Relaxed instrumental arrangements of Scottish and Irish themes. Celtic harp is the central instrument with dashes of vocals, fiddle, viola, cello, guitar, whistles and flute. Elegant but not stuffy.

Rambles Magazine reviewed by Jo Morrison A mystical, echoing voice, singing clear and true, calls the listener into this delightful collection of classic tunes celebrating the importance of the women in our lives. The choice of tunes is excellent, featuring melodies from the 1700s and 1800s, as well as a few modern tunes that fit right into the theme and overall atmosphere of the recording. From Bach's "Minuet for Anna Magdalena" to O'Carolan's "Bridget Cruise," the tunes take the listener on a musical journey, to a time when things were a bit simpler, and yet a bit more elegant as well.

Listening to this CD is like sitting in the front row of a small house concert, listening to the performers play. There is a sense of intimacy that permeates throughout, giving the listener the sense of a private audience with the musicians. Added to this is the clarity of the sound and the strength of the instrumentalists' fingers. The harp sounds distinct and clear, and there is no missing the sound of the bow moving across the fiddle's strings. This close, friendly sound gives the listener a strong connection with the performers, making the recording more inviting and compelling.

Castlebay is a collaboration between harper Julia Lane and multi-instrumentalist Fred Gosbee. Lane's harp takes center-stage throughout much of the recording, but Gosbee's fiddle and flute lines are found on many of the tunes.

Among the highlights of the recording is an original tune by Lane, "Bronwen's Dream," named for her daughter. Lane's tune has a definite courtly quality to it, making it fit perfectly with the surrounding tunes. The lilting, uplifting melody is dreamlike in quality, accented by Lane's superb playing. The addition of the Irish flute, played by Sharon Pyne, gives just the right touch to this charming tune.

There is also a beautifully rendered harp solo, "Annie Laurie," which delivers all of the emotion and passion this elegant and beautiful tune could possibly possess. The arrangement of "My Lagan Love" captures the mysterious elements of the tune, featuring ethereal harp sounds and soaring, lyricless vocals. The effect is like the wind capturing the lady's perfume and playing with it in the air before delivering it to her lover.

Gosbee's fiddle takes center stage on "Neil Gow's Lament on the Death of His 2nd Wife," drawing the bitter-sweet melody from the strings with passion, while the harp delicately backs the melody with a simple and moving accompaniment. Gosbee also plays viola, woodwinds and guitar at various points on the recording. There are also several guest instrumentalists, including Doreen Conboy on cello for "Minuet for Anna Magdalena" and George Haig featured heavily on autoharp on "Mary Queen of Scots."

The recording opens and closes in praise of different Morags. "Morag of Dunvegan" is a delightful traditional air from Scotland that successfully combines happy and sad elements in one simple melody. "Morag Henriksen" is a mournful, introspective tune by Gordon Bok, which ends the recording on a quiet note.

Overall, the choice of tunes is what makes this recording great. The playing is crisp and emotional, and the arrangements are well planned and choreographed as well, adding interest and variety to the recording.These tunes will remain with the listener for many a delightful hour.

JULIA LANE

Julia Lane has loved, sung, researched and created folk music since childhood. Fascinated by the stories embodied in the folk songs she heard, she learned to sing the evocative melodies, making up her own songs for her own entertainment. As an adolescent, she studied music theory and took guitar lessons from a lutenist specializing in Elizabethan songs. In researching the sources of the music, the wealth of lore and history recorded in musical form rekindled her interest in the music of her childhood. She became active in madrigal and Renaissance music groups as well as performing as a soloist and providing music for a children's theater group. In addition, she was inspired by the literary works of J.R.R. Tolkien and his sources. She composed her first melody for one of his "songs"when she was fifteen and has since completed ten more. After graduating from Phillips Exeter Academy in 1974, her interest in English and Scottish folk music and lore led her to study in Oxford, England.

