Oran nan Car Bios Page

Bios Title

	Ginny Byrnes-McKnight, Soprano Ginny grew up in Seattle, Washington. She began studying classical voice in high school and attended the University of Washington where she graduated with a Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Performance and met her husband, Oran nan Car piper, Jim McKnight. Ginny joined Seattle's Scottish Gaelic choir, Seirm and Slighe nan Gaidheal in 1998. She was lucky enough to carpool to Seirm rehearsals with Penny DeGraff, Corby Ingold and Dale Cummings, the original Oran nan Car a capella quartet. Ginny has been involved in musical groups since she was 12 and considers Song to be an integral part of the essence of her being. The hauntingly simple traditional melodies, the history, and the moving poetry of the Scottish Gaelic songs has kept her involved with this wonderful music since the first day she heard a Gaelic song.
	Penny McLeod DeGraff, Alto, Piano, Vocal Arranger Penny is one of the original members of Oran nan Car. She has been involved with music all her life, beginning with piano lessons at the age of five, playing the clarinet in the school band and singing in various vocal groups before going on to Seattle Pacific University and the University of Washington for degrees in Piano Performance and Music Theory. Penny's interest in Gaelic began when she first met her Gaelic speaking cousins from the Isle of Lewis in the Western Isles of Scotland in 1990. She started Gaelic classes with Richard Hill in 1996, who introduced her to the wonderful Gaelic song tradition in his classes. Penny joined Seirm, Seattle's Gaelic choir in 1997 and became part of the carpool that came to be known as Oran nan Car.
	Kent Jewell, Tenor Kent joined the group full-time in early 2003 after being an occasional fill-in vocalist the previous couple years. He met many of the members through Seirm, Seattle's Scottish Gaelic choir, of which he was a founding member in late 1996 (and long-time tenor and bass section leader through his departure in 2003). While having no previous singing experience, the language and cultural revival bug bit him hard in the mid-90's, and luckily Seattle has been a locale full of opportunity to engage those interests with fellow musically-inclined souls. He's also an unabashed bibliophile (having been a bookseller for 8 years) and writer with inclinations and interests in many areas, including most things Celtic. To pay the bills, he's currently an administrator and staff supervisor in the College of Education at the University of Washington. Although temporally a resident of the 21st century, his inclinations and inspirations find him purposely without cell phone, pager, Blackberry or iPod; inspired by both ancient and contemporary tomes, and far preferring to transport himself by bicycle or foot instead of automobile!
	Corby Ingold, Bass, Bodhran, Concertina, Storyteller Corby Ingold, Bass, bodhran, concertina A founding member of Oran nan Car, Corby is a traditional singer, storyteller and poet who grew up in the Pacific Northwest. At age 20 he followed his muse to the western coasts of Ireland and Scotland where he lived in the Gaeltacht (Gaelic speaking regions), listening to the stories and songs of the old people. A decade later he learned from Coast Salish and Quileut elders in his native Washington state. These two ancient traditions continue to influence his life and work.
	Jim McKnight, Bagpipes, Whistles, Vocals, Instrumental Arranger Jim began his music studies on organ, moving on to play keyboards with an R&B band, and eventually piano to accompany his wife, Ginny who was studying classical music when they met. The pull of the Scottish bagpipes proved too strong while watching pipe bands from around the world competing in Edinburgh, so he set out to teach himself how to play. Jim is the first in his family to play the pipes, but his family hailing from Canada and the States, having Scottish roots, always had an interest in Highland culture. He has played the Great Highland Bagpipes for almost two decades and has been competing and performing with the Keith Highlanders Pipe Band for the last 8 years. During a local Highland Games, Jim happened upon a choir performing in Scottish Gaelic. He encouraged Ginny to join the choir (now called Seirm). Soon after, Ginny was asked to become part of a vocal quartet, Oran nan Car. Jim was later invited to join Oran nan Car, bringing into the group small pipes, and later a variety of whistles and vocals.
	Scott Buchanan, Guitar, Mandola, Vocals, Instrumental Arranger, Attitude Scott joined Oran nan Car in early 2003 after meeting many of the members through Seattle's Scottish Gaelic choir, Seirm. He has played guitar for over 25 years and has a love/hate relationship with it...He loves to play it and hates to put it down. Scott has played many different styles of music including Rock, Blues, Jazz, and some Classical. His playing has been influenced by such guitarists as Pat Metheney, Don Latarski, John Doyle, Finn McGinnty, Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, and David Gilmore to name just a few. Because of his varied musical background, Scott is as comfortable playing electric guitar as he is acoustic and hopes to incorporate the electric into Oran Nan Car's sound as they grow as a group.
	Jenny McLaughlin, Fiddle, Viola, Vocals Jenny grew up in a musical family and was immersed in a variety of musical styles from classical to jazz to folk in her native Virginia. Jenny particularly enjoys jazz improvisation. She joined Oran nan Car in 2003.