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Band Members: Pierre Schryer Band has gained an international reputation as one of Canada's most well respected traditional music ensembles. This talented trio incorporates elements of Gypsy Swing, Improvisation, Celtic and World Music while maintaining a commitment to the authentic fiddle styles of Scottish, Irish, Cape Breton, Shetland, Ontario, Québec, and Bluegrass. The band includes Pierre Schryer on fiddle, mandolin and foot percussion; Duncan Cameron on bodhran, bouzouki, whistles and vocals; Joseph Phillips on bass, guitars and vocals. Blue Drag, their 2003 CD release, was nominated for Roots and Traditional Album of the Year at the 2004 JUNO Awards. The recording ignites with a ‘Hot Club of France’ Swing tune and continues with an innovative and diverse program full of heart and soul. In performance Pierre Schryer Band captivates the audience with their virtuosity and charisma, leaving a lasting impression of the joie de vivre in Canadian music and all its cultural mélange.
Toronto native Duncan Cameron, has been immersed in the magic of traditional music and storytelling from birth and began singing and performing with his father Stewart Cameron at a very young age. Having gained versatility on a variety of traditional instruments, Duncan was soon introduced to the professional world of folk music as a performer at Mariposa and other music and storytelling festivals, on CBC radio and his father's television show, Northern Lights. He has developed a strong reputation performing with groups such as The Friends of Erin, The Humours, The Hoolies, and a myriad of solo artists. Duncan maintains an active musical career teaching, promoting his solo album entitled “The Whistling Thief,” performing and touring with Pierre Schryer Band, Tamarack, and Fig for a Kiss. Joseph Phillips originally hails from Toronto. A talented musician, equally accomplished on guitar and double bass, Joseph has performed with various songwriters and musicians including Kevin Quain, Max Metrault, Ian Tamblyn, Kim Erickson, Patricia O’Callaghan, Evelyn Parry, Claire Jenkins and many others. He has toured Canada and Europe as a bassist with swing-punk-cabaret singer Big Rude Jake, and has performed with artists such as Yiddish jazz singer Theresa Tova, tex-mex wanderers Rancho Misterio, Celtic mariachi-ists The Mad Bastards, and bagpipe jazz collective Guh. As a classical musician, Joseph has toured with the National Youth Orchestra of Canada, Les Jeunes Virtuoses de Montréal and Via Salzburg Chamber Orchestra. His diverse career has included freelancing with orchestras including the National Arts Centre, National Ballet, Toronto Symphony, as well as principal bassist with the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra. Joseph performs, tours and records as a member of Pierre Schryer Band. Past members of the Pierre Schryer Band have included Julie Schryer(piano), Brian Pickell(guitar), Nathan Curry(multi-instrumentalist), Brad Fremlin(snare drum) & Martine Billette(piano) and on occasional tours the band included musicians Paul Dacier, Nicholas Williams & Merrie Klazek.
Band Members: Club Carrefour represents a musical passport for Québec, made up of 5 talented musicians who promote all the richness that French Canadian music possesses. This traditional Québécois group is lead by Raynald Ouellet on accordion with Bruno Gendron on guitar and vocals, Pierre Schryer on fiddle, Benoît Legault on piano and Normand Legault on step dancing, rhythm & bones. The group performs a high spirited show that guarantees a "swinging" good time! Biographies: Raynald Ouellet, Bruno Gendron, Benoît Legault & Normand Legault Raynald Ouellet is one of the most influential artists of traditional Québecois music. In 1978, with the exposure of the group ‘Éritage’, he became renowned for his virtuosity on diatonic accordions. He has since toured the world, playing for audiences in Canada, the United States, U.S.S.R., France, Scotland, Ireland, Finland and Denmark. With formal training in carpentry and fine woodworking, he created his own diatonic accordion workshop, ‘Accordéon Mélodie’, known worldwide for producing high quality accordions. In 1989, Raynald founded ‘Carrefour mondial de l’accordéon’, an annual world festival of accordion in the historic town of Montmagny, Québec. Bruno Gendron, a singer of popular music and French songs, divides his time between teaching music and touring as a professional musician. With a BA in Music from Laval University, Bruno is in demand with many projects and with many different groups, specializing in rock, jazz, traditional and classical music. He has a talent for captivating children and has produced over five recorded albums of French music for children featuring his own compositions and arrangements. Born into a family of musicians, Benoît Legault played several different instruments before settling on the piano. With a solid background in classical music, his interests extended into jazz and traditional Québecois music. In 1997, Benoît was awarded (with the group ‘À pied levé’) a bronze medal in the Traditional Dance Category during the ‘Jeux de la francophonie’ in Madagascar. Normand Legault is among the most talented and knowledgeable traditional dancers of his generation. He has performed throughout Canada, the United States and Europe. Normand favours the authentic, improvisational approach to Québec step dancing, wowing audiences with his fancy feet, as well as his masterful playing of the “bones,” a traditional instrument which highlights intricate rhythms.
