Faculty A-G

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Patricio Acevedo specializes in Latin American stringed instruments such as the Andean charango, the Venezuelan cuatro, the Brazilian cavaquinho, and the Colombian tiple. He currently teaches Music Theory at the Creative Arts High School in Camden, NJ. Patricio is a founding member of Philadelphia groups Páramo (Chilean nueva canción) and Alô Brasil (Brazilian carnavál). (TW2: Brazilian Guitar & Song; Discovering Brazilian Culture & Rhythms; Latin Jam)

Jumoke Ajanku has been a part of the Common Ground on the Hill faculty for many years. He first came to Common Ground on the Hill as part of Sankofa Dance Theater. He was a music teacher at Connexions Academy, and has worked at Young Audiences/Arts for Learning and Wombwork Productions. Jumoke was a 2013 recipient of a Maryland State Arts Council Apprenticeship Award with Master Manding Kora player Amadou Kouyate. (TW1: African Drumming; African Dance)

Kibibi Ajanku makes and presents ethnically charged art. Ajanku is known most broadly for her connection to Sankofa Dance Theater: the Baltimore-based performance company noted as a dance and drum troupe that features creativity drenched in the traditions of the historical Mali Dynasty. They convey new-world choreography and texture on the shoulders of the old-world authentic traditions of Africa. Ajanku attended Morgan State University, received an MFA in Curatorial Practice from Maryland Institute College of Art, and is a Coppin State University Fine Arts Professor. She has traveled the African Diaspora to study, teach and perform with many masters, and most recently spent time embedded in the Cuban arts and culture sector in the city of Havana entrenched in the dance, song and rhythm of the Orisha, as well as creating mosaic works inspired by the landscape. Ajanku believes that art is the perfect vehicle to move forward into greater intercultural awareness for the global community. As a result, she is continuously involved in programming that expands awareness, builds insight, and connects people. (TW1: African Dance; African Drumming)

Alexey Alexandrov Performer, composer, and Made in NY Jazz Competition winner, Alexey Alexandrov is a unique artist playing domra and mandolin in both classical and jazz styles. Expanding the boundaries of domra, Alexey has integrated the sound of this Russian folk string instrument into the jazz stylistic. He currently resides in Philadelphia and performs solo and with various groups throughout the U.S., Canada and Russia. Alexey has collaborated with musicians all over the world including John Lee, Al Foster, Oliver Lake, Kevin Mahogany, Alain Musichini, Bobby Sanabria, Vadim Repin, Professor Louie, and others. His large repertoire includes transcriptions of classical music, original works for domra, contemporary and jazz music, and his own compositions. He holds his DMA at Novosibirsk Conservatory (Russia). Alexey is married to mandolinist Ekaterina Skliar. www.alexeyalexandrov.com (TW3: Jazz Improvisation on Mandolin; Russian Folk Music for Mandolin; Mandolin Orchestra)

Royce Anderson was born in DC, grew up in India, traveled worldwide, and has lived in Israel, Russia, and NJ. He recently moved to Georgia to be near family, after living a couple years in Westminster and later retiring in Massachusetts from a career in international higher education, business development and professional exchange programs. His academic training is in philosophy, marketing, and the behavioral sciences. For the past few years, he has been exploring his theological beliefs through independent study at Union Theological Seminary in NY. He likes international arts and music, thinks about ultimate questions, writes songs, and plays guitar. (TW3: Beginning Guitar; Dealing with Diversity; Juke Joint Blues)

Brenda Anna, violin, attended the Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University where she studied with Yong Ku Ahn, Charles Libove, and David Geber of the American String Quartet. She currently serves as concertmaster of the Columbia Orchestra and is a member of the National Philharmonic which performs in the Music Center at Strathmore's concert hall. In addition, Brenda is a busy freelance performer in the Baltimore/Washington area, which has given her the opportunity to perform in places like the Kennedy Center, Meyerhoff Hall, Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall. A member of the Columbia Orchestra Piano Trio, she is the founder and manager of the Riversdale Chamber Ensemble. Ms. Anna has performed as soloist with the Mid-Atlantic Symphony, the Prince Georges Philharmonic, and the Columbia Orchestra. She teaches in her private studio and is a member of the faculty of Princeton Chamber Music Playweek in Chestertown, MD, a summer program for adult amateur chamber musicians. Together with her husband, Skip Anna, they form the eclectic duo Anna-1, Anna-2. (TW3: Beginning Fiddle; Music Reading/Sight-Singing)

Skip Anna has taught guitar, bass and other fretted string instruments full-time since 1971, and is the author of several instructional books, including guitar method and music theory books. As a composer, he has written a number of many classical guitar solos, and original folk, blues, and ragtime pieces, as well as ensemble music including a number of violin/guitar duets, five string quartets, two string trios, a string sextet and a brass quintet. Skip has played with the Jefferson Street Jug Band, performing with John Fahey at Lisner Auditorium in D.C., and at the Memphis Blues Festival, and played as lead guitar in a variety of professional hard rock, R & B, acid-rock, new wave, and outlaw country bands. He has also played various pick-up gigs and some professional recording sessions. (TW3: Beginning Guitar; Beyond Beginning Guitar)

