Teacher & Musician Bios 2018

Tim Wilson, Teacher

Tim Wilson has been folk dancing since 1988 when he began Israeli folk dancing in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area. When he moved to San Francisco, California in 1996, a friend thought Tim would probably enjoy Scottish country dancing. He’s been hooked ever since. In 1998 he joined a local demonstration group and, shortly thereafter, began to learn hard shoe and soft shoe step dance. Tim earned his full certificate in 2007 and has been teaching in the San Francisco class rotation since then. The figures of Scottish dancing, the interplay of couples, and the music all inspire him to devise dances. He counts himself lucky that a few have been danced outside of the San Francisco Bay area. In his non-dance life, Tim is a librarian/archivist in the San Francisco History department of the San Francisco Public Library. His daily work involves helping others find the answers to their research questions--which is sometimes akin to treasure hunting. He sees all age groups at the library, from 8th graders, and younger, to graduate students, and older. As a result of years of practice, he reports that he is now quite adept at shushing. :-)

Mady Newfield, Teacher

Mady Newfield has been teaching traditional dance of various sorts (international, Scottish, English) for nearly 5 decades. From early ballet training on, she has been conscious of various aspects of movement to music, as well as the importance of the social side of traditional dance, and enjoys sharing the beauty and pleasure these elements can bring to dancing. Her interest in Welsh folk dance arose from her love for Welsh music and was spurred by a request that her international dance performing troupe present a Welsh program for the Cambrian Benevolent Society of Chicago in 2004. In preparing this and subsequent yearly performances at Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry, and learning more about the background of Welsh dancing and especially the contributions of choreographer Pat Shaw, she has been enthralled by the variety and intricacy of these dances, as well as their engaging music. She was honored to receive the Dewi Sant award from the Cambrian Society in 2012 for her contributions to maintaining Welsh culture.

Deby Benton Grosjean, Fiddle

Deby Benton Grosjean is a resplendent fiddler, successfully melding the virtuosity of her formal classical training in technique with the spontaneity of Scottish folk. She is a multifaceted musician expanding dimensions as a performer to workshop clinician, orchestrator and producer. She performs and teaches workshops for many dance retreats including Canada (three years at TAC), New Zealand (Summer School 2016), and tours throughout the USA (Pinewoods, Asilomar, Fort Worden, etc.). As a soloist for Scottish country dance, Deby has teamed with many pianists, some include Lisa Scott, David Weisler, Muriel Johnstone, Liz Donaldson, Paul Machlis and notably Andy Imbrie. She records and performs with Andy’s dance band, “Reel of Seven”. A teacher of distinction, Deby’s on faculty with Cabrillo College Youth Music Program, Community Music School and at several music camps including Alasdair Fraser’s Scottish Fiddling School and Sierra Fiddle Camp for at least 20 years.

A talented and independent artist, Deby has appeared on more than forty recordings. Among Deby’s film score credits include Ken Burns’ Not for Ourselves Alone. She’s published in MelBay’s Fiddle Anthology 2000 and her own publications Fun Celtic Music Series. She’s opened for Scotland’s singer Jim Malcolm, England’s Maddy Prior, Ireland’s author Frank McCourt. Since starting her formal classical training at age eight, Deby has received awards in national and regional fiddle championships, classical chamber ensemble, and received honors in college for music major. Connection Magazine notes, “Her recordings will capture your heart and dance your feet.” cdbaby.com/cd/debybentongrosjean

Andy Imbrie, Piano

Andy Imbrie has had the good fortune to accompany some of today’s leading Celtic fiddle talent, including Judi Nicolson, Deby Benton Grosjean, Elizabeth Dequine, Calum MacKinnon, Ryan McKasson, Hanneke Cassel, and David Knight. He leads the “Reel of Seven” Scottish dance band, which just released their fourth CD The Magic of Summer School--a compilation of dances recorded during their fabulous week at the New Zealand Summer School--which along with their CDs Dance for Joy (2009), Dance for Joy Encore! (2012), and Gotta Dance! (2015) was released to wide acclaim (www.reelofseven.com).

Andy began studying classical piano as a child, and started playing for dances with the encouragement of Kim McGarrity and Barbara McOwen. He plays regularly for Scottish and contra dances throughout the US and Canada, and has been on music staff for several tours, including three to New Zealand and one to Scotland, Orkney, and the Shetland Islands. He has also been on staff at TAC Summer School and Pinewoods and was honored to have been invited to teach piano accompaniment at the Valley of the Moon Scottish fiddling school for several years.

Andy is married to Sherryl Fawx (also a dancer and musician); they live in Santa Clara, California. He works as an aerospace engineer specializing in simulation, guidance, and control design of flight vehicles.

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