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Fiddle & Cello
Fiddle & Cello
with Tess Hicky
Tess Hickey grew up as a classically trained cellist, however, folk music has slowly but surely taken over her playing since she was introduced to it at the Lake School of Celtic Music and Dance in 2011. Throughout high school, she performed and toured with the Australian Youth Orchestra and was part of the Melbourne Recital Centre’s Accelerando program. She also played tenor saxophone and received a Future Finalist award for improvisation at Generations in Jazz in 2019. This exposure to a wide variety of genres, along with listening to inordinate amounts of Jacob Collier, has contributed to her love of funky chord progressions, which she tries to push as far as she can without getting kicked out of a session.
Tess got her introduction into the festival scene through performing with the Melbourne Scottish Fiddle Club, where she grew comfortable performing on stage and got exposure to endless amounts of wonderful Australian and international folk acts. Since then, Tess’ involvement and influence in the Australian folk scene has only grown; she is now highly sought-after at folk camps around Australia, where she loves promoting and sharing the role of cello in the trad music scene. She also does this through her neo-trad band, Apolline, who explore a wide range of trad music from Ireland, Scotland, Canada and Australia. Apolline has toured extensively across Australia as well as to Canada, where they won the Robinson Emerging Artist Award at the Goderich Celtic Roots Festival in 2024. They also won the Youth Artist of the Year award at the Australian Folk Music Awards 2024, where their debut EP ‘Home Home’ was nominated for Debut Album of the Year and ‘Traditional Album of the Year’. This year they're excited to release their first full length album.
Watch Tess in Action:
A Note from Karen
I first met Tess when she was 14, we were both in the Edinburgh Tattoo when it was on tour in Melbourne in 2016, she was playing the fiddle (although at the time I was told her main instrument was cello, which was a little crazy as the music was really difficult that year). I next met Tess last year, 2025, when I went to the Stringmania Camp last October in Melbourne. She was a tutor by then, teaching Cello and Fiddle players and everybody in between, as well her band Apolline is an award winning Australian folk band. I was so impressed with her teaching and performance skills along with her love of folk music. I’m so excited she is able to join us for the West Coast Spring Rally this year.
Guitar
with Mike Moroney
Mike is a guitarist, multi-instrumentalist, singer songwriter and audio engineer.
He specialises in many forms of guitar accompaniment, both vocal and instrumental and has been playing professionally for over half a century.
Workshop:
Mike will take the beginner or intermediate guitarist into the delicate world of tune accompaniment by teaching guitar accompaniment to one of the Folk Orchestra sets, the workshop attendees will perform in the Sunday Final Concert with the Folk Orchestra.
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Piano & Accordion
with Sophia Bidwell
Originally a classical pianist, Sophia has been a convert to the piano accordion for many years. She has been involved in a number of bands including Manuka Hunnies, Folkalyptica, Cafe Operana, and Dr T and the Dangerous Women.
Sophia has a particular interest in music for dancers and can often be found playing tunes for either Ceili dancing, or more recently the Dunedin-based Balfolk dance community. Although awfully fond of tunes, she also loves a good song.
Outside of her performing career, Sophia teaches music and sound technology at secondary school level and is currently the head of music at Rangiora High School. She is also the co-founder of the Christchurch Ceili Orchestra.
Workshop
Workshop
Suitable for pianists looking to explore a new genre or a Celtic music enthusiast eager to add piano accompaniment to your repertoire.
This will cover how to create dynamic and supportive accompaniments that enhance the beauty of Celtic melodies without overpowering them, in the context of music for both dancing, and music for listening (concert or session situation).
What you'll learn:
Chords & bassline: What chords and harmonies should you choose - and the power of a good bassline.
Rhythmic Foundations: Explore jigs, reels, polkas, and other rhythmic feels.
Melody & Accompaniment Interaction: Learn to listen and respond to the lead instrument or vocalist.
Practical Application: Apply what you learn to some popular Celtic tunes.
Participants should have a basic understanding of piano chords and be comfortable reading lead sheets or chord symbols. Bring your enthusiasm and a willingness to explore. Any specific questions or areas you would like addressed can be emailed to sophiabidwell@gmail.com ahead of the workshop.
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