Kristin Andreassen is a songwriter, a percussive dancer, a vessel carrying pieces of several ancient musical traditions, and a believer in the power of all of the above to build and bind community. She's currently most excited about the songs she's been creating with guitarist Chris Eldridge. Together, they're headed to Cape Breton Island this spring for the Beinn Mhàbu Artist-in-Residence Program — so hopefully they'll have something to show for themselves soon. Other things Kristin might be known to brag about: her old time band Uncle Earl (two albums on Rounder Records), her children's mental health-focused collaboration The Bright Siders (Smithsonian Folkways), her three appearances on GRAMMY-nominated records (two for songwriting, one for clogging), her precocious toddler, and having been partially responsible for dreaming up Miles of Music. She still loves to share this camp collaboration — a music video in which shadow puppets & body percussion illustrate “How the Water Walks”. www.kristinandreassen.com

Taylor Ashton is a Canadian singer-songwriter, banjo player, and guitarist. After the dissolution of his old band Fish & Bird, he moved to New York with no plan and supported himself for the first few years by busking in the subway. Since then he has released a few solo albums, toured all over the world with many of his heroes, played his songs on the Tonight Show and in a documentary for the New York Times, and almost got cast in a Broadway musical. Can’t win em all!
https://taylorashton.com

Clara Baker is a songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist from Portland, OR. She has released multiple albums of original music and toured extensively throughout the U.S. and abroad.

In addition to her work as an artist, Clara records, produces, and mixes music for songwriters and bands, and composes music for film and television. Her songs have been featured on Netflix, ABC, The CW, and more.

Clara is also Adjunct Faculty in Songwriting at Lewis & Clark College, where she supports students in developing their unique voices as writers.

This will be her 8th year on the island!

Lauren Balthrop is a multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter born and raised in Alabama where her family gatherings always included sing-alongs of the Everly Brothers, the Andrew Sisters, the Louvin Brothers, and the Beatles. After 10 years making her way in NYC, she heard the siren call of Nashville where she now calls home. Lauren has released 2 albums under own name and is working on her 3rd full length. She is also the director of the Nashville branch of Blue Balloon Songwriting School, the NYC originated music school that teaches kids and adults instrument instruction through songwriting. Her big folk-rock band and "small town" with her brother called Balthrop, Alabama toured all across the states to a cultish following. Her 60's inspired girl group, The Bandana Splits, released two records with songs landing on shows such as HBO's 'Bored to Death' and the re-boot of ‘Magnum P.I.’ She's also toured extensively as a multi-instrumentalist for Elizabeth & the Catapult, Kevin Morby, Michaela Anne and Ximena Sariñana. Lauren is a knitter, crocheter and tap dancer too.

www.laurenbalthrop.com

Akie Bermiss is affable, near-sighted, hirsute, and a nerd of the highest water. Nevertheless, he has also somehow managed to cultivate and live a double-life as cool and very hip musician. His favorite thing to do is write (and, subsequently, sing) songs about aliens and spaceships and falling in love. He tours with the band Lake Street Dive.

https://www.akiebermissmusic.com

Thomas Brown is a Brooklyn-based multimedia artist working in stone, wood, metal, clay, and ephemeral materials such as sand, snow, and ice. After twenty years in Louisville area, he moved to New York in 2008. His work explores the tension between permanence and impermanence, drawing inspiration from nature to highlight texture, gesture, and transformation. Balancing design with fleeting beauty, Brown creates works that invite reflection and wonder while celebrating the dialogue between form and process. Music frequently plays a role in the art making and presentation. Alongside his practice, he collaborates across disciplines and leads workshops, encouraging tactile exploration through material and process.

Isa Burke is a multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, and producer based between Durham, North Carolina and Portland, Maine. Whether singing harmony vocals, playing traditional fiddle tunes, or crafting spiky yet atmospheric electric guitar sounds, she brings a voracious musical appetite and a spirit of collaboration to a vast array of projects. Raised in a musical family in Maine, Isa soon found her way to Boston, where she studied fiddle and songwriting at Berklee College of Music and dove headfirst into the area's thriving music scene. In 2014 she co-founded the indie-folk band Lula Wiles, which released three albums on Smithsonian Folkways Recordings and toured internationally until 2021. Isa has spent recent years building a reputation as a versatile and in-demand collaborator, a musical Swiss Army knife at home in many styles and contexts. She has been touring with Aoife O'Donovan since fall 2021 (earning a nomination for Instrumentalist of the Year at the 2023 Americana Music Awards), and recently became the newest touring member of cult-favorite indie band the Mountain Goats. She has toured and recorded with many other artists including Jake Blount, Darlingside, Mipso, Rosier, the Brother Brothers, Laura Cortese, Kris Delmhorst, Session Americana, Sam Moss, and Liv Greene (whose debut album Isa produced). Isa is also an experienced and devoted music educator, and a longtime member of the Miles of Music community.