Duo Members: heat of the moment / expr. ; during or resulting from intense activity, without pause for thought. These were the conditions that sparked the decision between Pierre and Ian, to make a live recording together. They had just finished an improvised set of tunes at a show at the Black Sheep Inn in Wakefield, Québec, during which both players felt the chemistry and synergy in their combined sound. Ottawa, Ontario. The Monday night sessions at Rasputin’s Folk Café, under the auspices of owner Dean Verger, have been happening since the mid 1980’s, and both Pierre and Ian were regulars, although during different eras. For Pierre, Rasputin’s was a place to play and grow as a musician, away from the fiddle competition environment. Here, he associated with great session players, quickly earning his place among them. For Ian, often the only guitarist in the room, the Monday night sessions provided a framework over which to experiment with textures and chords, resulting in a unique style that is evident in their recording, "Heat of the Moment." Biography: Ian Clark Hailing originally from Stranraer, Scotland, Ian brings a wealth of guitar playing experience to this duo. Despite his long standing and keen interest in traditional music, Ian only began playing regularly with “trad” musicians when he appeared on the Ottawa celtic music scene in the early 1990s. Ian’s guitar playing, in addition to providing both sparkling detail and a solid foundation, reveals diverse and highly complementary musical influences. Ian can be heard on a number of CD recordings by artists including Erin Cassidy, Finest Kind, Alabaster Jar and Pierre Schryer. A regular at local pub jam sessions, Ian can also be heard playing with the Toronto-based Friends of Fiddlers’ Green (along with Ian Robb), with Ottawa’s own Cape Breton Ceilidh Band, the Old Sod Band, and Shindigo.
Duo Members: A wonderful joining of two particular and strong traditions represented here by Dermot Byrne (button accordion, Donegal, Ireland) and Pierre Schryer (fiddle, Ontario, Canada). Their album '2 Worlds United,' released on the Claddagh Records label in Ireland, exemplifies a taste of the best of both worlds by including material from Québec, Ireland, Scotland and Cape Breton. These two exponents are splendidly united in the playing and performance of these sets of tunes while the tunes themselves are arranged with some regard to the traditions in which they were formed. The album depicts a gentle collision with a deal of swapping of views and perspectives. The result is a masterful combination of two celebrated musical traditions from Canada and Ireland. Biography: Dermot Byrne The accordion player for traditional Irish band Altan, Dermot Byrne has taken a fresh approach to the squeezebox tradition of his homeland. The son of a musician, Tomas O'Beirne, Byrne continues to build on his father's legacy. In addition to his work with Altan, Byrne has performed or recorded with such stellar Irish musicians as Seamus and Manus McGuire, the Chieftains, Frankie Gavin, and Dezi Donnelly. His debut solo album, released in 1995, featured accompaniment from guitarist/keyboard player Steve Cooney; double bassist Trevor Hutchinson; and bouzouki, guitar, and bodhran player Donal Lunny. His second solo outing, '2 Worlds United,' was recorded with Ontario- based champion fiddler Pierre Schryer, and included French, Irish, Scottish, and Cape Breton tunes. Taught to play the accordion by his father, Byrne mastered the two- and single-row accordion by his teens. A guest on two Altan albums--The Red Crow and Island Angel-- he became a full-fledged member in late 1993. Since then, he has been featured on three of the Donegal-based group's albums: Blackwater, Runaway Sunday, Another Sky and Blue Idol. canadian celtic celebration ^top In 1999, world champion fiddler Pierre Schryer created the first "Canadian Celtic Celebration", a music production highlighting the spirit and authenticity of Celtic Roots and Traditional Music. As artistic producer, Pierre's vision was to reach out to the communities of Northern Ontario who have limited access to world class productions. A native of Sault Ste. Marie, Pierre has gained an international reputation as a fiddling ambassador of Canada, and was nominated for a 2004 Juno award. It has always been a priority for Pierre to maintain a connection to his native North and to influence, inspire, and enlighten the people through the joie de vivre of his music.
The show originated in Sault Ste. Marie and in 2003 and 2004 it extended into the Northern centres of Parry Sound, Sudbury and Thunder Bay. The event always features Pierre's own group, Pierre Schryer Band, in collaboration with another well established Canadian ensemble of high calibre. The "Canadian Celtic Celebration" is accessible to a large public of all ages and has had tremendous audience appeal since its inception. History 1999: 1st Annual Canadian Celtic Celebration- Pierre Schryer with Tamarack (Ontario) and Mad Pudding (B.C.) plus dancers Ciara O'Brien (Irish) and MacLeod Highland Dancers (Scottish)
Band Members:
Pierre has appeared with Orchestra London Canada and Brian Jackson on their “Celtic Special” and with the Sault Symphony Orchestra and Howard Cable on their “Celtic Christmas,” both in 1999. Pierre Schryer Band performed a full show with the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra and Music Director Geoffrey Moull in 2001/02 and 2004/05 Pops series. Each performance has produced enthusiastic standing ovations and thrilled symphony-goers. Pierre has had his music professionally arranged for symphony orchestras by Jeff Christmas and Joseph Phillips. The charts are superbly orchestrated to feature both the band and the orchestra, with clear, legible scores and parts for a mid-sized orchestra Example #1 Pops Concert with the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra (TBSO) - 2004/2005 SET 1: SET 2: Example #2 Pops Concert with the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra (TBSO) - 2001/2002 SET 1: SET 2:
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pierre schryer band
club carrefour
pierre schryer & ian clark
pierre schryer & dermot byrne 
orchestra shows 