3:2
4:3
WESTERN OPEN JUDGES
CONTACT US: Mailing Address: PO Box 101, Red Bluff CA 96080 Phone: (530) 527-6127 Fax: (530) 528-0431 MAP to the Red Bluff Elks Lodge
Tallon Sandoval Tallon has studied classical violin and Texas style fiddle music for over eighteen years, alongside the piano, guitar and viola. He feels privileged to have studied under such recognized musicians as Kathy Kampschmidt, Nicki Carlisle, Johnene McDonald, Alex DePue, Danita Gardner, Megan Lynch-Chowning, and Matthew Hartz. Through the course of his career, he has placed highly at many regional, state and national contests, including the California, Nevada, Idaho, and Wyoming state contests, the Western Open Fiddle Championships, the National Old-Time Fiddler’s Contest and Festival and the Grand Master Fiddler Championships. In addition, he, in collaboration with Johnene McDonald, David Johns and John Brand, produced the well-received 2012 album, “Collide,” he had the opportunity to perform for His Holiness the Dalai Lama himself at a private charity event held at the Ritz Carlton in San Francisco, California in March of 2014, and in early 2017, he participated in a humanitarian trip to Cambodia, Laos and Thailand, where he performed at orphanages, schools and fundraising events to help increase donor engagement for a charitable foundation. Tallon recently graduated with honors from Dartmouth College with dual degrees in Government (Comparative Politics track) and Hispanic Studies. He is currently a graduate student at University of California San Diego’s School of Global Policy and Strategy, where he is pursuing a Master of International Affairs degree with specializations in Economics, International Development & Nonprofit Management, Spatial Analysis and Latin American Politics.
Linda Relph Originally from Chico, CA, Linda has been fiddling since the age of 10 after being introduced to it at Weiser, and not long after, she entered her first contest in Oroville. She’s since expanded her horizons a bit. After leaving California for Texas in the early 90s, she has performed all over the country - from St Petersburg, Florida to Dayton, Ohio, even an Alaskan Cruise - but mostly in Texas, where she’s played with traditional Irish groups, Celtic Rock bands, country bands (including both George Strait and Garth Brooks Tribute bands), and everything in between. She markets herself as Fiddlinda, a Mercenary Ninja Fiddler. Linda is very happy for the opportunity to visit Red Bluff to see everyone, and venture out from her home in Carrollton, Texas, where she lives with her Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Shae.
Ed Carnes Ed Carnes playing the fiddle as a hobby since 1977. He began playing as a charter member of the Grayson County school orchestra in his hometown of Leitchfield, KY and learned to play fiddle with several other students who also became champion fiddlers. Along the way, Ed has won fiddle championships in 5 states - KY, IN, TN, AL, OH , and placed as high as Runner-Up in the Grand Master Fiddler Championship. He has won numerous other championships, such as the Mid-America Championship (5 times), Empire State Championship, Western KY Championship, Texas OTFA Out of State Champion (2 times) and many others. Ed has fiddled all over the US, and also in Canada. An accomplished and NOTFA Qualified fiddle judge, Ed has judged the KY, TN, AL, IN, and TX State Championships, the U.S. National Contest in Weiser, the Western Open Contest in Red Bluff, CA, and many other contests. Ed has two solo recordings of his music available, and has been featured on several collections and has appeared on the WSM Grand Ole Opry. Ed helped found and directs the Twin Lakes National Fiddler Championship, a NOTFA certified contest, and helped get his hometown of Leitchfield named “The Fiddling capital of Kentucky”. Ed provides technology support for the Texas Old time Fiddlers Association and directs the Kentucky Sate Fiddle Championship contest. Ed is also an organizes of the Grand Master Fiddler Championship competition, one of the most prestigious fiddling competitions in the world, serves on its Board of Directors and was the key driver in establishing it a s a 501(c)(3) non-profit charity. Ed holds a BS degree from Western Kentucky University and a MBA from the University of Texas at Dallas. He has two sons, Jared and Jason, and is married to Jennifer and they make their home in Franklin, TN.
