Troy MacGillivray
Raw Beginner Fiddle
Joseph Desjarlais (Adult class)
Mitch Dureault (Kids)
Guitar
Alanna Jenish
Piano
Kimberley Holmes
Clawhammer banjo
Daniel Koulack
Instructor Biographies
Gordon Stobbe - Fiddle
We are so very excited to have Gord join the teaching staff again this year! He is likely the most highly sought after instructor and performer on the fiddle circuit these days. Never one to let the dust settle, Gordon keeps busy with a host of projects across Canada. His "Fiddle History of Canada" production is being workshopped and presented in several provinces, he continues to compose and tour, and will be releasing a new CD soon with some of the tunes he has composed with fellow musician and travel buddy JJ Guy. There is no room here to list all the accomplishments of this Canadian treasure, so check his website. But above all, Gordon is an inspiration to anyone who sees him perform, or teach, or call a square dance!
Visit Gord's website, fiddlebooks.com
Visit Twin Fiddles on FaceBook
Visit Gord's website, fiddlebooks.com
Visit Twin Fiddles on FaceBook
J.J. Guy - Fiddle
A staple at the FiddlyNess fiddle camp and returning for his sixth consecutive year, it was no accident that J.J. Guy took home the "People's Choice Award" at the 2013 Canadian Grand Masters Fiddling Championship in Saskatoon in August 2013! J.J. is a beloved performer and instructor who has touched the hearts of thousands of fiddlers at fiddle camps across Canada. From B.C. to the NWT to the east coast, JJ is kept hopping, teaching and performing along the way. He has several recordings under his belt, and we are lucky to snag him for FiddlyNess this year as part of his busy touring schedule.
Join the wildly popular Jamming with JJ group on Facebook!
Visit JJ on Facebook www.facebook.com/jj.guy.1
Visit JJ's website www.jjguy.ca/
Join the wildly popular Jamming with JJ group on Facebook!
Visit JJ on Facebook www.facebook.com/jj.guy.1
Visit JJ's website www.jjguy.ca/
Daniel Gervais - Fiddle
2016 and 2011 Canadian Grand Master Fiddle Champion
Daniel has been playing the violin since the age of five. He plays a variety of fiddle styles and classical violin. Daniel completed a Master of Music degree in classical violin at the University of Alberta studying with Dr. Guillaume Tardif. During his studies, Daniel was awarded a prestigious research grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).
Daniel had the opportunity to perform at the 2012 London Olympics as a cultural ambassador of Alberta. In the spring, he performed for a reception at the prestigious Carnegie Hall in New York City. Daniel has toured with Zéphyr, a French-Canadian dance group, performing at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington, D.C., Mondial des cultures in Drummondville, PQ, the Folkmoot USA Festival in North Carolina, and Festival Interfolk in France. Daniel has also had several television and radio appearances. In 2010, he was a guest artist with The Lost Fingers, performing at the Glenn Gould Studio in Toronto, ON.
Daniel is the first Albertan to win the Canadian Grand Master Fiddle Competition. Daniel first competed in the Canadian Grand Masters in 2003 and returned to this competition in 2004 and again in 2008, finishing in the top eleven both times.
In 2014, Daniel received the Eugène-C. Trottier award from the French-Canadian Association of Alberta (ACFA) for community involvement. Daniel was also awarded the Prix Sylvie Van Brabant-Excellence en création artistique (2010) by the Regroupement artistique francophone de l'Alberta and the City of Edmonton Arts and Culture Award (2007).
Daniel currently teaches as sessional faculty at MacEwan University in the jazz and popular music program. Daniel has had experience teaching a variety of students of different ages and abilities in collaboration with other music organizations such as the National Arts Centre MusicAlive! program, Calvin Vollrath Fiddle Camp and the North Eastern Music Association in St. Paul, AB, the John Arcand Fiddle Fest, Kenosee Lake Kitchen Party and the Pelletier Guitar and Music Camp in Saskatchewan, The Hills are Alive Music and Dance Cultural Fest in Elkwater, AB, Frontier Fiddlers in Manitoba, and the Suzuki Strings and Fiddleheads in Whitehorse, YT. In 2010, Trad'badour in collaboration with Canadian Parents for French completed a school show tour of over 90 presentations in Western Canada.
