Scottish Weekend

Caroline Bennett

Caroline Bennett is joining us for her ninth year as our program coordinator for Scottish Weekend at Mohonk Mountain House. She hails from the UK and was introduced to Scottish music, song, and dance by her Scottish mother.  She is passionate about Gaelic song and the Gaelic language, is a singer, weaver and spinner and regularly participates in traditional waulkings with her own woven cloth. She has received awards for Gaelic singing and has lately been composing original Gaelic poetry and songs, one of which received second place in the Royal National Mòd in Scotland. Four of her original songs were featured in a series of programs on new Gaelic singers and songwriters presented on the BBC byy Gillebride MacMillan this January and her poetry was also short-listed in the Gaelic Poetry catgory of the Wigtown Poetry Prize in Scotland in 2021. Caroline has also performed extensively as a Scottish Country Dancer and has received her Part 1 teaching certification.

Caledonia

Caledonia is Caroline Bennett and Al Burgasser, both of Scottish descent who perform a wide variety of Scottish music. Caroline is passionate about Scottish song, Scottish Gaelic and the role of poetry and song in the Scottish oral tradition. She has received gold and silver medals in the North Carolina Mòd and second place for one of her original Gaelic songs in the Royal National Mòd in Scotland. Four of her original songs are to be featured in a series of programs on new Gaelic singers and songwriters presented on the BBC by Gillebride MacMillan early in 2022. Al Burgasser has been a performing singer/songwriter for longer than he would like to admit, and is currently very active in the western Connecticut music scene. He is very active full time in performing, organizing musical events, sound and video production and collaborating with others to encourage participation in live music whenever he can. Al first met Caroline Bennett in 2016 at a local song circle in Sherman, CT. and quickly became very interested in Gaelic music and culture. They have since been collaborating on recording original songs, producing videos, and performing together as the duo Caledonia.

Bonnie Heather Green

Bonnie Heather Green has been a professional kiltmaker since 2006. She was apprenticed to her beloved teacher, Ann Stewart who was born in Scotland. Bonnie has carried on the craft of making hand sewn kilts. She is happy to display different kinds of kilts for men, women, highland dancers, pipe bands, and even children and babies. Also, she will share information about how to find your clan and Scottish connections. Several tartan swatch books will be displayed to see and feel the tartan fabric. Other tartan and clan reference books will also be available.

Steve Blamires

Steve Blamires is from the Isle of Arran in the west of Scotland where the Gaelic language and Celtic culture are still strong. For the past 25 years he has traveled the world on small expedition ships, mainly with National Geographic, as an historian, international tour guide, and cultural expert. He has several books in print, has appeared on TV and radio on both sides of the Atlantic, and regularly gives presentations at conferences and events. His presentations are informative, relevant and often from a unique perspective. When he is not on the High Seas, he leads small group tours to Scotland, hosts his own Celtic music radio show, and is on the board of directors of The American Center for Folk Music.

Mike MacNintch

Mike MacNintch has been piping since 1977, learning from PM Avery Head, of the Syracuse Scottish Pipe Band. He later joined the Manchester Pipe Band, under the direction of PM Chuck Murdoch, which is one of our oldest bands, have been founded in 1914. He is the instructor for the Police Pipes & Drums of Waterbury Connecticut, and has worked with the Catamount Pipe Band of Vermont. Mike is the Pipe Major of the Stephen P. Driscoll Memorial Pipe Band of Carmel, New York, and is a founding member of Bagad New York, the only Breton style pipe band in North America. He plays a variety of Scottish, Irish and Western European bagpipes and has been a prominent figure in the revival of Scottish smallpipes in the Northeast. A stalwart of the pipe band scene, Mike has also played at festivals, workshops, dances and concerts for over 40 years. Based in the Hudson Valley, he makes and repairs bagpipes, teaches and performs.

The Castle Point Scottish Country Dancers

The Castle Point Scottish Country Dancers are managed by Elizabeth Buonomo and dance in tri-state area branches of the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society. All have studied traditional dance and music for many years and share a passion for the grace, intricacy, and pure fun of Scottish Country Dance. The ensemble team this year includes six members who will present both modern and traditional dances. Elizabeth Buonomo has been dancing Scottish for more than 15 years. She works as a psychotherapist, an Alexander Technique teacher, and a Scottish Country Dance instructor. She is delighted to bring her team back to Mohonk and to revive the wonderful spirit of this enduring dance form.

The Sky Top Highland Dancers

The Sky Top Highland Dancers, named after the famous and beautiful lookout point at Mohonk, are NYC-based Highland Dancers Kendra Monroe and Emily Ritter. 2021 marks the 9th and 6th year, respectively, that these dancers will perform during this celebratory weekend. Kendra and Emily met through Shot of Scotch NYC, for which Emily still performs, and both still teach through Kendra’s NYC-based lessons, Monroe School of Highland Dance. As certified highland dance teachers and premier level champion dancers, they are excited to share their passion for this endurance demanding Scottish art form.

Highland Oasis

Highland Oasis celebrates the vibrant music of Scotland. Merging the talents of three accomplished dance musicians, the results range from lyrical to exuberant, stately to driving. Pianist and band leader Jim Stevenson-Mathews has been playing regularly for Scottish dances and workshops since 1992, and played for his first Scottish Weekend at Mohonk in 2011. Fiddler Mara Shea began playing for Scottish dancing in 1999 in North Carolina, and joined Highland Oasis at Mohonk in 2011. Fiddler Rebecca McCallum began playing for Scottish dances in Rochester, NY in 1997, and in 2012 became a part of Highland Oasis. All three share a passion for the rhythms and melodies of the Scottish Isles. For more on Highland Oasis, please visit https://www.facebook.com/HighlandOasis/.

Michael Mednikoff

Michael Mednikoff, Regional Sales Manager with Empire Merchants North has over 27 years in the alcoholic beverage industry. He is a certified beverage professional covering the Hudson Valley and is also a certified wine and spirits trainer for Empire Merchants. He has a true passion for Scotch, Whiskey, and Bourbon, and has spent time at some of the largest Scotch producers in Scotland.