http://isaburke.com

Besides being the off-season manager of Three Mile Island, Dinty Child is a longtime member of the Boston roots/folk scene. A fearless multi-instrumentalist he can most often be seen with the band Session Americana, as well as the Chandler Travis Philharmonic, the unapologetically loud and grimy Catbirds, as sensitive side man to any number of singer/songwriters, and even fronting the 20 piece party band, the Funky White Honkies. Dinty is also a well respected songwriter with two albums and several singles out under his own name, and plays in a duo with Mark Erelli performing songs they've co-written.

www.sessionamericana.com

Allie Chip is a Hudson Valley-based folk singer-songwriter, cofounder of the Imperfectionist Song Society (ISS), and a registered vinyasa yoga teacher. She loves oat milk matchas, comedy, wildflowers, and making up silly songs with her friends. Poses are cool, but Allie's real intention is to help you laugh, take deep breaths, and love on yourself during yoga class... no matter what your body's doing. Allie teaches from a warm, relatable place and welcomes folks of all levels. Yoga will be real, chill, explorative, and fun. Come hang!

As a founding member of Punch Brothers, guitarist Chris Eldridge has been at the vanguard of acoustic music for nearly two decades. Raised in a musical family—his father Ben was a founding member of The Seldom Scene—Eldridge studied at Oberlin Conservatory, graduating in 2004. During that time he also had the opportunity to study with legendary guitarist Tony Rice.

After graduating, Eldridge joined his father’s band, the Seldom Scene, earning a Grammy nomination in 2007. He founded The Infamous Stringdusters in 2005, winning IBMA’s Emerging Artist of the Year, Song of the Year, and Album of the Year at the 2007 awards. In 2005, Eldridge began collaborating with mandolinist Chris Thile; that partnership, along with a shared vision among a close group of musicians, evolved into Punch Brothers. With Punch Brothers, Eldridge has spent nearly two decades pushing the boundaries of what acoustic music can be. The influential band has released seven critically acclaimed albums and won a Grammy for Best Folk Album in 2018.

His duo with guitarist Julian Lage produced two albums and an EP, with Mount Royal earning a Grammy nomination in 2017. In 2023, he helped form Mighty Poplar, whose debut album received a Grammy nomination for Best Bluegrass Album. He also performs in a duo with singer-songwriter Kristin Andreassen.

Eldridge has collaborated with diverse artists including Paul Simon, Fiona Apple, T-Bone Burnett, Marcus Mumford, and Del McCoury. He was named Americana Music Association Instrumentalist of the Year in 2019, served as house guitarist on Live From Here with Chris Thile (2016–2020), and was Visiting Associate Professor at Oberlin in 2021.
www.chriseldridge.net

Emily Haviland’s debut album, "Not Who You Think," released in February 2024, epitomizes her unyielding commitment to pushing artistic boundaries. In both her performing style and songwriting, Emily weaves together threads of authenticity and innovation, creating an auditory experience that captivates and resonates deeply with her audience. Renowned fiddler Darol Anger aptly describes her as the "Realest Deal in a long time," praising her genuine voice, profound reflections, and songs that boldly articulate the unspoken truths we all harbor. “Real voice, real thoughts, real songs that say - with pungent power - what everyone’s really thinking. Glad to welcome her work into the world.”
Emily Haviland has shared the stage alongside illustrious contemporaries such as Aoife O’Donovan, Margo Price, Twisted Pine, Darol Anger, the late Emy Phelps, Bruce Molsky, Abigail Lapell, and Rachel Sumner. Her collaborative spirit shines through in her contributions to records by Alisa Amador, Kaiti Jones, and others, cementing her status as a versatile and sought-after artist whose influence reverberates across genres.
@emilyhavi

Double bassist, producer, impresario, general mischief maker - Zachariah Hickman wears a lot of hats. Many of them are pretty silly. Zachariah has been the Music Director for the Miles of Music Island Camp for the past handful of years. He considers it his full time job - everything else is just a side hustle.

For over 25 years, Zachariah has been a touring bassist and music director for many acoustic music luminaries, including Ray LaMontagne, Rodney Crowell and Josh Ritter (with whom he has recorded over 15 albums and toured the world many times over). He is an Americana Music Awards “Instrumentalist Of the Year” nominee; a GRAMMY nominee (Rodney Crowell’s “Chicago Sessions”); and a JUNO award winner (Rose Cousins’ “We Have Made A Spark”). As a session musician and string arranger, Zachariah has appeared on over 200 albums. He has produced dozens of releases, including recordings by Mark Erelli, Dinty Child, Dietrich Strause, and his own band of bluegrass hotshots Barnstar! His Covid-era solo sousaphone parades made national news in 2020 and beyond. He ran and ringmastered his own circus. He released a brand of mustache wax. And he once met Tom Waits in an elevator!