Daniel has six albums to his credit, including three solo albums, Flying Fiddle (2003) and Endless Possibilities (2005) and Old Red Barn (2013). In 2006, he was nominated for “Young Performer of the Year” at the Canadian Folk Music Awards. Daniel is a founding member of Trad’badour, a French-Canadian duo, with Roger Dallaire and Hot Club Edmonton with guitarist Clinton Pelletier. Hot Club Edmonton was awarded "Instrumental Album of the Year" at the Western Canadian Music Awards in 2010.
www.facebook.com/danielgervaismusic
www.danielgervais.ca/
Daniel has been playing the violin since the age of five. He plays a variety of fiddle styles and classical violin. Daniel completed a Master of Music degree in classical violin at the University of Alberta studying with Dr. Guillaume Tardif. During his studies, Daniel was awarded a prestigious research grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).
Daniel had the opportunity to perform at the 2012 London Olympics as a cultural ambassador of Alberta. In the spring, he performed for a reception at the prestigious Carnegie Hall in New York City. Daniel has toured with Zéphyr, a French-Canadian dance group, performing at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington, D.C., Mondial des cultures in Drummondville, PQ, the Folkmoot USA Festival in North Carolina, and Festival Interfolk in France. Daniel has also had several television and radio appearances. In 2010, he was a guest artist with The Lost Fingers, performing at the Glenn Gould Studio in Toronto, ON.
Daniel is the first Albertan to win the Canadian Grand Master Fiddle Competition. Daniel first competed in the Canadian Grand Masters in 2003 and returned to this competition in 2004 and again in 2008, finishing in the top eleven both times.
In 2014, Daniel received the Eugène-C. Trottier award from the French-Canadian Association of Alberta (ACFA) for community involvement. Daniel was also awarded the Prix Sylvie Van Brabant-Excellence en création artistique (2010) by the Regroupement artistique francophone de l'Alberta and the City of Edmonton Arts and Culture Award (2007).
Daniel currently teaches as sessional faculty at MacEwan University in the jazz and popular music program. Daniel has had experience teaching a variety of students of different ages and abilities in collaboration with other music organizations such as the National Arts Centre MusicAlive! program, Calvin Vollrath Fiddle Camp and the North Eastern Music Association in St. Paul, AB, the John Arcand Fiddle Fest, Kenosee Lake Kitchen Party and the Pelletier Guitar and Music Camp in Saskatchewan, The Hills are Alive Music and Dance Cultural Fest in Elkwater, AB, Frontier Fiddlers in Manitoba, and the Suzuki Strings and Fiddleheads in Whitehorse, YT. In 2010, Trad'badour in collaboration with Canadian Parents for French completed a school show tour of over 90 presentations in Western Canada.
Daniel has six albums to his credit, including three solo albums, Flying Fiddle (2003) and Endless Possibilities (2005) and Old Red Barn (2013). In 2006, he was nominated for “Young Performer of the Year” at the Canadian Folk Music Awards. Daniel is a founding member of Trad’badour, a French-Canadian duo, with Roger Dallaire and Hot Club Edmonton with guitarist Clinton Pelletier. Hot Club Edmonton was awarded "Instrumental Album of the Year" at the Western Canadian Music Awards in 2010.
www.facebook.com/danielgervaismusic
www.danielgervais.ca/
Ivonne Hernandez - Fiddle
Some people are born to play music. Ivonne Hernandez, a Juno award winner, started playing violin at age three and by a pre-teen, was playing with the BC Fiddle Orchestra and her own shows, performing all over Canada. Ivonne has recorded 14 albums and is a 5 time Grand North American Fiddle Champion. She won a 2017 Juno Award (Canada's Grammys), 3 Canadian Folk Music awards and 2 Western Canadian Music Awards among other accolades. Ivonne is a sought after session player and lends her talents as a musician and arranger on many critically acclaimed recordings and film scores from projects in Canada and the US. She is also an in demand teacher, having taught at camps and workshops across North America, Europe and the Caribbean. She also directs the well known youth trad band Coastline and is the Artistic Director of the Victoria Trad Weekend festival and the ‘World on a String’ fiddle workshop series. Most recently, Ivonne was awarded the Honorary Citizen Award from the City of Victoria (BC, Canada) in Oct 2021. The city of Victoria’s highest formal recognition for ‘outstanding leadership and service for the betterment of the community’. Ivonne is currently residing in Ireland after receiving her Masters degree with honours from the University of Limerick.