Sheila Arnold has been performing since she was 8 years old. She lives in Hampton, VA and presents storytelling programs, historic character presentations, Christian monologues, professional development for educators and inspirational/motivational speaking for schools, churches and organizations throughout the US. She also manages and contracts new business for History’s Alive!, which mentors and provides opportunities and guidance to performers. Ms. Sheila, as she is fondly called, has been performing full-time since 2003, and travels nationally each year. Sheila was selected as a 2019-20 Mt. Vernon Research Fellow (VA) and as an artist residence at Hewnoak Artist Colony (ME). www.mssheila.org Photo credit: Randall Gornowich (TW1: Storytelling in the Personal; Historical Storytelling; The Great Story Swap; World Village. TW2: Storytelling 2; The Great Story Swap; World Village; Search for Common Ground)

Karen Ashbrook has been involved with dulcimer since the mid-70s when she built her first one as a high school project. She had been a pioneer in the promotion of the dulcimer nationally and internationally. She is considered one of the finest Irish hammered dulcimer players. She has a delicate touch, trademark shimmering lilt and ear for authentic ornamentation. Karen also works as a therapeutic musician at Georgetown Hospital and Walter Reed Military Medical Center and is passionate about using dulcimer music for healing and encouraging other musicians to do the same. Her current favorite patient quote, "You make my heart happy!" www.karenashbrook.com Photo credit: Michael G. Stewart (TW1: Hammered Dulcimer International; Music & Healing; Celtic Session)

Pau Barjau (See Che Apalache below) (TW2: Bluegrass Banjo 2; Bluegrass Masterclass; Latin Jam)

Genard “Shadow” Barr is an activist and community leader who works as an addiction recovery specialist at the Penn North Recovery Center in Baltimore. He is featured in the documentary Baltimore Rising, directed by Sonja Sohn and available on HBO. During the tense time surrounding the death of Freddie Gray through the trials of the police officers involved and up to the present, Barr has worked tirelessly to bridge the gap between police and the community. Barr has a nuanced understanding of the burdens that young black people in Baltimore carry and is an advocate who speaks truth to power. (TW1: The Voices of Baltimore Rising; Search for Common Ground)

Randy Barrett is a fixture in the Washington, DC, bluegrass scene as a singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Randy appears regularly as a member of the band Big Howdy with Dede Wyland. His newest album is Shake, Rattle & Roar on the Patuxent Music label. Randy is the proprietor of Greenway Violins and he also sits on the board of Bluegrass Country radio which streams online 24/7 at bluegrasscountry.org. (TW2: Bluegrass Fiddle 1; Bluegrass Banjo 1; Bluegrass Slow Jam)

Joanne Bast rediscovered stitchery as an art form after several scientific degrees. She has worked in many related media involving fabric, thread, wire, and beads. Most of her work has a stitched construction, either worked onto a fabric backing or as a construction technique of its own. She began with framed embroideries and wall hangings both hand and machine stitched and progressed into a "stitches in air" period of thread constructed objects and jewelry, eventually progressing to entirely beaded jewelry. She is fascinated not only by the seductive quality of beads but also by the relationship of structure to function. Her scientific background and years of teaching anatomy, physiology and other assorted biologies have together shown her the importance of structure and function. She also teaches various beadwork classes, has published numerous articles on beadwork techniques, and exhibited in juried shows all over the United States as well as internationally. www.jbast.com (TW1: Freeform Peyote Modular Necklace. TW2: Bead Embellished Rock Paperweight)

Steve Bloom has played percussion professionally in thousands of performances and recordings in Middle Eastern and Persian, Cuban, Latin, Brazilian, Sephardic, jazz, blues, gospel, New Age, and Celtic styles. He is known for his use of various “hybrid” drum kits, the better to combine his command of hand- and- finger drums with more traditional elements of the trap kit. He has performed and/or recorded in over a dozen countries from the Middle East to Nigeria to Ecuador and Canada with a wide variety of artists, including Tito Puente, Pedrito Martinez, King Sunny Ade’, and Babatunde Olatunji, guitarist Dennis Cahill, pianist Gregg Karukas, jazz trumpeter Doc Cheatham and Jon Faddis, flutists Paul Horn and Nestor Torres, and bassists Andy Gonzales and Michael Manring. Bloom is a seasoned Tombak, Daf and Damom player; he co-directs the SAMA Persian Percussion Ensemble, with whom he performed for the full General Assembly of the United Nations, introduced by Ban Ki-Moon, in 1996. www.musicbyhand.com. Photo by Stuart Dahne. (TW3: Exploring Cuban Clave Through Cuban Song; Rhythm Gym)

Sue Bloom Sue Bloom is an artist/photographer, educator, author, and lecturer. Seen as a pioneer in digital fine art, Sue teaches workshops across the US. Website: www.suebloom.com Email: sue@suebloom.com (TW1: App Dancing with Your iPhone. TW2: Creating Portraits Using Your iPhone)

AJ Blye has been a student of Iyengar Yoga since 1998. She studied long-term with Senior Level Iyengar teachers John Schumacker and Joan White. She started teaching in 2002 and plans to teach as long as there is breath in her body and students who want to practice and learn. Her favorite quote is, “The rhythm of the body, the melody of the mind, the harmony of the soul creates the symphony of life,” by BKS Iyengar. Her mission is to help anyone (at any age) who is interested in yoga to begin and continue their journey for any or all reasons that motivate them to learn, practice and grow. (TW1: Morning Yoga; Yoga with AJ)

Martin Bobrik (See Che Apalache below) (TW2: Bluegrass Mandolin/Mandolin Gym; Bluegrass Masterclass; Latin Jam)

