The New World Renaissance Band (NWRB) is officially Owain Phyfe whenever he
appears with one or more players from Cantiga or any of the folks listed
below. Alphabetically, here's a list of NWRB musicians who have appeared in the past with Owain Phyfe.
Bielefeld, Bob: has performed as a theatre and festival
performer who specializes in the ancient instruments of the recorder
family. His musical experience includes a spectrum of influences
ranging from classical to jazz, from ethnic to barbershop quartet. He
has a large repertoire including European, Celtic and English Dance
melodies. Cantiga
recording artist.
Blue, Rio, a.k.a Jose Morales (1951 - ): percussionist, age
51, originally hails from Miami, FL. Rio's drums and tambourines
contributes greatly to the southern European ambience of the trio. Rio
has been touring professionally since 1986 and calls the Texas
Renaissance Festival his home faire. At TXRF and Scarborough he plays
with Cantiga, the instrumental section of NWRB. Also appears at all
Michigan Renaissance Festival dates. Rio plays on Poets, Bards, &
Singers of Song (NWR1008). See also Rio Blue's fan
website
Caudill, Mark: A Celtic fiddler of great versatility and
charm, Mark brings infectious musicality ans a sunny personality to the
group. From Boston, Mark attended Harvard as a geology major before
returning to full-time music making, joining Cantiga in 1999.
Dillard, Ray: based in Toronto joins Cantiga on
recording sessions and occasional live performances. Ray plays a wide
variety of variety of music from modern jazz to symphonic modes. A
world class musician, he is sought after internationally as a
percussionist and as a producer.
Dyer, Max: Cellist and viola player, this versatile musician
is a key member of Cantiga.
His extensive background in the study and performance of classical music
brings a polish and steadying hand to the group. He plays with the
Houston Ballet and Houston Grand Opera and jams with many musicians of
various stripes.
See also Max Dyer's website and
publicity photo
Gay, Martha: harpist, studied harp under Mildred Milligan
and later with Derrick Bell, now of the Chieftains. She brings an
intense love of history to her music, a love which formerly led her to
Oxford University where she studied Archaeology. Cantiga
recording artist.
Garcia, Charry: a native of a high mountain village in Chile, plays
churrango and is a master of many percussion instruments. Cantiga is
pleased to include Charry in our band through the 2002-2003 season. He
is a world renowned South American folk musician.
Plester, Judy: violinist, appears at most Michigan
performances including the Michigan Renaissance Festival. She has
released a hard-to-find solo album on the Harpstrings Recordings label.
During the regular season Judy is a music teacher at Hoben Elementary
(Canton Michigan School District). Judy plays on Poets, Bards, & Singers of
Song (NWR1008). See also Judy Plester's fan
website
Raykov, Sasha: a Russian dissident and master bass viola da gamba
player. After playing together in a number of impromptu jam sessions,
Sasha joined the band in 1997. Most recently played with Owain at the 2002 Bloomington
Early Music Festival.
Smith, Malcomb (1951 - 1996): fiddler, charter founding
member of Cantiga, passed away unexpectedly
of a heart condition. His beautiful strains will forever be heard
on the first four NWRB and two Cantiga recordings.