She is a self-taught player of the "clarsach" or Celtic folk harp which she began in 1989. As a result of her classic guitar training, she plays in the ancient method using her fingernails which gives a bright, clean sound. Her unique style has won three international competitions. Judge/harpist Kim Robertson praised her "innovative arrangements and energetic performance" and harpist Dennis Doyle declared "she really captured the spirit of the music." Julia Lane is also an exceptional vocalist,"one the Maine coast's foremost voices," whose voice has been called "lovely, vibrant," "reminiscent of Jean Redpath," and compared favorably with Loreena McKennitt, Triona ni Dhomnhaill, and Judy Collins.

In the past fifteen years, she has toured the Eastern U.S., Ireland, England and Scotland playing at festivals, folk clubs, and arts centers, as well as on radio and television. Julia has training in early childhood education and children's theatre and has taught history and social studies through folk music in both formal and informal settings. She is currently living in coastal Maine and raising three teenage children and a garden.

Inspiration

Using the vehicle of her expressive, award-winning Celtic harp playing and her silken vocals, Julia Lane now gives new voice to an ancient tradition. Creating original songs reminiscent of the traditional music of her Celtic ancestors, she captures the essential beauty of coastal Maine, her native state. Through the time-honored art of meaningful songwriting, Julia Lane expresses in her words and music our fundamental connection with wind and wave, sea and sky. Her songs are an authentic expression of an intimate experience with the elemental.

Ms. Lane feels the connection between the northeastern American continent and the Celtic lands to be very strong." The most obvious link of course is that of the immigrants who settled here in the last three centuries. I feel it goes deeper than that. Many of the landscapes are strikingly similar. People naturally resonate with their physical surroundings, and the spirituality of the ancient inhabitants of both areas have common themes- a reverence for our relationship with Nature and her cycles." Much of the traditional Celtic music reflects that reverence as do Lane's original compositions. Julia Lane's family has lived in Maine for 300 years and the heritage and history of her Maine ancestors has also proved a source of inspiration.

Fred Gosbee was born and grew up in rural central Maine and has collected and performed folk music for over thirty years. His grandparents moved to Maine from New Brunswick in the 1920's and as a child he heard his older relatives singing the old woodsmen's songs and playing fiddle and accordian. He dabbled in the viola as his arms were long enough to reach. During high school, he had training in standard band instruments becoming one of the best tuba players in the state. He had experience with a wide variety of performance groups including orchestras, marching bands,and church and school choirs.When an application to join the Navy band went awry, he entered the University of Maine where he studied folklore under Sandy Ives as well as engineering. Inspired by the folk music he heard, Fred took up the banjo and guitar. His interest in woodworking led him to begin designing and building guitars and a lute.

After college, Fred Gosbee moved to the coast and became a shipfitter at Bath Ironworks. He had always been drawn to the music of sailors and seamen, and it was here that he began writing his own songs. He became involved with local theater and musical organizations. Adding to his versatility as a vocalist, he sang with madrigal groups, oratorio, musical theater, Gilbert and Sullivan and barbershop groups. Combining his theatrical experience with his knowledge of folk music, he arranged, composed, and performed incidental music for a production of "A Spoon River Anthology." The resulting sound tapestry included 56 pieces of music with songs, instrumentals and new works for voices, guitars, banjo and fiddle performed live for each show. This production led to the formation of a performing folk trio, and back to the traditional music of his childhood. He also began performing his own songs, two of which were used in the WTBS-Atlanta/Turner Broadcasting Corp. series "Portrait of America" segment about Maine.

His works have since been recorded by other artists and have garnered him invitations to international music festivals including the International Festival of the Sea in England. With Castlebay, he has recorded five albums and has toured the East coast of the US and the British Isles. He currently performs with vocalist /Celtic harpist Julia Lane singing and playing classic and 12-string guitar, 5-string viola, and woodwinds. Together, they have composed a suite for quintet of folk instruments inspired by a tour of the Scottish island of Skye. They have been commissioned by the Galloway Scotland Arts council to compose a similar suite for that region. The duo also maintains a commitment to cultural education and provides folklore and music programs for schools, museum, libraries and Elderhostels. When he is not touring, Fred Gosbee engineers and produces recordings and designs and builds Celtic harps.