His secret to being a successful side person is simple - he makes everyone he plays with sound better. These days - deep in his second act - Zachariah is busier than ever. Still very busy on the road, Zachariah spends some time presenting his labor-intensive “Power Outage Party” performances, running his recording studio Greedy Beast Studios, and walking his cuddly but ill-behaved Basset Hound Jumbles.

Creighton Irons is a pianist, composer/lyricist and educator specializing in musical theater. His musicals have been staged at the American Conservatory Theater, Goodspeed Musicals, and in Tokyo & Osaka, Japan. As a teaching artist (with Lincoln Center, The Roundabout, and Tennessee Performing Arts Center), Irons has helped hundreds of students create original songs. He created choral programs focusing on empowerment through music in The Bronx, Nashville, and North Carolina, where he currently heads the music program at Woods Charter School and moonlights as the artistic director of Woodshed Arts. 

www.creightonirons.com

Dawn Landes is a singer-songwriter, guitarist and producer who's penned original songs for TV, film, and musical theater (ROW on Audible). Landes has toured internationally and supported Nick Lowe, Mary Chapin Carpenter and many more. Her newest album The Liberated Woman's Songbook was produced by her longtime collaborator Josh Kaufman (Bonny Light Horseman) and highlights women's activism throughout history.
www.dawnlandes.com

Shane Leonard is a producer, songwriter, and comedian who lives in Eau Claire, WI. He’s made records with many acclaimed artists (Josh Ritter, Anna Tivel, Mipso, Courtney Hartman, Humbird, Field Report), opened for legendary comedians Reggie Watts, Sean Patton, Shane Torres, Louis Katz and Mary Mack, and frequently performs with his improv comedy teams Analog Improv and Day Of Show. He also endured a brief stint as a high school English teacher, washed dishes at Perkins, got fired from a few coffee shops, was literally attacked by a horde of cockroaches in a Yale dormitory, and coached the Hingham HS freshmen soccer team to their losingest season.

http://www.shaneleonardmusic.com

Adam Moss is an LA based multi instrumentalist and songwriter whose deep roots in roots music, klezmer, old time and folk traditions have shaped a rich and varied musical life. He is a founding member of The Brother Brothers, the acclaimed Americana folk duo he formed with his twin brother David Moss, with whom he has toured internationally and shared stages with artists such as Keb Mo, Sarah Jarosz, Lake Street Dive and Big Thief. Known for striking close harmony and emotionally direct songwriting, The Brother Brothers have performed at festivals and venues across the United States and abroad. Adam’s instrumental range includes fiddle, mandolin, guitar, banjo and piano, allowing him to move fluidly between traditions while maintaining a deeply personal voice.

Beyond The Brother Brothers, Adam is an in demand collaborator and touring musician who has performed and toured with bands like Watkins Family Hour, Session Americana,  and Levi Turner, including opening dates for Zach Bryan. His musical life is grounded in community as much as performance, and he has attended and participated in Miles of Music Camp almost every year since its inception in 2011, contributing as a fiddle and harmony teacher, musician and all around jam initiator! Drawing equally from traditional forms and contemporary songwriting, Adam continues to build a career defined by curiosity, collaboration and a deep respect for the music that shaped him.

@moishecircus

Sheena Ozaki is the Welcome Team and Travel Coordinator at Miles of Music this year. She is a creative producer with a passion for sharing great ideas, having previously worked with TED, VICE News, Spotify, and iHeartRadio. But her first love is music - she studied piano performance in college and has been lucky to have been part of the Miles of Music community since 2015.

Rachael Price is an acclaimed American jazz/pop vocalist, best known as the dynamic lead singer for the band Lake Street Dive (LSD), celebrated for her powerful, versatile voice, and also performs jazz standards as half of the duo Rachael & Vilray with guitarist Vilray. Born in Australia and raised in Tennessee, she studied at the New England Conservatory of Music (NEC) in Boston, where she met her bandmates, and has since become a prominent voice in modern American music, known for blending vintage jazz with contemporary sounds and performing with immense stage presence.

Shanice Richards is a multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, and Music Therapist currently based in New Orleans, LA. Her work integrates performance, education, and therapeutic practice. Drawing upon her Caribbean heritage alongside influences in jazz, gospel, and soul, she brings a distinctive musical voice to traditional old-time fiddling with rhythmic vitality and cultural depth.
Her approach to her fiddling reflects an ongoing exploration of how diasporic traditions inform and enrich contemporary musical expression.

Rooted in the principles of community music therapy, Shanice's practice centers on inclusion, accessibility, and empowerment through shared music-making. She is particularly committed to serving individuals and communities who experience limited access to creative resources or who have been impacted by social and economic marginalization. Guided by the belief that music functions as both a cultural and therapeutic force, she facilitates participatory experiences that foster self-expression, connection, and resilience.