Mark Hogan Mark Hogan began playing banjo at age 17 right after high school. He has attended the California State Old Time Fiddle Championships off and on since 1971. Mark played in the Bay Area bluegrass band, “Done Gone” for seven years beginning in 1976. Mark is a driving force in preserving our musical heritage including recreating CSOTFA District 10. Mark has served as CSOTFA membership Chairman, and Director. He served as a member of the Board of Directors of both the California Bluegrass Association and Sonoma County Folk Society, and as Program Director for the Cloverdale Oldtime Fiddle Festival. He also has been Director of the Sonoma County Folk Society. Mark teaches beginning banjo in Sebastopol where he lives.
Tori May Gilliam Tori’s music journey actually started when she was only 3.5 years old and her Grandmother, Kathy Kampschmidt, put a violin in her hands. Since that day Tori has trained with some of the greatest fiddle players and was nationally ranked 12th by the time she was 10. Outside of the fiddling world though, she was also professionally trained by many great instructors on the violin, piano, flute, and guitar since the age of 5. During her music education, she studied with classical and jazz masters as well, performed in multiple orchastras as 1st chair Concert Mistress and was the first violinist asked to perform in the All State Jazz Band. She even had her very own rock band, Petricore, in which she played the electric violin and wrote all of the music for the album produced. Once old enough, she began apprenticing with her grandmother, who has 50+ years of teaching experience and a music education degree from Chico State, and began teaching on her own at age 16. Tori like to joke that she taught everywhere in Chico because its pretty much true! She’s taught private lessons at Music Connection for 3 years, was an instructor for Guitar Center for 1 year, taught Music Education for 3 years at Children’s Community Charter School grades K-8th, and was an instructor and the director of the Apollo Academy of Music for 1 year. Personally she’s also toured around the country with a 70’s cover band, performing for thousands, and was even asked to audition for The Voice, but mostly now Tori typically finds herself working with her students on their music, and that’s just fine by her. Currently, Tori teaches all day ever day at her new Music Academy in Chico, CA Tori May Music Academy has over 80 students, ranging in both instrumentation and age. Her new school is her life’s work, and she can’t wait to see how it will grow and maybe even span into different locations. Let’s see how much music we can bring back into our communities!
Tori May Gilliam Tori’s music journey actually started when she was only 3.5 years old and her Grandmother, Kathy Kampschmidt, put a violin in her hands. Since that day Tori has trained with some of the greatest fiddle players and was nationally ranked 12th by the time she was 10. Outside of the fiddling world though, she was also professionally trained by many great instructors on the violin, piano, flute, and guitar since the age of 5. During her music education, she studied with classical and jazz masters as well, performed in multiple orchastras as 1st chair Concert Mistress and was the first violinist asked to perform in the All State Jazz Band. She even had her very own rock band, Petricore, in which she played the electric violin and wrote all of the music for the album produced. Once old enough, she began apprenticing with her grandmother, who has 50+ years of teaching experience and a music education degree from Chico State, and began teaching on her own at age 16. Tori like to joke that she taught everywhere in Chico because its pretty much true! She’s taught private lessons at Music Connection for 3 years, was an instructor for Guitar Center for 1 year, taught Music Education for 3 years at Children’s Community Charter School grades K-8th, and was an instructor and the director of the Apollo Academy of Music for 1 year. Personally she’s also toured around the country with a 70’s cover band, performing for thousands, and was even asked to audition for The Voice, but mostly now Tori typically finds herself working with her students on their music, and that’s just fine by her. Currently, Tori teaches all day ever day at her new Music Academy in Chico, CA Tori May Music Academy has over 80 students, ranging in both instrumentation and age. Her new school is her life’s work, and she can’t wait to see how it will grow and maybe even span into different locations. Let’s see how much music we can bring back into our communities!
Mark Hogan Mark Hogan began playing banjo at age 17 right after high school. He has attended the California State Old Time Fiddle Championships off and on since 1971. Mark played in the Bay Area bluegrass band, “Done Gone” for seven years beginning in 1976. Mark is a driving force in preserving our musical heritage including recreating CSOTFA District 10. Mark has served as CSOTFA membership Chairman, and Director. He served as a member of the Board of Directors of both the California Bluegrass Association and Sonoma County Folk Society, and as Program Director for the Cloverdale Oldtime Fiddle Festival. He also has been Director of the Sonoma County Folk Society. Mark teaches beginning banjo in Sebastopol where he lives.