Relaxed Celtic chamber music with Celtic harp, whistles, strings and sounds of nature.

Tapestry II - In a Garden Green

A stroll through a verdant garden can refresh the spirit and relax the mind, connecting you with the cycles of nature. Gardens embody vitality and solace; they are places of both activity and repose. This music, inspired by gardens, reflects these various moods and seasons.

Julia Lane - Celtic Harp, Voice Fred Gosbee - Violin, Viola, Winds, Guitar, Voice Other Musicians: Doreen Conboy, cello (All in a Garden Green , Country Gardens / Harvest Home) Patricia Boyle -Wight, flute (Southwind / A Rosebud by my Early Walk) Bird songs ,peepers and crickets by L'O rchestre Naturale du Jardin All selections Arranged and Produced by Julia Lane and Fred Gosbee

The Lea Rig and Corn Rigs recorded at Celebration Sound,Pawtucket, RI All others recorded at Harper's Wood, Round Pond, Maine Fred Gosbee -Recording and Mixing Engineer Mastered at Northeastern Digital, Southboro, MA Laurie Flannery- Mastering Engineer

Special thanks to David Begin, Off the Wall Fiddles, Damariscotta, Maine The Sunday River Inn, Newry, Maine We are deeply grateful to Kristina for all her love and inspiration.

Notes on the Music A gardener's year begins with the songs of a brook, free from ice and a whistling bird. Gloomy Winter's Now Awa' and Smiling Spring are two Scottish expressions of the awakening season. Wafting around a Celtic hillside one might hear a traditional melody like The Heather Breeze./The Butterfly is a contemporary Irish slip jig depicting a jaunty flight among the flowers. Originally a song, The Harmony of May was collected in the early 1800's by George Petrie.The lyrics have unfortunately been lost. There are, however, lovely lyrics invoking the Southwind to bless Ireland. A Rosebud by My Early Walk depicts a dewy morning stroll through a Scottish garden as perceived by a traditional musician. A tribute to the ancient oak forests (shellaly means "oak" in Gaelic) is the traditional Irish step-dance The Sprig o' Shellaly.The Acorn "sprang" into Julia's hands one day while playing. In Scotland, a plot of arable land was known as a "rig".The Lea Rig was out of the wind, perfect for romantic meetings, while the Lammas moon shone on a rendezvous in the Corn Rigs. Music in the garden was required by Renaissance aristocrats. The tunes for "An Italian Bouquet" are from a collection of anonymous 16th century Italian lute suites. All in a Garden Green, an English country dance tune, evokes an elegant garden celebration.Crickets serenade as pale petals drift from The Last Rose of Summer. 19th century Irish poet Thomas Moore penned lyrics for his wife. A beautiful Country Garden requires good humored work while Harvest Home celebrates the delights of gathering the fruits of one's labor. As the year spirals into autumn, many creatures set off on their annual Migration. This melody celebrates the Monarch butterflies that surrounded Julia as she played outside one September day. Even after the frost has nipped the leaves and the apples have fallen, the music of the garden gives one courage to face the coming winter.

JULIA LANE

Julia Lane has loved, sung, researched and created folk music since childhood. Fascinated by the stories embodied in the folk songs she heard, she learned to sing the evocative melodies, making up her own songs for her own entertainment. As an adolescent, she studied music theory and took guitar lessons from a lutenist specializing in Elizabethan songs. In researching the sources of the music, the wealth of lore and history recorded in musical form rekindled her interest in the music of her childhood. She became active in madrigal and Renaissance music groups as well as performing as a soloist and providing music for a children's theater group. In addition, she was inspired by the literary works of J.R.R. Tolkien and his sources. She composed her first melody for one of his "songs"when she was fifteen and has since completed ten more. After graduating from Phillips Exeter Academy in 1974, her interest in English and Scottish folk music and lore led her to study in Oxford, England.