A.J. Bodnar (Also see Liza & A.J.) is an exciting singer with a soaring tenor voice, is a virtuoso keyboard player, and also plays melodica, accordion, and marimbula, as well as several other instruments. He has toured America, Europe, and China as a jazz musician, songwriter and folk musician. He is the accompanist for the dance program (now in its 80th year) at Berea College, which includes the venerable Berea Country Dancers (now in its 80th year). A.J. was the Berea College Mariachi Band’s vocalist/accordionist for two years. In 2016, A.J. debuted and conducted his choral piece “Invitation” with the Berea College Concert Choir, and will debut his piece “Epitaph” in the spring of 2019. 'Like' Liza & A.J. on Facebook! (TW1: Rise Up Singing. TW3: Rise Up Singing; Hodge Podge Piano; Folk Roots Ensemble)

Gary Bowden has a diverse background from electronic repair to electron microscopes to large computer systems, but his true passion has been music throughout. Having been lucky enough to know and play with some exceptional musicians, he learned he was better behind a microphone than in front of one. With more than 30 years of experience of live sound and 15 years of recording experience, Gary brings a diverse and practical approach to sound production. He has provided sound support and production for Common Ground for more than 8 years, and has worked with Little Feat, Hot Tuna, the New Orleans Suspects, Craig Fuller, and Common Ground on the Hill alumni such as Professor Louie and the Crowmatix, Lea Gilmore, Guy Davis, and Walt Michael. Gary is credited with live albums from Little Feat and Lea Gilmore among others. (TW2: Sound Production for Live Performance. TW3: Simple Recording Concepts to Apply to Any Application)

Federica Brizi has worked for Mediterranean Hope since its inception. Among her many responsibilities, she manages the pioneer Humanitarian Corridors program, liaising with the team in Lebanon, those responsible for hosting participants and with the Italian Ministries of the Interior and Foreign Affairs. (TW2: Immigration)

Larry Brumfield‘s tranquil Midwestern upbringing was interrupted by seeing returning Vietnam vets with no jobs or career training. His post adolescent environment was savage, cold and high risk; fortunately, Larry had a valuable skill. He was big, strong, and agile with a dollop of savagery, thus avoiding Vietnam by getting a scholarship to Purdue University to play football. He graduated with a BS in Industrial Engineering and a MS in Management Science. After a 35-year corporate career in a Fortune 500 company, Larry attended seminary and was chosen to pastor churches in Baltimore and Washington. He has served on the Boards of Common Ground on the Hill, ACLU, Maryland Black Family Association, Rape Crises of Carroll County, mentored many youth in the community, and raised many children whose parents were in the dungeon of addiction. He is currently Chaplain of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Oak Cliff, TX. (TW3: The Race/Privilege/Tribalism Myth of the Melting Pot)

Davey Burkitt has played the harmonica for over fifty years exciting audiences throughout the northeast. Although a masterful blues harpist, his specialty is “straight harp” with a large repertoire of fiddle tunes, airs, and novelty pieces. Davey has toured extensively with Bottle Hill and Walt Michael & Co., performing in concerts at major festivals, clubs, community concerts and on radio. (TW3: Melodic Harmonica; Blues Harp; Juke Joint Blues)

David Carrasco is a Chicano historian of religions working on the topics of religious experience, sacred cities/borderlands and the Latino diaspora. His most recent book is The Aztecs: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford University Press) and he teaches in the Harvard Divinity School and the Department of Anthropology. In 2004 he was awarded the Mexican Order of the Aztec Eagle, the highest honor Mexico gives to a foreign national. In 2011 he was elected into the Academia Mexicana de la Historia for his outstanding contributions to understanding the history of religions in Mexico. He was recently chosen as one of the favorite professors of the Harvard class of 2014 and he was a talking head in the recent PBS series "Native America". (TW3: Keynote - Toni Morrison Stories: Goodness and Mercy and Mexico; Search for Common Ground)

Dr. Octavio Pascal Carrasco is an historian of American culture and music with special interest in the processes of social change, cultural resistance, and the religious imagination. As an undergraduate student at Princeton University, he worked with Cornel West, exploring the religious dimensions of Tupac Shakur’s music and death. He completed his Masters degree at Starr King School for the Ministry in Berkeley, CA with Rev. Dr. Gabriella Lettini. As the 2011-12 Hilda Mason teaching fellow he developed and taught the course Music & Art for Social Change and further completed his Ph.D. work with Cornel West, Daisy Machado, and Troy Messenger at Union Theological Seminary in NY, focusing on “the long sixties” as a period of profound awakening in American history. Octavio’s primary mode of transportation is walking, using the “eyes in his feet” to remain connected with his surroundings. His academic studies are grounded in his time living in Guatemala, Spain and the Czech Republic. He can be found teaching English as a second language wherever there are students and juggling book loans at ALL the local libraries. (TW3: Social Change, Cultural Resistance and the Religious Imagination)

Nicolas Carter is a talented and versatile International harpist, born in Minnesota and raised in Paraguay where he learned to play the Paraguayan harp. Carter creates unique performances blending his musicianship with his skills as a theatre artist/storyteller. His authentic, warm and friendly interaction creates an intimate experience bringing inspiration, motivation and joy. Carter has been composing, recording, teaching and performing for over 25 years and has played all over United States, Latin America, Europe, West Africa and Israel. Visit Nicolas’ website at www.nicolascarter.com (TW2: La Paloma (the Dove) for Harp; Storytelling and the Harp; Latin Jam)

Roj Caswell, a 5th generation native of the northeastern Isaan region of Thailand, hailing from the mountainous Mekong River border province of Loei, is well-versed in central Thai cuisine, as well as lesser-known local specialties from her home region. She has resided in the United States with her family since 2014. Roj looks forward to sharing her Thai food and culture with others in this cooking workshop at Common Ground on the Hill. (TW2: Thai Cooking)

