For answers to general questions and festival details, please contact us and we will answer your requests as quickly as possible. Thank you!

Esther Pujol, TCRG

The descendant of Scots/Irish immigrants, it was only natural for Esther to compete in Highland dancing from an early age. While traveling to Highland games all over the east coast, she reached the highest competitive level and also participated in many highland games as a living history re-enactor with her family portraying the Scottish regiments in the 1880s British army.  She has also played the tenor drums and danced for the Kiltie Band of York.  Later in life, she followed in the footsteps of her Irish Grandmother, taking up competitive Irish dance and reaching the highest competitive level while training at one of the top schools in the world.  Highlights of her Irish dance career were performing at Carnegie Hall and performing with Grammy award winning fiddlers, Eileen Ivers & Natalie MacMaster.  In 2015 Esther opened her own Irish dance school in Lancaster PA and shortly thereafter she formed the Non-Profit Celtic Irish Arts for the promotion of all Irish arts.  This festival and feis are her vision and she is excited to continue promoting the beautiful heritage in which she was raised.

Nelson Martin

Nelson is a painter, siding installer, and musician. He plays guitar with his family, The Celtic Martins. The band features award winning instrumentalists and dancers from south-eastern Pennsylvania and have been entertaining audiences for well over a decade with their high- energy, fiddle driven Celtic music and Irish dance.

martin7@martinfamilyband.net

Dave Kline

"East Side" Dave Kline is an award-winning singer, songwriter, entertainer, producer and writer who has performed all over the world including in the famous "Mother Church of Country Music", the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee.  Dave is the producer and host of the weekly Mountain Folk radio and web show which has been on the air for the past 38 years on various terrestrial radio stations, Internet stations, satellite radio stations and outlets such as the Apple iTunes Podcast Network.  He also produces several other radio shows such as “Sunday Morning Polka Session” and “Hot Sauce”.  He also writes the very popular Mountain Folklore column in Berks Country Magazine, published every Wednesday as a part of the Reading Eagle newspaper.  

Dave has performed and worked with stars like Brenda Lee, Bill Monroe, Vince Gill, Roy Clark, Jesse McReynolds, Dolly Parton, Rhonda Vincent, Riders in the Sky, the Time Jumpers, Charlie Daniels, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Cousin Minnie Pearl, Grandpa Jones and John Cunningham.  Just back from a tour of Fort Williams, Ben Nevis, and the Glencoe region of the Scottish Highlands, as well as County Mayo in the Clew Bay region of Ireland and performances in iconic places such as Matt Malloy's Pub, (founding member of the Chieftains), Dave is also a leading regional advocate of the preservation and promotion of Celtic, Appalachian and roots music culture and traditions.  He is the executive producer of Berks Country Fest, a month-long community wide Americana music and cultural event in Berks County, as well as the ongoing “Sound Room” video, audio, radio and Internet series. 

Dave is the leader of at least five different working bands including Dave Kline & The Mountain Folk Band (bluegrass, Celtic and Appalachian folk music), Dave Kline & The Report (Rock-A-Billy music), Dave Kline & The Hex Highway Rangers (American Singing Cowboy music), Dave Kline and the Mountain Folk Oktoberfest Band (Oktoberfest band with horns and keys), and Dave Kline & Bracken (Irish, Celtic, Scottish, Appalachian Mountain fusion music).  His music can be found on YouTube and at all digital download stores such as Amazon, CD Baby and Apple iTunes.  He also serves on the executive committee of Reading Eagle Company, Reading Eagle Newspaper, WEEU Radio and Pretzel City Productions, LLC.  A veteran performer and promoter, we’re proud to have Dave on board as our Event Operations Consultant.  

James Volpe

James is a husband to a proud Irish Dance Mom and father to four Irish dancers. He has worked in graphic design over the last 20 years with experience in media and layout. He has done logo designs for The Hooley School, Paloma, Mist of Ireland and My Pulse My Passion schools of Irish Dance. Additionally he designs for his own tshirt company, runs a ska music podcast and does artwork for retrozap.com. In his spare time he enjoys making short movies with his son Silas, art and music.

Tom Knapp

Tom Knapp was a newspaper reporter for 35 years, a book and music reviewer, and an Irish fiddler and bodhran player who started the band Fire in the Glen in 1999. A native of Lancaster County, he is eager to continue helping to bring Celtic music and culture to the community.