She is a self-taught player of the "clarsach" or Celtic folk harp which she began in 1989. As a result of her classic guitar training, she plays in the ancient method using her fingernails which gives a bright, clean sound. Her unique style has won three international competitions. Judge/harpist Kim Robertson praised her "innovative arrangements and energetic performance" and harpist Dennis Doyle declared "she really captured the spirit of the music." Julia Lane is also an exceptional vocalist,"one the Maine coast's foremost voices," whose voice has been called "lovely, vibrant," "reminiscent of Jean Redpath," and compared favorably with Loreena McKennitt, Triona ni Dhomnhaill, and Judy Collins.

In the past fifteen years, she has toured the Eastern U.S., Ireland, England and Scotland playing at festivals, folk clubs, and arts centers, as well as on radio and television. Julia has training in early childhood education and children's theatre and has taught history and social studies through folk music in both formal and informal settings. She is currently living in coastal Maine and raising three teenage children and a garden.

Inspiration

Using the vehicle of her expressive, award-winning Celtic harp playing and her silken vocals, Julia Lane now gives new voice to an ancient tradition. Creating original songs reminiscent of the traditional music of her Celtic ancestors, she captures the essential beauty of coastal Maine, her native state. Through the time-honored art of meaningful songwriting, Julia Lane expresses in her words and music our fundamental connection with wind and wave, sea and sky. Her songs are an authentic expression of an intimate experience with the elemental.

Ms. Lane feels the connection between the northeastern American continent and the Celtic lands to be very strong." The most obvious link of course is that of the immigrants who settled here in the last three centuries. I feel it goes deeper than that. Many of the landscapes are strikingly similar. People naturally resonate with their physical surroundings, and the spirituality of the ancient inhabitants of both areas have common themes- a reverence for our relationship with Nature and her cycles." Much of the traditional Celtic music reflects that reverence as do Lane's original compositions. Julia Lane's family has lived in Maine for 300 years and the heritage and history of her Maine ancestors has also proved a source of inspiration.

Fred Gosbee was born and grew up in rural central Maine and has collected and performed folk music for over thirty years. His grandparents moved to Maine from New Brunswick in the 1920's and as a child he heard his older relatives singing the old woodsmen's songs and playing fiddle and accordian. He dabbled in the viola as his arms were long enough to reach. During high school, he had training in standard band instruments becoming one of the best tuba players in the state. He had experience with a wide variety of performance groups including orchestras, marching bands,and church and school choirs.When an application to join the Navy band went awry, he entered the University of Maine where he studied folklore under Sandy Ives as well as engineering. Inspired by the folk music he heard, Fred took up the banjo and guitar. His interest in woodworking led him to begin designing and building guitars and a lute.

After college, Fred Gosbee moved to the coast and became a shipfitter at Bath Ironworks. He had always been drawn to the music of sailors and seamen, and it was here that he began writing his own songs. He became involved with local theater and musical organizations. Adding to his versatility as a vocalist, he sang with madrigal groups, oratorio, musical theater, Gilbert and Sullivan and barbershop groups. Combining his theatrical experience with his knowledge of folk music, he arranged, composed, and performed incidental music for a production of "A Spoon River Anthology." The resulting sound tapestry included 56 pieces of music with songs, instrumentals and new works for voices, guitars, banjo and fiddle performed live for each show. This production led to the formation of a performing folk trio, and back to the traditional music of his childhood. He also began performing his own songs, two of which were used in the WTBS-Atlanta/Turner Broadcasting Corp. series "Portrait of America" segment about Maine.

His works have since been recorded by other artists and have garnered him invitations to international music festivals including the International Festival of the Sea in England. With Castlebay, he has recorded five albums and has toured the East coast of the US and the British Isles. He currently performs with vocalist /Celtic harpist Julia Lane singing and playing classic and 12-string guitar, 5-string viola, and woodwinds. Together, they have composed a suite for quintet of folk instruments inspired by a tour of the Scottish island of Skye. They have been commissioned by the Galloway Scotland Arts council to compose a similar suite for that region. The duo also maintains a commitment to cultural education and provides folklore and music programs for schools, museum, libraries and Elderhostels. When he is not touring, Fred Gosbee engineers and produces recordings and designs and builds Celtic harps.