Amanda Chappell became interested in the art of pysanky (Ukrainian Egg Decorating) in an effort to learn more about her Ukrainian heritage. After attending a Ukrainian festival in Baltimore several years ago, she became determined to teach herself this art of egg decorating. She was drawn to the traditional geometric designs for their intricacy and enjoys the process as much as the end result. Mandy holds a B.F.A. from Frostburg State University with a concentration in photography. (TW1: Ukrainian Eggs: The Art of Pysanky)

Che Apalache is a four-man string band based in Buenos Aires with members from Argentina, Mexico and the United States. The group’s founder is Joe Troop (fiddle), a North Carolinian multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter and composer who moved to Argentina in 2010. While patiently carving out a niche in the local music scene, Joe taught bluegrass and old-time music for a living. That’s how he met Pau Barjau (banjo), Franco Martino (guitar) and Martin Bobrik (mandolin), his most dedicated students. They quickly became picking buddies and in 2013 decided to hit the stage. Che Apalache began as a bluegrass band, but eventually incorporated Latin American styles into their repetoire. Combining instrumental prowess with tight vocal harmonies, they have created an authentic blend of genres to reflect the nature of their lives. Evoking images from Appalachia to the Andes, their debut album, Latingrass, is a testament to a powerful cultural and musical exchange. Their newest album, Rearrange My Heart, was produced by Béla Fleck and earned a GRAMMY® nomination. Visit them at www.cheapalache.com (TW2: Che Apalache - Bluegrass Masterclass; Latin Jam. Pau Barjau – Bluegrass Banjo 2; Martin Bobrik – Bluegrass Mandolin/Mandolin Gym; Franco Martino – Bluegrass Guitar/Guitar without Borders; Joe Troop - CANCELLED)

Peter Chen was born in China. Before coming to the U.S. in 2002, he studied and worked at the Shanghai University of Sports. He graduated from Minnesota State University in 2007 and has taught P. E. classes in the public schools and to various groups. He is currently a board member of the Tai Chi Friends Club of Greater Washington and participates in various Tai Chi events in the Greater Washington DC region. (TW1, TW2, TW3: Qigong, Tai Chi Chuan)

Erica Rai Chesnik discovered the beauty of yoga in 2006 while seeking variety in the same ol' gym workout routine. The practice brought mindfulness and inspiration and eventually evolved into sharing the practice, becoming a certified teacher in 2013 and eventually an advanced 500 hour teacher. Erica found restoration and empowerment in maintaining a consistent practice and loves to help others along the yogic path of mindfulness. Classes are thoughtfully designed to provide a fun, safe, anatomy based yoga class with a strong emphasis on harnessing the power of your breath! Erica holds additional certifications to include Certified Prenatal Yoga Teacher and FLOYO Stand Up Paddle Board Yoga Certified. (TW2, TW3: Intro to Flow Yoga; Gentle Yoga)

Andy Cohen has spent his life studying blues in general, and the lives of bluesmen and women in particular, not just their music. In his career, he was able to get up with, and sometimes perform with, Jim Brewer, Dan Smith, Daniel Womack, Rev. Gary Davis, John Jackson, Libba Cotten, Etta Baker, John Cephas, Archie Edwards, Honeyboy Edwards, Algia Mae Hinton, Bessie Jones, Ted Bogan, Howard Armstrong, Pigmeat Jarrett, Big Joe Duskin and a couple dozen other blues people. For whatever it's worth, Andy has been cited several times for his work in various aspects of Blues and Gospel music: The Autoharp Hall of Fame inducted him for his work with the Washington Phillips material on the Dolceola; The Pinewoods Club of New York gave him the Eisteddfod Award for promoting traditional music; and Folk Alliance Region Midwest ('FARM') recently gave him their Lantern Bearer's Award for being an advocate of active collecting and promotion of 'native speaking' performers within the Folk Revival. He has taught at most of the major teaching camps, including Common Ground, Port Townsend, Elkins and Pinewoods, each of them several times. (TW3: Icons of the Blues; Singing with Your Instrument; Juke Joint Blues)

Daniel R. Collins is an award-winning independent filmmaker, and the director of development and outreach for the Delaware-based non-profit, Hearts and Minds Film. He has attended Common Ground on the Hill as a volunteer, performer, student, and teacher for more than twenty years. Dan serves on the Board of Directors and helps manage the Common Ground Veterans Initiative, and is also an actively performing musician and published poet, based in Philadelphia. www.dancollinsfilm.com (TW2: Hearts and Minds Film; Common Ground on the Hill Veterans Initiative; Big Song Swap)

Charles Collyer and Pamela Zappardino are nonviolence educators, authors and trainers with a long history of activism. They studied and continue to work with Dr. Bernard LaFayette, who was a member of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s executive staff, and is today's principal spokesperson for Kingian nonviolence. Charlie co-founded the Center for Nonviolence and Peace Studies at the University of Rhode Island, where he is Professor Emeritus (Psychology). Now retired, he has more time to play “bad guitar.” A photographer, painter, and art critic, Pam plays the mountain dulcimer, is president of PlanWorks Consulting and works with many community groups and organizations. Charlie and Pam co-founded and serve as Directors of the Ira and Mary Zepp Center for Nonviolence and Peace Education at Common Ground. (TW3: Everyday Nonviolence in a Crazy World; Stories of the Civil Rights Movement; Search for Common Ground)

