The Festival Volunteer Driver’ers Association – Welcome

The Festival Volunteer Drive’ers Association is an incorporated not-for profit society under the Registry of Joint Stock by the Province of Nova Scotia.

Formed in August 2004, the association’s membership is made up of individuals who volunteer as Drivers with the Celtic Colours International Festival.

Drivers further their volunteer time by selling performing artists’ and the Celtic Colours compilation CD at venues during the Festival. Proceeds from these sales are directed to the Association and sustain our sponsorship programs.

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Great article about 2012 Big Sampie Award Winner, Maxim Cormier.

Tom Knapp of Rambles.net has published an article discussing 2012 Big Sampie Award winner, Maxim Cormier’s debut CD. Read all the details at http://www.rambles.net/cormier_maxim12.html.

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Group Picture…heading out on the road Oct 7, 2012

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The Big Sampie Award – 2012, Maxim Cormier

Maxim Cormier is a young guitarist from Cheticamp, Cape Breton. He started playing guitar at age 11, and has toured with other celtic guitar greats such as Scott MacMillan and Brian Doyle. He  plays celtic tunes, fingerstyle guitar music and some of his father’s compositions, which range from folk to gypsy jazz and beyond.

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The Big Sampie Award – 2011, Anita MacDonald

Anita MacDonald hails from Little Narrows, Cape Breton. She is an accomplished musician, dancer, and Gaelic singer. Her debut CD is “Stepping Stone.” When she is not playing, singing or dancing (and sometimes when she is), Anita can be found around Cape Breton University where she is the President and founding member of the CBU Gaelic [...]

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The Big Sampie Award – 2010, Kenneth MacKenzie

Hailing from Mabou, Cape Breton, piper Kenneth MacKenzie and his broth Angus from Mabou, Cape Breton recorded “Piob is Fidheall” after winning the Big Sampie Award.  Kenneth, Jason Roach and Dawn & Margie Beaton shared the stage at the 2011 Broadcove concert - all have been recipients of the Big Sampie Award.

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The Big Sampie Award – 2009, Rachel Davis

Rachel Davis was born and raised just about in the center of Cape Breton in Baddeck. In 2011 she was nominated for a Canadian Folk Music Award in the Young Performer of the Year category.  In 2010 and 2011 she toured with guitar player and singer Buddy MacDonald and has shared the stage with many of [...]

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The Big Sampie Award – 2008, Dawn & Margie Beaton

Dawn & Margie Beaton have a taste of the Gaelic in everything they do. Hailing from Mabou, Cape Breton, the sisters took home the ECMA Roots/Traditional Group Recording of the year for their debut CD “Taste of Gaelic.” In addition to recording great music Dawn Beaton is also the Assistant Artistic Director for the Celtic Colours [...]

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The Big Sampie Award – 2007, Jason Roach

Jason Roach was born and raised in Cheticamp, Cape Breton. He has been pounding the keyboard since he was five years old. His hard driving style brings new meaning to the term drive’er, and strikes fear into pianos everywhere. He now is a part of the “Sprag Session” band along with 2006′s Big Sampie Award winner, [...]

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The Big Sampie Award – 2006, Colin Grant

Colin Grant‘s website says: “Hard-driving but clean, lively and passionate, traditional yet original; Colin Grant’s fiddle playing has stepped to the forefront of the East Coast traditional music scene – and people are sitting up and taking notice.” Colin Grant was the recipient of the Frank “Big Sampie” Award in 2006, his current band, the [...]

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