As a member of the collaborative string band The Little Mercies, she has shared stages with Kyshona, Sami Braman, and Amelia Powell. As a solo artist, she has collaborated with Brandi Waller-Pace, Isaiah Sibi, and Howard Rains. She recently recorded an EP with The Little Mercies which will be released in 2026. Her music reflects her belief that community-based music-making nurtures confidence, creativity, and belonging among participants of all ages.

@shayfiddles

Matt Smith is the Managing Director of Club Passim in Cambridge, MA. He's been working there for over 30 years and has brought generations of talent into the room. He also hosts The New England Sound on WMVY.

Richa Sahay (pronunciation: rich-ah sah-hi) is a singer-songwriter from Brooklyn by way of India and the Philippines. Her foundation in Hindustani music influences her writing and performance, where she blends Indian classical raaga vocals with western themes.

Richa began her musical training in Delhi at the age of 8. She studied North Indian classical vocals with a blind guru who taught her how to learn singing by ear and rhythm by feel, and to sing improvisationally within the melodic framework of each raaga. After moving to the Philippines, Richa began to mix traditional classical music with western styles such as Blues, Jazz, Rock, and pop acapella music.

She now leads a Brooklyn-based world music blues band, Richa and The Blue Skies, with a few other Miles of Music campers. Richa is delighted to bring Hindustani vocals for the first time to Miles of Music.

Dietrich Strause is a songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from Lancaster, Pennsylvania. For 15 years he worked extensively as a touring songwriter and performer in the Boston area. In 2023 he moved to London, where he works as a studio musician, engineer, and producer of documentary music. Dietrich writes and records under his own name and released his latest album You And I Must Be Out Of My Mind on Blueblade Records in 2022.

http://www.dietrichstrause.com

Originally from Brooklyn, NY, Emma Turoff has been playing the mandolin since she was 11 years old. She grew up steeped in the traditions of bluegrass and old time music, playing often around New York and other parts of the Northeast. When she was 17, she enrolled at Berklee College of Music, and spent four years studying mandolin performance there under teachers such as Joe K. Walsh, Jenna Moynihan, Bruce Molsky, and Greg Liszt. During her time at school, she also spent a lot of time playing the upright bass for various bluegrass bands in the Boston area, as well as mandolin in a Klezmer band, and in a project with her dear friends called Mighty REA which has played stages such as Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival, and looks forward to playing at the Brooklyn Folk Festival this fall. 

@emmaroseturoff

Chef Timothy Tucker was born in Springfield, IL, and graduated from Sullivan University in Louisville, KY with a degree in Culinary Arts.  He began his career working at restaurants such as The Mansion on Turtle Creek in Dallas and The Painted Table in Seattle. Since then he has established 4 culinary training programs for low-income populations in Louisville, Miami, Boston, and in San Francisco where he currently resides. Timothy has also been the chef for Three Mile Island (summer) and Miles of Music since 2011. The author of Food to Make Music To, a collection of recipes from Three Mile Island, was inspired by his time working with Miles of Music.  He also has a food radio blog WGGF radio (World Gathering Good Food) and they now have their own publishing company called Good Food Gathering. In 2020, they released a book called Destination Chef which is a textbook Timothy uses to teach people to cook!

www.goodfoodgatheringbooks.com

Hailing from the musically diverse and rich culture of South Louisiana, Nelson William’s bass playing takes inspiration from his home and beyond; blending bluegrass, jazz, classical and old-time influences into a style of playing that’s been called “Pleasing Virtuosity”. He is a founding member of the latest Black string-band, New Dangerfield, a member of Chris Jones and the Night-Drivers and has served as a core member of awarding-winning Black banjo and fiddler, Jake Blount, band for years. His expertise and steadfast bass playing has made him a sought after bass player in his home of New Orleans and around the country. He has performed at Newport Folk Festival, The Grand Ole Opry, Telluride Bluegrass Festival and many other illustrious festivals and halls across the world.

Vilray is a songwriter, singer and guitar player based in his native Brooklyn. He admires the humor and sophistication of the great Tin Pan Alley writers and his own songs evoke theirs. He and Rachael Price perform and record as a duo, Rachael & Vilray.

https://vilray.com

Jonathan Vocke is a passionate and adventure loving oldtime musician and multi-instrumentalist from Baltimore, Maryland. He loves traveling, building, dancing and finding music in the world around us. In recent years he has become increasingly enthralled with some of the older sounds of banjo and is in an unending pursuit of the infinity loop that the banjo can weave. He has released a solo record and two records as a part of the Baltimore based group, Geraldine. Jonathan came to the island for the first time back in 2018 and ever since has been in love with the island and the creativity it empowers.

https://www.vockemusic.com