Gina Copanzzi has had a passion for artistic design since childhood. After taking metalsmithing in high school, Gina refined her skills through formal training with master metalsmiths from around the country.
She expresses her inner artistic abilities by forming and shaping metal. Her assemblage of jewelry is the result of years of practice, hard work, determination and experimentation. All her pieces start as either a sheet of metal or length of wire and end up as a piece of one-of-a-kind artisan jewelry.
www.ginacopanzzi.com (TW3: Introduction to Metalsmithing and Jewelry)

Paul Creighton is a peace activist, educator and musician. He is a retired principal teacher of multicultural studies and peace education. After meeting His Holiness the Dalai Lama in 2005, Paul finished writing a peace education curriculum which was approved by the Scottish Qualifications Authority and acclaimed by Education Scotland, (the Scottish schools inspectorate), who wanted the program in every school in Scotland. Since retiring Paul has been working with Arun Gandhi, grandson of Mahatma, in developing a global peace education curriculum. He is an ambassador for the World Peace Tartan, an international peace initiative based in Edinburgh. He is also an educational advisor to the international peace organization, The Interpreters Forum, a role he shared with the late Elie Wiesel, Nobel Peace Laureate and Holocaust survivor. Paul is also in the process of developing and delivering programs to adult offenders; programs designed to prevent reoffending and to raise self-esteem and improve employability skills of the participants. Paul is a multi-instrumentalist and has played in the Scottish Folk scene for forty years. He has played at festivals in England, France, Canada and the USA. Paul has released two CDs, the latest in 2015. His latest CD has been chosen as a soundtrack to a forthcoming film release, The War for Paradise. (TW2: Peace Education in the Classroom and with Adult Offenders; Scottish Song; Celtic Session)

C. Randall Daniels (See Sakim) (TW1: Contemporary Native American Philosophy and Religion; Native American Tribal Arts)

Guy Davis is a musician, storyteller, author, and actor considered to be “America’s greatest link to the blues right now” (Windsor Star). Guy has been turning out chart-topping, award-winning blues since his debut in 1995. Guy’s latest album, Sonny & Brownie’s Last Ride, received a Grammy nomination, as well as nominations for 2018 Best Acoustic Artist and Best Acoustic Album by the Blues Music Association. His album Kokomo Kidd was named 2016 Acoustic Record of the Year by Blues Blast Magazine and received nominations for the Blues Music Association Acoustic Album of the Year 2016 and Acoustic Artist of the Year. These awards follow his 2014 Blues Music Association nominations for Acoustic Album of the Year (Juba Dance) and Acoustic Artist of the Year. Guy Davis “breathes new life into the country blues idiom” (Blues Blast Magazine). The son of famed actor/civil rights activists Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis, Guy celebrates and expands the music and stories he learned at the knees of his parents and grandparents. This most recent recognition continues Guy’s history of honors, including awards from National Public Radio and the Blues Foundation, including the W.C. Handy Keeping the Blues Alive Award and nine Handy Award nominations, as well as acclaim on and off-Broadway. Guy also received the 2017 Robert H. Chambers Award for Excellence in the Performing Arts. Most recently, Guy received a nomination for Best Acoustic Artist by the Blues Foundation. (TW1: Blues Guitar with Guy Davis; Juke Joint Blues)

Thomas Deveny is Emeritus Professor of Spanish and Comparative Literature at McDaniel College. He is author of numerous articles on Hispanic literature and cinema. Among his four books on Hispanic film is Migration in Contemporary Hispanic Cinema. (TW1: Migration in Contemporary Hispanic Cinema)

Liza DiSavino (Also see Liza & A.J.) is a singer, traditional musician, multi-instrumentalist, and an award-winning songwriter. An expert on Appalachian balladry and the author of a soon-to-be published biography of early Kentucky ballad collector Katherine Jackson French, she teaches music education and Appalachian music at Berea College and is the director of the nationally known Berea College Folk-Roots Ensemble. She has recorded nine albums, including five with A.J. Bodnar, and appears on the compilation Songs from the Garden State on Smithsonian Folkways. Liza is a two-time member of the Geraldine R. Dodge Master Teacher Collaborative. (TW1: Rise Up Singing. TW3: The Story of Appalachia Through its Women of Music; Rise Up Singing; Folk Roots Ensemble)

Alice Dorsey is a pianist, keyboard player and organist who has played for a number of churches in Baltimore and the Voices of Freedom choir at Social Security in Baltimore. Since 1987, Alice has accompanied her daughters, the Sisters in Harmony, anchored by Shelley Ensor. (TW2: Singing with Shelley Ensor)

Rebecca Quattrone Drayer is a retired professor from York College of Pennsylvania in the Music, Art, and Communication Department. She is a self-proclaimed conduit between various artistic processes and groups within her local Communities. She has earned her Master of Arts at Pennsylvania State University and Advanced & Introduction Mosaic Certification from the Scuola Arte Del Mosaico, Ravenna, Italy. Her public and fine artworks span the United States and abroad. Drayer has recently completed several large scale public collaborative mosaic works in the United States. Her mixed media studio, Cowboys & Angels, is in Southern York County, were she resides with her husband Michael and pup Chopper. (TW1: Garden/Yard Sculpture Mosaics; Intro to Everyday Life Mosaics)