Ivonne has mastered Canada’s traditional fiddle music. She embodies the country’s 21st century multiculturalism and her music reflects the new century’s marriage of cultural influences.
www.facebook.com/ihernandezr
www.ivonnehernandez.com/
Ivonne has mastered Canada’s traditional fiddle music. She embodies the country’s 21st century multiculturalism and her music reflects the new century’s marriage of cultural influences.
www.facebook.com/ihernandezr
www.ivonnehernandez.com/
Troy MacGillivray - Fiddle
Raised in Lanark, Nova Scotia, his musical prowess can be attributed to an especially rare combination of commitment and bloodline. By the age of six, Troy was already impressing audiences with his step dancing skills. By 13 he was teaching piano at the renowned Gaelic College of Celtic Arts and Crafts in St. Anne's, Cape Breton. He has completed grade seven of the Toronto Conservatory of Music for classical piano, has spent four years in a stringed orchestra and has earned a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in music from St. Francis Xavier University.
Troy's grandfather, Hugh A. MacDonald, is a member of the Nova Scotia Country Hall of Fame - an honour bestowed for his contribution to the Gaelic culture of Nova Scotia. Troy's parents, Tony and Janice, are talented musicians in their own rights while his sister, Kendra, is a two time East Coast Music Award winning Celtic fiddler and his sister Sabra, is an accomplished dancer and percussionist. Whether playing piano or fiddle, or showcasing his stepdancing capabilities, Troy MacGillivray displays a unique sense of pride and commitment to his Celtic heritage and his music continues to add to the history and development of the traditional music that is the epitome of the Maritimes, the place he calls home!
Learn more at Troy's website.
www.facebook.com/troymacgillivray
www.troymacgillivray.com/
Troy's grandfather, Hugh A. MacDonald, is a member of the Nova Scotia Country Hall of Fame - an honour bestowed for his contribution to the Gaelic culture of Nova Scotia. Troy's parents, Tony and Janice, are talented musicians in their own rights while his sister, Kendra, is a two time East Coast Music Award winning Celtic fiddler and his sister Sabra, is an accomplished dancer and percussionist. Whether playing piano or fiddle, or showcasing his stepdancing capabilities, Troy MacGillivray displays a unique sense of pride and commitment to his Celtic heritage and his music continues to add to the history and development of the traditional music that is the epitome of the Maritimes, the place he calls home!
Learn more at Troy's website.
www.facebook.com/troymacgillivray
www.troymacgillivray.com/
Alanna Jenish - Fiddle
Alanna Jenish is an award winning Canadian fiddler and guitarist. Based in Peterborough, Ontario, she is widely sought after as a performing and recording artist. Her musical background is diverse, beginning with roots in Canada’s Ottawa-Valley tradition, and expanding through a myriad of folk and fiddle-based genres. In 2017, Alanna graduated from the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Music with Honours. She has since performed across Canada, the United States and Europe with artists including The Fitzgeralds, Portage, Jane & Kyle and Ryan Young. In 2025, Alanna received a Canadian Folk Music Award for her most recent album ‘Daleview’ as Instrumental Composer of the Year. She was also awarded the Young Tradition Bearer of the Year at the 2025 Goderich Celtic Roots Festival.
As an instructor, Alanna has worked at various music camps and workshops including the Goderich Celtic College, AlgomaTrad and the Toronto Fiddle Collective. She has appeared at York University Faculty of Music as a guest instructor, and has served as an adjudicator for both classical music festivals and Canadian Old-Time fiddle competitions. At home in Peterborough, Alanna directs the local fiddling ensemble ‘The Seven Hills Fiddle Band.’
www.facebook.com/alanna.jenish
www.alannajenishmusic.com/
As an instructor, Alanna has worked at various music camps and workshops including the Goderich Celtic College, AlgomaTrad and the Toronto Fiddle Collective. She has appeared at York University Faculty of Music as a guest instructor, and has served as an adjudicator for both classical music festivals and Canadian Old-Time fiddle competitions. At home in Peterborough, Alanna directs the local fiddling ensemble ‘The Seven Hills Fiddle Band.’
