69th Annual Miramichi Folksong Festival

Melissa Barry is a classically trained violinist who holds a Bachelor of Music in Classical Violin from the University of Western Ontario and a Bachelor of Education from Crandall University. Her career spans performance, recording, and collaborative work across a wide range of musical styles, including classical, country, Celtic/Irish, Christian, and folk music. She has…

Craig Caldwell has been a piper for over 5 decades. From playing in pipe bands to competing solo at highland games across Ontario and the Maritimes, he has always enjoyed the music for the great highland bagpipe. He has had the honour of playing on Juno beach for both the 75th and 80th anniversaries of…

Shayan Faal is an Iranian-Miramichier musician, community connector, and podcaster based in Miramichi, New Brunswick. Originally from Iran, he brings the rich traditions of Persian culture to Atlantic Canada through music, including performances with the traditional Persian instrument, the Dotar. Shayan is the host of “The Very Best” podcast and serves on several community boards…

Steve Heckbert is a Miramichi native who lives in Calgary these days and comes home every summer. He learned several of the old woodsmen’s songs from Festival giants like Wilmot MacDonald and Perlay Hare, and sings at the Festival at every opportunity!  

Steeped in the song tradition of Miramichi and fine tuned in performance venues in places like Tokyo, Bangkok, Switzerland, Ireland, England, Dubai, and Hong Kong, Melanie has delighted audiences with her pure clear voice and her performances from the heart. Well known for her acapella ballad singing, heartfelt performances of many styles of music, and…

Susan Butler Raised on Chaplin Island Road in rural Miramichi, Susan Butler developed her love of music at an early age, inspired by her mother and artists such as Mario Lanza, Patsy Cline, and Jim Reeves. After receiving vocal training at St. Mary’s High School, she began a lifelong career as one of the Miramichi’s…

The Miramichi Fiddles formed in July 1992, with Hudson Scott as first lead fiddler, until lead was passed to Matilda Murdoch in Aug 1992. Matilda took lead fiddle until Dec 1995, when she then passed lead fiddle on to Norm Young. Norm remains lead fiddle for the group to this day, and accompanying lead, Bob…

Shayla’s Gaelic name means ‘fairy palace’ and Morag means ‘great and sun,’ which speaks to her love of imagination, the forest, and the sky. An avid nature and animal lover, Shayla lives in Nova Scotia and is a lyrical folk-pop indie singer-songwriter who has a background as a sociologist and certified life coach. It was…

The Nelson-Doyle Dancers is a non-profit group of young people, aged 4 to adult, learning traditional Irish dance, music, language and history under the direction of volunteer instructor Ellen Doyle (Eilidh Ni Dhubhghaill). The group is over 20 years old!

Originally from northeastern New Brunswick, Roger Lanteigne grew up in an Acadian family where music was part of everyday life, thanks to his mother. He fell in love with music at the age of six and dreamed of playing the violin, but destiny led him down a different path: he became an accordion player. This…

Mike Bravener began is career as a professional entertainer in 2003 at the age of 42.  Prior to that he was a full time clergyman. He won many awards as a professional Elvis Tribute Artist and was selected by Elvis Presley Enterprises as one of their top 20 artists in the world.  Mike has worked…