Melissa Dunning is a hand-weaver, spinner and knitter with nearly 40 years of experience, working on antique equipment to recreate 18th and 19th century home produced textiles. She began her textile study with Scottish master weaver Norman Kennedy in 1980, and carries on this rich tradition in her own teaching. Melissa is an avid tartan and linen weaver, a compulsive knitter and a lover of wool who enjoys sharing her passion for weaving and spinning with students. She is also a ballad singer, specializing in the ballads and songs of Ireland, Scotland and England from before Napoleon’s time. melissaweaves.blogspot.com (TW1: Hand Stitching)

Ken Ecker has taught since undergraduate school, working with all age groups from pre-schoolers to octogenarians. His work is nature based. He has worked plein air off the coast of New York, in rural Maryland, Vermont, Maine, New Mexico, Southern California and in Germany. "Scientists talk about how all of nature is composed of swarming, chaotic, vibrational patterns that intersect. After years of painting I sometimes get the feeling that I understand something of what they’re talking about. Painting will do that to you." bluemountaingallery.org/ken-ecker (TW3: Life Drawing)

Eleanor Ellis, a native of Louisiana, has performed at clubs, festivals and concerts in the United States, Canada and Europe. She has also traveled and played with the late gospel street singer Flora Molton and bluesman Archie Edwards, and sometimes accompanied Delta Blues great Eugene Powell. She is a founding member of the DC Blues Society and the Archie Edwards Blues Heritage Foundation, has written about the blues for several publications, and is producer and editor of the video documentary Blues Houseparty, featuring well-known Piedmont blues musicians such as John Jackson, John Cephas, and Archie Edwards. She also worked at the Archive of New Orleans Jazz at Tulane University in New Orleans, and at the New Orleans Jazz Museum. Eleanor was nominated for a 2012 Wammie (Washington Area Music Association) award for Blues/Traditional R & B Female Vocalist. (TW2: Blues Guitar; Women & the Blues; Juke Joint Blues)

Tony Ellis’s music displays an eloquent lyricism not usually heard on the 5-string banjo. His four critically acclaimed recordings of original music (Dixie Banner, Farewell My Home, Quaker Girl, and his most recent, The Quest) combine elements of bluegrass, old-time, parlor music, minstrel, Celtic, and ragtime, and more. Tony’s 3-ﬁnger roll (and occasional 2-ﬁnger picking) along with his use of the old-time banjo tunings create a distinctive sound that is both deeply rooted in American music, and timeless. Tony joined Bill Monroe & His Blue Grass Boys in 1960. In 1962, Ellis performed with Mac Wiseman at Carnegie Hall. He left full-time performing shortly afterwards, but continued to develop, performing old-timey music with Dr. Bruce Mongle, George Pegram, and Tommy Jarrell. His ﬁrst album, Dixie Banner, was released in 1987, and was named “Best Old Time Record of 1988” by County Sales, and “One of the top twenty recordings of l988” by NPR. Tony’s second recording, Farewell My Home was recommended as “One of the top ten recordings of 1993” by the Washington Post. In 2000 Tony released “Sounds Like Bluegrass to Me,” a collection of traditional bluegrass selections. Tony has received numerous awards from ASCAP, and was featured during a National Masters of the Banjo tour in 1994. His compositions have been used by Ken Burns in several documentaries, on the British BBC documentary Echoes of America, on the TV series Party of Five and SpongeBob, as well as other theater and ﬁlm productions. Tony Ellis & the Musicians of Braeburn—Tony on ﬁddle and banjo; his son, William Lee Ellis, on guitar; Tony’s wife Louise Adkins on pump organ, and Larry Nager on bass, mandolin and washboard—have toured Japan, New Zealand, Australia, Central America, the U.K., Cuba, and Belarus. Tony played on the David Letterman Show and The New Yorker Festival program as a guest of Steve Martin in 2005 and was the 2003 inaugural recipient of the Ohio Heritage Fellowship for Performing Arts, and has been nominated for a National Heritage Fellowship Award. Tony is this year's recipient of the Robert H. Chambers Award for Excellence in the Traditional Arts. (TW2: Tunes with Tony Ellis; John Hartford Banjo; Bluegrass & Old-Time Masterclass; Bluegrass Jam)

William Lee Ellis. The guitar-playing son of banjo composer Tony Ellis, Bill is Associate Professor of Music at Saint Michael’s College, Colchester, Vermont, where he specializes in American roots music. He holds a PhD in ethnomusicology from the University of Memphis and an MM in classical guitar performance from the University of Cincinnati-College Conservatory of Music. Among his honors are winner of a Missouri Lifestyle Journalism Award, recipient of a Blues Foundation’s “Keeping the Blues Alive Award,” and best international CD winner in Australia for his album, God’s Tattoos. Called a “wizard on steel strings” (Blues Revue), Bill is a guitar instructor alum of Jorma Kaukonen’s Fur Peace Ranch and records for the Yellow Dog label. He has also co-authored with Ernie Hawkins two instructional books on the music of Reverend Gary Davis and penned the chapter on Delta blues for the multidisciplinary book, Defining the Delta (University of Arkansas Press). (TW2: Blues Fingerpicking Techniques; Tunes with Tony Ellis; John Hartford Banjo; Bluegrass & Old-Time Masterclass; Juke Joint Blues)

