Vinland Music Camp 2023
Vinland Music Camp’23 took place August 20-25, 2023 at Lion Max Simms Memorial Camp near Bishops Falls. Vinland Music Camp’24 will take place at the same location, August 18-23, 2024. More information and the online registration form will be available on this page in February, 2024.
Vinland Music Camp is a wonderful opportunity for people of all ages to improve their musical skills, write a song or two, learn some new tunes, tell some stories and do some folk dancing. It’s lots of fun and sure to be a great memory for years to come. Given that this year’s Camp will take place near the Exploits River, a part of the province with a rich history of lumbering and logging, we will will be exploring songs and stories about the woods and rivers.
[Following is information for Vinland Music Camp’23]
One of our special guests will be Kevin Blackmore of Buddy Wasisname and the Other Fellers. Kevin is known as the funniest man in Newfoundland and his portrayal of cultural caricatures regularly reduces his audiences to tears. He’s also a brilliant musician and songwriter, as evidenced by the many comical and serious songs he has written over the years.
Singer/songwriter Katie Baggs will also be performing a concert for us. Katie is an indie-folk singer-songwriter from St. John’s, who has been writing and performing as both a solo artist and with groups (Dead Language, All the Wiles, Pilot to Bombardier) since 2008. Named Female Artist of the Year by MusicNL in 2012, she is known to quiet audiences with her striking melodies and poetic lyrics about landscapes, the mind, and the heart.
On Wednesday, August 23 there will be a field trip to the Botwood Heritage Centre where we’ll have a singalong and traditional dance session with participants and instructors from the Camp. A chartered bus will pick up campers at 12:15pm. The jam session will take place from 1:00-1:45pm. We’ll then take a look at the town’s wonderful collection of murals, after which we’ll return to Camp in time for our afternoon classes.
The principal instruments of instruction at Camp are: fiddle, button accordion, guitar, mandolin, tin whistle, wooden flute, ukulele, bodhran (Irish drum), tenor banjo and harmonica – although you are welcome to bring other acoustic instruments. There will also be instruction in singing, songwriting, folk dancing and storytelling. There are different levels of instruction for most workshops from beginners to advanced. Besides developing your performance skills, you will learn the history of the music and various approaches to interpreting it. And this year we will be offering two new workshops – the Vinland Camp Choir and the Vinland Folk Orchestra.
Instructors
Instructors at the Vinland Music Camp, collectively known as Lomond Sound, are among the most experienced and skilled in the province. This year’s instructors are: Christina Smith, Graham Wells, Hugh Scott, Gerry Strong, Dave Panting, Gary Green, Jane Dennison, Jean Hewson, Madison Mouland and Eric West.
Program
The program includes daily workshops and evening activities. Workshops consist of instrumental and vocal techniques, songwriting, storytelling, folk dancing and group performing. There are also evening concerts, special guest workshops, campfires and a fun evening of skits, songs and magical performances on Wednesday night. The final concert, featuring Camp participants, takes place on Thursday evening. See the Schedule below for times of all the concerts and other events.
Sheet music, lyrics, and instrument-tabs, plus instructional audio, will be available for download and printing/listening ahead of Camp. You’re encouraged to print and bring the materials for your classes, but you don’t have to learn everything ahead of time!
Accommodations
Lion Max Simms Memorial Camp is located in Bishops Falls, about 10km from the TCH via the Bay d’Espoir Highway (Route 360). The camp offers 38 rooms and can accommodate 96 people at capacity. The fully licensed commercial kitchen and dining room are staffed with experienced cooks and kitchen staff. Designed as a camp for special needs, the location is housed under one roof and is completely accessible. See our FAQ page for more information.
Recreation
Besides folk arts instruction the Camp offers recreational activities such as yoga. The yoga class focuses on functional movement for everyday life with an emphasis on stretching, strengthening and balance. It is designed to be fun and accessible for all levels – even if you’ve never tried yoga before, you are most welcome. Bring your own mat if you can. Lion Max Simms Camp also has a basketball court and access to a hiking trail.
2023 Schedule
Please read the Workshop Descriptions for this year’s Camp to choose your workshops before registering. The 2023 Schedule is listed here and shown in a grid layout below. The 2023 camp will follow its usual arrangement of Sunday arrival and classes/activities from Monday to Thursday, with campers’ departure on Friday. Note that this year’s camp is five days in total, with four days of instruction.
If you have questions, please contact the Camp Director, Eric West.
sunday (August 20)
2:00-5:00pm -- Registration/check-in
5:00-6:00pm -- Supper
8:00pm -- Orientation Concert
Monday-ThursDay (August 21-24) Daily Schedule:
8:00am -- Breakfast
9:00-11:45am -- Workshops
12:00pm -- Lunch
1:00-2:45pm -- Recreation and Practice Time
3:00-4:45pm -- Workshops
5:00pm -- Supper
6:00pm -- Camp Choir
7:00pm -- Evening concerts
8:00pm -- Dancing
9:00pm -- Campfires
Special Events:
Monday (August 21)
7:00pm -- Katie Baggs in concert
Tuesday (August 22)
7:00pm -- Kevin Blackmore in concert
Wednesday (August 23)
12:15-2:45pm -- Field trip to Botwood Heritage Centre for Singalong Dance Session
7:00pm -- Variety concert
Thursday (August 24)
6:00-9:00pm -- Final Concert
friday (August 25)
10:00am -- Camp ends
Click on the upper-right corner of the image below to open and download it as a PDF, or open/download it directly.
A brief history of the Camp
Vinland Music Camp was started in 2001 by Eric West after working as a musician in residence in Gros Morne National Park the previous year. With the assistance of Daniel Payne and guest instructors Shirley Montague and Gayle Tapper, the first Camp started modestly with an enrollment of eleven students. Over the years the camp has grown in size and scope to include instruction in over a dozen instruments, as well as singing, songwriting, storytelling, and folk dancing. Presently about 50 people attend each year from across Canada, the US, and other countries. The Camp now employs ten full-time instructors – some of the top professional artists in the province. Each year we also invite special guest artists to give workshops and concerts. Since 2009 Vinland Music Camp has been run by the Soundbone Traditional Arts Foundation – a non-profit organization dedicated to teaching and preserving the folk arts of Newfoundland and Labrador. More information about our organization can be found here.