Elegant but not stuffy music with harp, fiddle, flute, cello

Cottage & Castle No aristocratic Celtic household was complete without resident musicians who would create melodies honoring their patrons' holdings. These tunes affirm the connection of home and heart.

Patricia Boyle-Wight- flute, Carolan's Cottage, Tigh Morag / Da Peerie Hoose Ahint da Burn Forrest Dillon- harpsichord, Hatfield House / Little House under the Hill

Doreen Conboy- cello, Hatfield House / Little House under the Hill, Cumbernaud House, Castle Kelly/ Drummond Castle

1) Coilsfield House (5:00) 2) Carolan's Cottage (4:30) 3) Castle of the Faerie Queen (4:10) 4) Whithorn (3:55) 5) Dumfries House (1:50) 6) Rivendell (6:02) 7) Castle Kelly / Drummond Castle (5:55 8) Hatfield House / Little House under the Hill (3:30) 9) Roslin Castle (4:12) 10) Tigh Morag / Da Peerie Hoose Ahint da Burn (6:45) 11) Cumbernaud House (6:45)

NOTES ON THE MUSIC 18th century fiddler Nathaniel Gow made Coilsfield House for a manor house in Ayrshire.Carolan's Cottage is attributed to the blind Irish harper Turlough O'Carolan (1670-1738), but noted as Alloa House in Johnson's Scots Musical Museum (1787). Castle of the Faerie Queen an elegant, courtly air made by contemporary Irish fiddler Nollaig Casey.Whithorn was inspired by the first Christian settlement in Scotland established by St Ninian on the Solway Firth in the 4th century. Dumfries House was built in a parkland in Ayrshire between 1754-9. Robert Burns wrote a poem- "to John Kennedy, Dumfries House". All travellers were welcome at Rivendell, the home of Elrond the Elvish healer in J.R.R. Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings". Castle Kelly in Fife Scotland originally dates from 1360, and was rebuilt in the 1600's. A fine example of domestic Lowland architecture, the19th c restoration includes a walled garden of roses. Drummond Castle, near Crieff, was built in 1491, but the family was removed by Cromwell to house his troops in the mid 17th c. Hatfield House, a 15th century English manor house, was Elizabeth 1st 's childhood home. The Little House under the Hill is a traditional reel.These two tunes bring to mind the festive country dancing that enlivened many a gathering at "the big hoose".Roslin Castle in Angus, also known as Glamis Castle, is mentioned in Macbeth and Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, was born here. The tune, possibly composed by James Oswald, is noted in several 18th c Scottish collections. It became a "shape-note" hymn and was a favorite funeral march in early 19th c America.Tigh Morag (Morag's house) depicts a friend's cottage on Skye where otters swim up the brook past the sunroom. Da Peerie Hoose Ahint da Burn is a traditional Shetland reel. Cumbernaud House in Wigtown was built in 1731 on the site of a castle destroyed by Cromwell's troops in 1651. One of the biggest in Scotland, it reflected the power of the Fleming family. Robert the Bruce, Mary Queen of Scots, and Bonnie Prince Charlie have all figured prominently in Cumbernauld's colorful history.This tune used by Robert Burns for

Balconie House is located in Ross-shire. These two jigs bring to mind the festive country dancing that enlivened many a gathering at "the big hoose". Cluny Castle,hereditary home of the Macphersons Chiefs, was destroyed by government troops in 1746. In 1805 a mansion was built which Queen Victoria planned to purchase1847. Put off by inclement weather, she bought Balmoral instead. Andrew Carnegie and his family later rented Cluny for their summer home. Each morning, guests were awakened by a piper playing beneath the window.This tune was made by the celebrated 19th century fiddler Scott Skinner who no doubt was asked to entertain at Cluny.
House of New-William Marshall collection 19th c William Marshall (1748-1833) a well-respected Scottish fiddler and composer, was never a professional musician.Employed by the Duke of Gordon as butler, house steward and eventually factor for 62 years, he studied mechanics, architecture, astronomy, clockmaking and land surveying, and had a good reputation in athletics and dancing.