www.facebook.com/alanna.jenish
www.alannajenishmusic.com/
Mitch Dureault - Beginner Fiddle (Youth)
Mitchell Dureault is a multi-instrumentalist, performing artist and music teacher well known across Saskatchewan!
www.facebook.com/mitchthefiddler
www.facebook.com/mitchthefiddler
Joseph Desjarlais - Beginner Fiddle (Adult)
This class will take you through the first basic steps to get you started on the fiddle! Learn how to hold the instrument, how to play notes, and your first tune!
Joseph was born and raised in Ile-a-la Crosse, a small Metis community in Northern
Saskatchewan. He was taught by John Arcand when he was 10 years old to play the Metis fiddle and has since then branched out into a few other styles of fiddle playing, though he finds it hard not to turn every tune he plays Metis.
Joseph has finished his Bachelor of Science degree majoring in Biomedical Neuroscience and is now looking to undertake Postgraduate masters and doctoral studies. Joseph has played for many events and people over his 12 years of fiddle playing. From large events like Back to Batoche all the way to a small supper for his family and friends, he isn’t picky about who, what, when, or where he plays the fiddle.
Joseph was born and raised in Ile-a-la Crosse, a small Metis community in Northern
Saskatchewan. He was taught by John Arcand when he was 10 years old to play the Metis fiddle and has since then branched out into a few other styles of fiddle playing, though he finds it hard not to turn every tune he plays Metis.
Joseph has finished his Bachelor of Science degree majoring in Biomedical Neuroscience and is now looking to undertake Postgraduate masters and doctoral studies. Joseph has played for many events and people over his 12 years of fiddle playing. From large events like Back to Batoche all the way to a small supper for his family and friends, he isn’t picky about who, what, when, or where he plays the fiddle.
Kimberley Holmes - Piano
Kimberley Holmes is an East Coast Music Award nominee and one of Canada‘s premier piano accompanists in the traditional style of fiddling. She has won many awards for fiddling and is the host accompanist and past Artistic Director of the Maritime Fiddle Festival. She has toured and recorded with numerous artists including Graham Townsend, Calvin Vollrath, and Richard Wood, and performs with Bb Sisters and Tipsy 3. Kimberley has been a member of the Fall River School of Performing Arts staff since 2005, teaches at home, and is an instructor at many fiddle camps in North America. In 2019, Kimberley was inducted into the Nova Scotia Country Music Hall of Fame and is a member of the Canadian Grand Masters Fiddling Association.
www.facebook.com/kimberley.holmes.54
celtic-colours.com/artists/kimberley-skip-holmes/
www.facebook.com/kimberley.holmes.54
celtic-colours.com/artists/kimberley-skip-holmes/
Daniel Koulack - Clawhammer Banjo
Daniel Koulack, whose music includes a broad range of genres, is a respected multi-instrumentalist and teacher on the Canadian music scene. Daniel was born in New York in 1965 and has lived in Winnipeg since 1968. At eleven years of age he bought a banjo with money saved up from his paper route. A year later he made his professional debut at the Winnipeg Folk Festival. Daniel’s own music can be heard on his three albums of original instrumental music; “Clawhammer Your Way To The Top”, “Life On A String”, and “Frailing To Succeed”. Two of these recordings were nominated for Junos in the Best Roots/Traditional category. Daniel is also in high demand as an instructor at music camps across the country, and is a beloved mentor to many students and musicians.
Daniel is simply the best - a professional multi-instrumentalist who has honed his craft in clawhammer style banjo, and has loads of experience teaching! We love to have Daniel come to Shivering Strings whenever he is available!
Daniel's Website
www.facebook.com/daniel.koulack
danielkoulack.net/about
Daniel is simply the best - a professional multi-instrumentalist who has honed his craft in clawhammer style banjo, and has loads of experience teaching! We love to have Daniel come to Shivering Strings whenever he is available!
Daniel's Website
www.facebook.com/daniel.koulack
danielkoulack.net/about