Shelley Ensor comes from a highly gifted musical family and possesses a rare, beautiful and powerful voice. She sings with The Sisters in Harmony who released their CD, Your Love, in 2001. Shelley sang with the Howard Burns Quintet, appearing on their CD, Lucinda's Serenade, and performing at Blues Alley. She appears on the Ron Kearns CD, Live at Blues Alley, and sings with the Frederick Community College Jazz Band. Shelley directs the Men’s Choir and Voices of Faith at First Baptist Church of Baltimore. She is a past director of Trinity Baptist Gospel Choir, the Men's Choir of St. Luke’s UMC, Bertinna Randall Gospel Choir of St. Mark UMC, St. Paul's UCC choir in Westminster, MD, and the McDaniel College Gospel Choir. Shelley led the Common Ground Gospel Choir for sixteen years and is revered at Common Ground on the Hill as one of its most inspired, respected instructors. Shelley is accompanied on piano by her mother and mentor, Alice Dorsey. (TW2: Singing with Shelley Ensor; Big Song Swap)

Margery Erickson has been a master artisan and member of the Pennsylvania Guild of Craftsmen since 1991. She is juried in hand weaving and specializes in wearable art. Other fiber interests include spinning yarn, sewing, and knitting. Her formal education includes a degree in Social Science from Penn State and a Masters degree from Millersville University in Special Education. “When I was a teen I enjoyed sewing my own clothes, creating a unique style. In my mid thirties I saw someone weaving fabric. If I could weave I could create my own fabric to sew. One weaving class, one loom, one yard of fabric... Changed my life!” www.etsy.com/shop/maverickson (TW3: Weave Bands, Belts, Bookmarks, and More)

David Olawuyi Fakunle, Ph.D. is a self-described “mercenary for change,” willing to employ any talent and occupy any space in the effort to elevate people of African descent and anyone who feels divested from their truest self. David earned a Ph.D. from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and prior to doctoral study earned a B.A. in Psychology and Criminology & Criminal Justice from the University of Maryland, College Park. David’s research interests include sociodemographic relationships with stressors within the built environment such as tobacco outlet density and e-cigarette availability, the manifestations of institutional racism in society, and the utilization of arts and culture to promote equity and ultimately, liberation. As an artist, David has utilized vocal and theater performance, African storytelling and African drumming in the proclamation of truth for over 20 years. He has performed with companies such as the Sankofa Dance Theater, the Washington Revels’ Jubilee Voices and WombWork Productions, among others. His affiliations include The National Great Blacks in Wax Museum, the National Association of Black Storytellers and the Griots’ Circle of Maryland. David is the co-founder and CEO of DiscoverME/RecoverME, an organization that utilizes the African oral tradition to encourages the claiming of one’s narrative for personal and organizational growth. (TW1: Keynote - Becoming Familiar with Civilization’s “Strange Fruit”; Search for Common Ground (Tuesday); Science of Narrative)

Michael R. Faulkner is an award-winning independent filmmaker Michael R. Faulkner is excited to return to Common Ground on the Hill this year for a new exploration of creating community through the arts. After growing up riding horses and singing in choirs in rural Michigan, he moved to Baltimore and fell in love with the city while working as a production assistant on John Water's films and later as a location scout and manager for HBO’s The Wire. His credits as an independent Producer/Director include, the Tuvan music travelogue, SHU-DE! (Let’s Go!), John & James, music videos, and concert pieces. Recent projects include, Lost Kings, a micro - episodic drama set in Baltimore and a short documentary, As We Are, a story that shines a light on the power of music to connect autistic children with their community. He was a producer on the film, “What the Wind Carries,” featured at the Equal Justice Initiative's Museum in Montgomery, Alabama. Michael is currently location scouting for new teen basketball drama, Swagger. Michael continues to implement his interests in photography, music and performance, telling unique and untold stories that explore and make testaments to social justice, the arts and the awakening of new perspectives. (TW3: Finding Common Ground Through Film)

Mary Flower is an award-winning guitarist and lap slide player, a Blues Music Award nominee and twice a finalist at the International Fingerpicking Guitar Championship. Acoustic Guitar Magazine says, "There are few musicians in the genre bringing as much creative spark and low-key mojo to this century-old music..." She has performed at Merlefest, the Winnipeg Folk Festival and on Prairie Home Companion. Her 9th CD, Misery Loves Company, was released last fall on Yellow Dog Records. A seasoned teacher, Mary has a handful of Instructional DVDS and has taught at Fur Peace Ranch, Swannanoa Gathering and Centrum Blues. www.maryflower.com “A world class finger style guitarist and lap slide player” Downbeat Magazine (TW3: Blues & Ragtime Guitar; Early Blues Women; Juke Joint Blues)

The Foghorn Stringband is a real-deal hard-hitting genuine old-time American string band music, with eight albums, thousands of shows, over 15 years of touring under their belts, and an entirely new generation of roots musicians following their lead. American roots music is a diverse and never-ending well of inspiration, and Foghorn Stringband continually and obsessively draws from old-time, bluegrass, classic country, and Cajun music traditions in an ongoing quest to present a broad span of American historical music with an unparalleled youthful energy, joy, and virtuosity. They see themselves not only as cultural revivalists, but also as historians and fans of this music. The Foghorn Stringband is: Caleb Klauder (vocals, mandolin, fiddle), Reeb Willms (vocals, guitar), Nadine Landry (vocals, upright bass), and Stephen ‘Sammy’ Lind (vocals, fiddle, banjo). (TW3: Old-Time Jam; Caleb Klauder – Mandolin – Deeper South; Singing with Caleb & Reeb. Reeb Willms – Rhythm Guitar; Singing with Caleb & Reeb. Nadine Landry – Bass Tutorial; Cajun Songs. Sammy Lind – Old-Time Fiddle; Old-Time Banjo; Cajun Songs)