Celtic Chamber music featuring Celtic harp, fiddles, 12-string guitar, flute & whistle, french horn, cello and Scottish small pipes.

Tapestry IV / Gentlemen

In past times Gentlemen were men of honor, integrity, and chivalry. This music evokes romantic heroes enjoying a convivial moment in a pastoral setting.

Julia Lane - Celtic Harp, Voice Fred Gosbee - Violin,Viola, Woodwinds, Guitar, Bass,Voice, Percussion, Tuba

Guest Musicians Barbara Burt, French horn (King of Laois, The Minstrel Boy) Brett Burnham, Bones (King of the Fairies) Doreen Conboy, cello (Ruari Dalls' Jig, Carolan's Draught, The Minstrel Boy) Ian MacHarg, Scottish smallpipes (Dainty Davie) Laura Lee Perkins, flutes (The Minstrel Boy) Alden Robinson, fiddle (Iron Man/ Angus Campbell)

All selections Arranged and Produced by Julia Lane and Fred Gosbee Ruari Dall's Jig and Carolan's Draught recorded at Celebration Sound, Pawtucket, RI All others recorded at Harper's Wood, Round Pond, Maine Fred Gosbee -Recording and Mixing Engineer Mastered by Toby Mountain at Northeastern Digital, Southboro, MA Special thanks to the Harrington Meetinghouse in Pemaquid for the use of their tuba

This recording is dedicated to the memories of Ron Kadwell and Bill Wheeler

We are deeply grateful to Kristina for all her love and inspiration.

Notes on the Music Our procession of Gentlemen begins with the elegant March of the King of Laois (pronounced "leash")It may have been composed for Ruari Og O'Mordha, king of an ancient Irish province .Ruari Dall's Jig was made by a blind Scottish harper for his patrons on the Isle of Skye. Carolan's Draught, by Irish harper Turlough O'Carolan (1685-1735) celebrates his favorite libation.The Scottish Daft Robin could be named for a mythical sprite,or perhaps a just a dreamy young man. According to Celtic myth, the King of the Faeries is a trickster and shapeshifter- listen for the magic. Lament for the Rev. Archie Beaton salutes a 20th century Ayrshire minister and champion of Gaelic culture. Dainty Davie, a Scottish dandy, has at least two sets of lyrics, one by Robert Burns, with contrasting sensibilities. Maurice O'Connor, another piece composed by O'Carolan, was made and named for one of his many patrons.Traditional tunes are often played in sets as When the King Came Over the Boyne (air) Lord Lovat's (march), The Iron Man (strathspey), and Angus Campbell (reel). The last two were made by 19th century Scottish fiddler Scott Skinner. Sweet Jim (©2001 Julia Lane & Fred Gosbee) is a tribute to our romantic friend and his lady love.Two Laments for Owen Roe commemorate a pair of Irish heroes, one of the pen and one of the sword.Owen Roe O'Sullivan, was a "sweet-mouthed" 18th century Munster poet and Gen.Owen Roe O'Neill won a strategic victory against Cromwell in1646. The Minstrel Boy has lyrics by Thomas Moore and is a moving salute to courage and conviction in the face of adversity. In the days of yesteryear, Gentlemen were men of honour, integrity and chivalry. This recording evokes a scene of romantic heroes enjoying a convivial moment in a pastoral setting.

CASTLEBAY features sensitive, spirited arrangements of music that was popular in the fine country estates of the 17th & 18th century British Isles as well as original compositions.They have toured the Eastern U.S., England, Scotland and Ireland playing at festivals, museums, and arts centers, as well as on radio and television. Julia Lane's unique, self-taught playing of the "clarsach" or Celtic folk harp has won three international competitions. A multi-instrumentalist, Fred Gosbee has also designed and built several guitars, harps, and whistles. In addition, both are fine, expressive vocalists delivering songs with emotion and exuberance.

