| We are delighted to welcome 'Bonfire' with Jon Berger
to play for our Ball on 3rd May. | ||
BONFIRE
RICHARD SCHER
with special guest
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For the Friday night ball review | ||
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STEVE MARANTO
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| Bonfire is a dynamic LA-area duo known for its high energy and innovative approach to traditional music. Bonnie Insull – flute, pennywhistle and foot percussion - sparks the band with her passion for classical, traditional and improvisational music. Richard Scher – keyboards and percussion – brings his extensive background in jazz, popular and world music to the traditional dance scene. | ||
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A recent transplant from New England to California, Bonnie Insull spent two decades
playing classical concerts with New Hampshire’s Apple Hill Chamber Players and with the classical flute-guitar duo
Native Tongues. Her concerts have taken her as far as Quito, Ecuador, where she soloed with the Sinfonica Nacional,
and Sichuan Conservatory of Music in Chengdu, China, where she served as artist-in-residence in 1998. In the mid 1980’s,
Bonnie co-founded Music for People with cellist David Darling, producing and giving workshops in music improvisation
throughout the U.S. and Canada. Passionate about traditional dance, Bonnie has been dancing and playing for English country
dance and contra dance on both the East and West coasts for more than twenty years. |
Richard Scher, keyboardist and percussionist, has enjoyed an extensive career as a professional musician, composer and educator. He was a staff songwriter/record producer for MCA Music, Warner Chappell, Virgin Music and Island Music. As a songwriter, arranger/producer and studio musician he has worked with such artists as Diana Ross, Al Green, Kool and the Gang, Jennifer Holliday, Patti Austin, Expose, Jeff Beck, Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen. As a specialist in Orff Schulwerk music education, he taught elementary school music at disadvantaged schools in Los Angeles for ten years, music education certification courses at Cal State University Los Angeles, and has conducted music education workshops around the country. Currently, he is Director of Professional Development at P.S. ARTS, a Los Angeles non-profit organization dedicated to restoring arts education to disadvantaged public schools throughout southern California. |
For San Diego’s May Ball, Bonfire is joined by Jon Berger, playing violin, viola, and mandolin. Jon has played for English country,
Morris, and contra dances for over 30 years. He is a regular at Bay Area dances and dance camps, both on his own and with the bands
Midnight Smorgasbord (English) and Flashpoint (contra). Jon also plays Celtic music throughout the North
Bay area with the band Greenhouse, and is a former member of the Celtic rock band Tempest. He lives in Sebastopol,
California with his wife Kalia Kliban, a noted English country dance caller.  |
More Bios coming soon....
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