About Us
Woodland Spark's music has been described as an authentic musical experience, drawing from folk, jazz, & classical influences. We play a wide selection of folk music, including traditional Celtic, French, Québécois, Scandinavian, Cape Breton, & more, from slow waltzes to fast reels. Our guitarists, pianists, & string players range from a variety of backgrounds including Jazz, Celtic, Classical, Folk, & more.
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We have performed at:
Upstairs at The Press Room, Portsmouth NH
The Cut Live, Gloucester MA
Samuel Adams Boston Brewery, Boston MA
Boxford Apple Festival, Boxford MA
Tour de Greenbelt at Cox Reservation
Midsommar Festival, Spiran Hall, Rockport MA
Beverly Arts Festival, Beverly MA
...and many more!
We can be hired as any of the following:
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- Duo: Choose a Melody Instrument (Violin, Viola, Accordion, Piano) + a Chord Instrument (Guitar, Piano, Irish Bouzouki)
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- Trio: Violin + Accordion + Guitar; Violin + Viola + Cello; Twin Fiddles + Guitar
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- Quartet: String Quartet (2 Violins, Viola, Cello); Violin + Accordion + Irish Bouzouki + Guitar
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We offer flexible arrangements for any occasion, including weddings, dinners, dances, parties, & more. Our musicians have decades of experience and talent curating a playlist of songs with your audience in mind, including song requests for weddings & upscale events.
Meet the Band Members:
John
Guitar & Ukulele
John has stumbled headlong through the Greenwich Village folk scene, theater on- and off-Broadway, swing music in Texas and blues in Tulsa. He discovered Hawai’ian music and ukulele 25 years ago, and has studied slack key guitar and lap steel in Hawai’i, performed at the first NY Uke Fest, and on the NYC cable show Midnight Ukulele Disco. He plays traditional jazz in Boston, entertains Seniors in a variety of settings, and acts as a sideman and accompanist in more ensembles that he can count, including the Good Ol’ Salty Jazz Band and the Cape Ann Big Band.
Madeleine
Violin & Viola
Madeleine has been playing classical violin for almost 20 years, and has ventured into the folk scene for the last half decade on fiddle & viola. She loves exploring new styles of music as well as her French & Irish heritage through folk music in the Celtic, Québécois, Cape Breton, Scandinavian, and French styles.
Somer
Accordion & Piano
Somer's original accordion playing belies a lifetime of study as a classical pianist. Her compelling rhythms and singular harmonic textures push the boundaries and defy categorization. She weaves a fine tapestry with exotic colors from Afro-Latin, Jazz, and Folk. “As a teacher I am a perpetual student. My ears are always expanding, as is my knowledge of and relationship to the accordion. I think this is what keeps my style fresh.”
Gary
Guitar, Concertina, & Irish Bouzouki
Gary has been performing traditional music of North America and the British Isles since 1972. Gary’s repertoire also includes contemporary singer-songwriter material and original compositions. He has performed at numerous music venues and festivals throughout the Northeast, California, and England both as a solo performer and in several different music ensembles. He has opened for: Bill Staines, Chris Smither, Greg Brown, Sally Rogers and Don White. Gary plays several stringed instruments (guitar, Irish bouzouki, octave mandolin & mandolin), as well as the Anglo-concertina and melodeon.