JULIA LANE

Julia Lane has loved, sung, researched and created folk music since childhood. Fascinated by the stories embodied in the folk songs she heard, she learned to sing the evocative melodies, making up her own songs for her own entertainment. As an adolescent, she studied music theory and took guitar lessons from a lutenist specializing in Elizabethan songs. In researching the sources of the music, the wealth of lore and history recorded in musical form rekindled her interest in the music of her childhood. She became active in madrigal and Renaissance music groups as well as performing as a soloist and providing music for a children's theater group. In addition, she was inspired by the literary works of J.R.R. Tolkien and his sources. She composed her first melody for one of his "songs"when she was fifteen and has since completed ten more. After graduating from Phillips Exeter Academy in 1974, her interest in English and Scottish folk music and lore led her to study in Oxford, England.

She is a self-taught player of the "clarsach" or Celtic folk harp which she began in 1989. As a result of her classic guitar training, she plays in the ancient method using her fingernails which gives a bright, clean sound. Her unique style has won three international competitions. Judge/harpist Kim Robertson praised her "innovative arrangements and energetic performance" and harpist Dennis Doyle declared "she really captured the spirit of the music." Julia Lane is also an exceptional vocalist,"one the Maine coast's foremost voices," whose voice has been called "lovely, vibrant," "reminiscent of Jean Redpath," and compared favorably with Loreena McKennitt, Triona ni Dhomnhaill, and Judy Collins.

In the past fifteen years, she has toured the Eastern U.S., Ireland, England and Scotland playing at festivals, folk clubs, and arts centers, as well as on radio and television. Julia has training in early childhood education and children's theatre and has taught history and social studies through folk music in both formal and informal settings. She is currently living in coastal Maine and raising three teenage children and a garden.

Inspiration

Using the vehicle of her expressive, award-winning Celtic harp playing and her silken vocals, Julia Lane now gives new voice to an ancient tradition. Creating original songs reminiscent of the traditional music of her Celtic ancestors, she captures the essential beauty of coastal Maine, her native state. Through the time-honored art of meaningful songwriting, Julia Lane expresses in her words and music our fundamental connection with wind and wave, sea and sky. Her songs are an authentic expression of an intimate experience with the elemental.

Ms. Lane feels the connection between the northeastern American continent and the Celtic lands to be very strong." The most obvious link of course is that of the immigrants who settled here in the last three centuries. I feel it goes deeper than that. Many of the landscapes are strikingly similar. People naturally resonate with their physical surroundings, and the spirituality of the ancient inhabitants of both areas have common themes- a reverence for our relationship with Nature and her cycles." Much of the traditional Celtic music reflects that reverence as do Lane's original compositions. Julia Lane's family has lived in Maine for 300 years and the heritage and history of her Maine ancestors has also proved a source of inspiration.

Fred Gosbee was born and grew up in rural central Maine and has collected and performed folk music for over thirty years. His grandparents moved to Maine from New Brunswick in the 1920's and as a child he heard his older relatives singing the old woodsmen's songs and playing fiddle and accordian. He dabbled in the viola as his arms were long enough to reach. During high school, he had training in standard band instruments becoming one of the best tuba players in the state. He had experience with a wide variety of performance groups including orchestras, marching bands,and church and school choirs.When an application to join the Navy band went awry, he entered the University of Maine where he studied folklore under Sandy Ives as well as engineering. Inspired by the folk music he heard, Fred took up the banjo and guitar. His interest in woodworking led him to begin designing and building guitars and a lute.

After college, Fred Gosbee moved to the coast and became a shipfitter at Bath Ironworks. He had always been drawn to the music of sailors and seamen, and it was here that he began writing his own songs. He became involved with local theater and musical organizations. Adding to his versatility as a vocalist, he sang with madrigal groups, oratorio, musical theater, Gilbert and Sullivan and barbershop groups. Combining his theatrical experience with his knowledge of folk music, he arranged, composed, and performed incidental music for a production of "A Spoon River Anthology." The resulting sound tapestry included 56 pieces of music with songs, instrumentals and new works for voices, guitars, banjo and fiddle performed live for each show. This production led to the formation of a performing folk trio, and back to the traditional music of his childhood. He also began performing his own songs, two of which were used in the WTBS-Atlanta/Turner Broadcasting Corp. series "Portrait of America" segment about Maine.