Wayne Fugate in the American roots styles of bluegrass, blues, jazz, and old-time music, swinging gracefully from these styles to his other musical loves of classical, Gypsy jazz and World music. Wayne was recently on Broadway playing mandolin and guitar on Steve Martin and Edie Brikell's five-time Tony nominated musical Bright Star and played on the show's first National Tour. Wayne is a founding member of the widely acclaimed eclectic string band Uncommon Ground. He also performs and tours with Mandolin Madness, an ensemble with Barry Mitterhoff. Other projects include “Lisa’s Pieces,” where he performs alongside with GRAMMY® Award winning fiddle phenom, Lisa Gutkin (from the Klezmatics) and “The New York Mandolin Ensemble”, one of the country’s premiere mandolin-centric chamber orchestra groups. Wayne can be heard on the soundtracks of the Emmy nominated film Home and the Louis B. Mayer award winning short film, Respects. Other film credits include a performing appearance in the award-winning film A Bread Factory, starring Tyne Daly, James Marsters and Janeane Garofalo. Wayne is the author of two instructional and tune books for mandolin available through Alfred Publishing and Mel Bay. https://www.waynefugate.com/ (TW3: Chord Basics for Mandolin; Scales Bootcamp for Mandolin; Mandolin Orchestra)

Bing Futch uses Appalachian mountain dulcimer, Native American flute, ukulele, drums and electronic effects, deftly navigating the varied waters of traditional and modern Americana with passion, wit and a genuinely huge heart for sharing music. He has enjoyed a career on both sides of the folk and rock divide. He has recorded a number of several albums and published several music-education books including the best-selling Blues Method for Mountain Dulcimer 101. As a member of the Orange Blossom Blues Society, he helps with the organization's mission of presenting, preserving and promoting the blues by participating in the "Blues in the Schools" program in central Florida. Bing won the 2015 Central Florida Blues. www.bingfutch.com (TW1: Beyond Beginning Mountain Dulcimer; Mountain Dulcimer Smorgasbord; Old-Time Jam)

Lea Gilmore was named by Essence Magazine as one of "25 Women Shaping the World," and is a past winner of the Blues Foundation's "Keeping the Blues Alive" award (the “Grammies of the Blues”) for her historical work on women's contributions to that music. Lea is the recipient of the 2016 Golden Formstone Award from Baltimore's Creative Alliance for her efforts with community arts and commitment to social justice. She was also recently hailed by the Jazz Journalists Association as the 2018 Baltimore Jazz Hero for her work in music and social justice. Lea lead Gospel concerts across Belgium in support of the Father Damien Foundation, as well as recording three Gospel CDs as a fundraiser. She was named one of the first recipients of the James Baldwin Medal for Civil Rights for her work championing LGBTQ equality. Lea served four terms on the Maryland Advisory Board for the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, has worked diligently for reproductive justice for Native American women (indeed, all women), and is a staunch and vocal supporter for justice for all. Lea co-authored and coordinated the publication Reproductive Justice in Communities of Color for the National Abortion Federation. She has served as the Deputy Director of the ACLU of Maryland; Policy Director and Director of Community Outreach for Equality Maryland, where she directed the Maryland Black Family Alliance (MBFA) and Pride in Faith; and program director for the Association of Baltimore Area Grantmakers (ABAG). She is the founder and director of “Umoja (meaning "Unity" in Swahili) Musica,” an international effort promoting non-violence, peace and human rights, embracing the power and reach of African-American traditional music in union with the traditional music of other cultures. A proud Baltimorean and graduate of Morgan State University, after the “Uprising” in Baltimore City following the death of Freddie Gray, she organized a series of “Community Sings” to bring various parts of the community together to inspire work for change. She currently serves as the congregational song and band leader for Govans Presbyterian Church. (TW2: Women & the Blues; Big Song Swap; Search for Common Ground)

Geoff Goodhue graduated from Ohio University in 2004 with a B.F.A. in Percussion Performance and now lives in Jackson, New Hampshire. His family outfit, The Goodhues Band, was featured at the 2016 Mountain Laurel Autoharp Gathering. Geoff performs alongside Danny Knicely as a member of the Bryan Bowers Band and is the drummer on J.D. Hutchison’s 2016 Howdy Skies Records release “You and the World Outside” produced by and featuring Tim O’Brien. Geoff’s main gig is as mandolinist and vocalist with the award winning Vermont based bluegrass quintet “Beg, Steal or Borrow” https://www.begstealorborrowvt.com/geoff-goodhue-other-projects. Geoff is a veteran Clivus Multrum representative and backcountry caretaker/homesteader. (TW1: Vermiculture)

Phil Grout started to learn his craft as a photographer in 1966 working as a photojournalist for the U.S. Navy covering naval operations in Vietnam. With pictures and words he became a gatherer of the threads which bind us together as human beings. In the 1980’s Phil took his camera throughout the Developing World in Africa, Asia, Latin America and India documenting the work of various relief organizations. A second book of photography, Seeds of Hope, grew from the splinters left in the wake of a hurricane which cut a path through Nicaragua in 1988. Phil lived in Ghana, West Africa in 2002 with an extended family of cocoa farmers to create his latest book, Harvest of Hope—a portrait of those who toil to bring us chocolate. His photo illustrations regularly appear in Carroll Magazine as well. Phil’s photography and reporting have been awarded by the Associated Press, Maryland-Delaware-D.C. Press Association as well as various arts organizations. His photography has been exhibited in art galleries throughout the United States. (TW1, TW2, TW3: The Open Road: Smartphone Photography)

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