Oregon Adult Camp

Deeply versed in Irish and American traditions, it is on the mbira that Brendan Taaffe has found a truly distinctive voice, blending old-time ballads with traditional Zimbabwean rhythms. The ripple of the mbira, an instrument over a thousand years old, and Taaffe's lush tenor casts old songs in a new light, creating "the kind of hushed, lonely warmth you experience sitting by a fire in a drafty house."

A multi-instrumentalist on guitar, fiddle, banjo, and mbira, Brendan has toured with many different groups, including nationally acclaimed dance band Magic Foot and the internationally acclaimed vocal ensemble Northern Harmony. In addition to performing solo, he currently directs The Bright Wings Chorus, a vocal ensemble, and is the frontman of The New Line, a band that blends mbira with banjo, electric guitar, and percussion, creating a bridge between American and African traditions.

Originally from Minnesota, Brendan now lives in Brattleboro, Vermont and tours regularly throughout the U.S. and Europe.

Natalie describes herself as a classically trained vocalist-turned-folk music geek, influenced by too many genres to list. She is a classically trained vocalist, instrumentalist, composer, choral director, and performer since childhood with roots in opera and Ukrainian folk and choral music; specializing in traditional vocal styles of Eastern Europe with additional experience in American folk, pop, rock, jazz and musical theater.

A seasoned recording artist, soloist, ensemble vocalist, composer and multi-instrumentalist, Natalie is a choral director and vocal teacher with a repertoire spanning 50+ languages and over a dozen distinct vocal styles from around the world.

She is bilingual (Ukrainian & English), some French, and is a creative, adaptable and organized ethnomusicologist.

Some of her performance highlights: Orchestra Hall with Minnesota Orchestra, The Guthrie Theater, Fitzgerald Theater, "A Prairie Home Companion," and others. Her specialties: Traditional Eastern European vocal styling, coaching, composition, with special emphasis on timbres, diction and complex ornamentation.

Carl Linich has been studying, singing, and teaching traditional polyphonic folk and liturgical music from Caucasus Georgia since 1990, and has been sharing it with Village Harmony for over two decades. Carl first began learning Georgian songs with The Kartuli Ensemble, and soon went on to form Trio Kavkasia with two other Kartuli Ensemble singers. Trio Kavkasia traveled to Georgia in 1995 and 1997 for extended periods to immerse themselves in the culture, and Carl ended up living in Georgia for about a decade. He has traveled extensively around Georgia, meeting singers, making field recordings, and amassing a tremendous repertoire of songs. He has also worked on many Georgian folk music projects and publications. In recognition of his work to promote and preserve traditional Georgian culture, Carl is a Silver Medal State Laureate of Georgia (1995) and has been awarded the Georgian President's Order of Merit (2009). Since relocating back to the US, Carl has directed The Supruli Choir in New York City, the Bard College Georgian Choir, and his own family trio with his two sons. Carl is also a member of Tenores de Aterùe, a men's quartet devoted to traditional music from Sardinia. Carl holds an MFA (2004) in Music / Vocal Performance from Bennington College in Vermont.