His works have since been recorded by other artists and have garnered him invitations to international music festivals including the International Festival of the Sea in England. With Castlebay, he has recorded five albums and has toured the East coast of the US and the British Isles. He currently performs with vocalist /Celtic harpist Julia Lane singing and playing classic and 12-string guitar, 5-string viola, and woodwinds. Together, they have composed a suite for quintet of folk instruments inspired by a tour of the Scottish island of Skye. They have been commissioned by the Galloway Scotland Arts council to compose a similar suite for that region. The duo also maintains a commitment to cultural education and provides folklore and music programs for schools, museum, libraries and Elderhostels. When he is not touring, Fred Gosbee engineers and produces recordings and designs and builds Celtic harps.

Elegant but not stuffy Celtic music with harp, flute, fiddle, cello, 12-string guitar

Notes on the Music Banks, braes, craigs, bens, dales and vales are only a few of the myriad names for the varied contours of the Celtic lands. We begin our trek in the Bonnie Hills and Dales of beautiful Dumfries & Galloway in southwest Scotland,once the home of Robert Burns who penned the lyrics Ye Banks & Braes to an ancient melody. Venturing south into the mysterious mountains of Wales Tyn na craig. Returning north to Perthshire, we climb Craigie Dhu,the “Black Crag” near the home of musician/composer Dougie McLean. Legends abound regarding the land. In the west of Scotland, The Bens of Jura rise out of the Hebridean mists and are said to represent a woman’s body.In Si Beag, Si Mhor Irish harper Turlough O’Carolan depicts the hill forts of rival faerie clans.Seeking a place for a pleasant outing, we might picnic on Woodcock Hill or roamThe Heather Glen. Salisbury Craig, near Edinburgh Scotland, was a place of solace for writer Walter Scott.

Come by the Hills / My Heart’s in the Hielan’s. Standing on The Heathy Little Hill we see a land that has endured many changes. Katahdin,a mountain sacred to Maine’s native peoples, and one of the oldest in the world is part of the same geological formation as the Celtic Mountains. The mist rises over Dobin’s Flowery Vale revealing the Hills of Harmony, the land of Fred’s youth. A New England immigrant remembered his native Ben Lomond and The Banks of Inverness leaving these tunes for us to find in a local collection of music. As our ancestors travelled the globe, we leave behind the ancient crags of the Celtic Lands and New England, and revel in the tropical beauty of Costa Rica, where we composed two melodies for Cerro Chato, the old volcano and Volcan Arenal, one of the youngest mountains in the world.

CASTLEBAY has toured the Eastern U.S., Ireland, England and Scotland playing at festivals and arts centers, as well as on radio and television. The duo maintains a commitment to cultural education, exchanging music and lore with colleagues and providing folklore and music programs for schools, museums, libraries and Elderhostels.

FRED GOSBEE As a child in central Maine, Fred heard his older relatives singing woodsmen's songs and playing fiddle and accordion. In college he studied folklore with Dr Sandy Ives. His musical aptitude and innate inventiveness manifest in original songs in the traditional style often based on social history. He currently sings and plays classic and 12-string guitar, viola, fiddle, and woodwinds, providing an intricate soundscape for the songs. When he is not touring, Fred Gosbee engineers and produces recordings and designs and builds Celtic harps.

JULIA LANE has loved, sung, researched and created folk music since childhood. A fascination with ancient songs and their stories led her to lifelong involvement with traditional music and ongoing research both in North America and the Celtic lands. Knowledge of the importance of music and sound in ancient culture informs her sensitive treatment of the songs. She now writes music reminiscent of her Celtic ancestors and inspired by the natural world, especially her native Maine. Julia Lane is an exceptional vocalist and a self-taught player of the Celtic folk harp. Her unique style has won three international competitions.