P.O. Box 6761
 Chesterfield, MO 63006-6761

 In the belief that music and the arts are key to connecting cultures and understanding our roots, Scottish Partnership for Arts and Education provides cultural experiences and educational opportunities in Scottish traditional arts and the historic connections between Scotland and the USA by conducting classes, workshops, lectures and public performances. Please contact us to find out more.

2012 SPAE Artists Biographies

Brian McNeillBrian McNeill is a virtuoso on fiddle, viola, mandolin, cittern, bouzouki, guitar, bass, concertina and hurdy-gurdy.  Brian was the founder of the Battlefield Band in 1969, one of Scotland’s best known folk ensembles.  He is a leading writer of Scottish song, has numerous recordings – solo and with other leading Scottish traditional musicians.  In 2010, he released his twelfth solo album of original material.  He has produced recordings for many new and well-known folk artists, and has published 2 original mystery novels.  He was Head of Scottish Music at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (RSAMD) in Glasgow, Scotland from 2001-2008.  Brian is a Master Teacher, able to motivate audiences and students of all ages. www.brianmcneill.co.uk

Caroline PughCaroline Pugh is a singer from Edinburgh, Scotland, and currently lives in Belfast, Ireland. She performs traditional folk music and her own original material around Northern Europe and the USA, and will be doing a house concert tour of California in 2012. She currently teaches voice at Queen's University Belfast, and has led vocal workshops at Northumbria University, The Lyric Theatre Belfast and the RSAMD. She was awarded a Distinction for her Master of Music degree from Newcastle University in 2010, and she also got a Scottish Music honours degree from the RSAMD in 2007. www.carolinepugh.co.uk

Anna Murray, Gaelic singer and piper, was born and raised on the Isle of Lewis.  ShAnna Murraye has recorded with her own band, with Calluna and sings on the “Gaelic Women” CD.  She is also an actor and has appeared on Scottish TV and the BBC in all three roles.  On BBC she has presented in a range of Gaelic programs including a pre-school children’s programme, “Dotaman” and “The Year of the Prince” for the Around Scotland schools history series.  She presented the first series of Grampian’s “Iobalag Obalag” magazine for older children and Eala Bhan/STV’s light entertainment series “Bi-Beo”.  In addition, she currently teaches piping in the schools on the Isle of Lewis.

 

Shirley LeFlore is a native of St. Louis, poet/performing artist, psychologist and educator.  She is a published writer and recording artist veteran poet who, in collaboration with national and Shirley LeFloreinternational musicians and dancers, was one of the first consummate artists to preserve the sanctity of the Oral Tradition with the inclusion of multiple arts disciplines.  She is also a former member of the historic Black Artists Group (BAG) of St. Louis.  Mrs. LeFlore was the first poet to present educational workshops in the St. Louis area schools (1970s) and went on to teach extensively in New York and New Jersey before returning to St. Louis.  In Aug. 2011, The Missouri History Museum presented RIVERS OF WOMEN, a collaborative work showcasing Shirley’s poetry set to music and dance.  MO History Museum will bring back this program in Jan. and Feb., 2013.

Ed Miller holds a Ph.D. in Folklore from the University of Texas. He is one of the finest singers to come out of the Scottish Folk Revival and brings his love of Scotland to every per-formance. Ed is one of the most popular folk artists on the Highland Games circuit in North Amer-ica. He hosts a folk music program “Folkways” on Na-tional Public Radio station, KUT-FM, Austin, TX and has recorded extensively. Ed is an instruc-tor at Swannanoa Gathering Summer School, Warren Wil-son College, N. Carolina; Rocky Mountain Fid-dle Camp CO; and Alasdair Fraser's Valley of the Moon Fiddle Camp, CA. www.songsofscotland.com

Jessi Cerutti, St. Louis visual artist, explores personal memory and local history through printmaking and fiber arts.  She earned her BFAJessi Cerutti at UM St. Louis in 2005 and MFA at Southern Illinois Un., Edwardsville in 2011.  She merges ink and fiber to create objects that illustrate an accumulation of time, change and memory.  Exhibits include INTANGIBLE RIVERS:  A SUBJECTIVE HISTORY at the Zeigenhein on Cherokee Street in 2011.  She has had exhibits in Chicago and Cleveland.  She teaches workshops, does adjunct teaching in the St. Louis area and is co-founder and VP of Rock n’ Roll Craft Show.  Her website is:  www.jessicerutti.com.