Ed Carnes Ed Carnes playing the fiddle as a hobby since 1977. He began playing as a charter member of the Grayson County school orchestra in his hometown of Leitchfield, KY and learned to play fiddle with several other students who also became champion fiddlers. Along the way, Ed has won fiddle championships in 5 states - KY, IN, TN, AL, OH , and placed as high as Runner-Up in the Grand Master Fiddler Championship. He has won numerous other championships, such as the Mid-America Championship (5 times), Empire State Championship, Western KY Championship, Texas OTFA Out of State Champion (2 times) and many others. Ed has fiddled all over the US, and also in Canada. An accomplished and NOTFA Qualified fiddle judge, Ed has judged the KY, TN, AL, IN, and TX State Championships, the U.S. National Contest in Weiser, the Western Open Contest in Red Bluff, CA, and many other contests. Ed has two solo recordings of his music available, and has been featured on several collections and has appeared on the WSM Grand Ole Opry. Ed helped found and directs the Twin Lakes National Fiddler Championship, a NOTFA certified contest, and helped get his hometown of Leitchfield named “The Fiddling capital of Kentucky”. Ed provides technology support for the Texas Old time Fiddlers Association and directs the Kentucky Sate Fiddle Championship contest. Ed is also an organizes of the Grand Master Fiddler Championship competition, one of the most prestigious fiddling competitions in the world, serves on its Board of Directors and was the key driver in establishing it a s a 501(c)(3) non-profit charity. Ed holds a BS degree from Western Kentucky University and a MBA from the University of Texas at Dallas. He has two sons, Jared and Jason, and is married to Jennifer and they make their home in Franklin, TN.
Linda Relph Originally from Chico, CA, Linda has been fiddling since the age of 10 after being introduced to it at Weiser, and not long after, she entered her first contest in Oroville. She’s since expanded her horizons a bit. After leaving California for Texas in the early 90s, she has performed all over the country - from St Petersburg, Florida to Dayton, Ohio, even an Alaskan Cruise - but mostly in Texas, where she’s played with traditional Irish groups, Celtic Rock bands, country bands (including both George Strait and Garth Brooks Tribute bands), and everything in between. She markets herself as Fiddlinda, a Mercenary Ninja Fiddler. Linda is very happy for the opportunity to visit Red Bluff to see everyone, and venture out from her home in Carrollton, Texas, where she lives with her Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Shae.
WESTERN OPEN JUDGES
CONTACT US: Mailing Address: PO Box 101, Red Bluff CA 96080 Phone: (530) 527-6127 Fax: (530) 528-0431 MAP to the Red Bluff Elks Lodge
Tallon Sandoval Tallon has studied classical violin and Texas style fiddle music for over eighteen years, alongside the piano, guitar and viola. He feels privileged to have studied under such recognized musicians as Kathy Kampschmidt, Nicki Carlisle, Johnene McDonald, Alex DePue, Danita Gardner, Megan Lynch-Chowning, and Matthew Hartz. Through the course of his career, he has placed highly at many regional, state and national contests, including the California, Nevada, Idaho, and Wyoming state contests, the Western Open Fiddle Championships, the National Old-Time Fiddler’s Contest and Festival and the Grand Master Fiddler Championships. In addition, he, in collaboration with Johnene McDonald, David Johns and John Brand, produced the well-received 2012 album, “Collide,” he had the opportunity to perform for His Holiness the Dalai Lama himself at a private charity event held at the Ritz Carlton in San Francisco, California in March of 2014, and in early 2017, he participated in a humanitarian trip to Cambodia, Laos and Thailand, where he performed at orphanages, schools and fundraising events to help increase donor engagement for a charitable foundation. Tallon recently graduated with honors from Dartmouth College with dual degrees in Government (Comparative Politics track) and Hispanic Studies. He is currently a graduate student at University of California San Diego’s School of Global Policy and Strategy, where he is pursuing a Master of International Affairs degree with specializations in Economics, International Development & Nonprofit Management, Spatial Analysis and Latin American Politics.