Anna Baignoche

Music has always been a major part of Anna’s life. After living, writing, performing and studying in Cuba, Mexico, Brazil, and Turkey and seeing how the arts are integrated into the culture, Anna decided to make music her full-time profession.

Returning to Canada, she completed a degree in Contemporary Voice, specializing in jazz and world music at Vancouver Community College. Anna has performed for 16 years in the Vancouver music scene in various musical projects -- She has released four albums (Heartbones, Mental Moonlight, A Deal With the Wind and Becoming) of original material with her band, Anna B. and the Heartbones. Her compositions are a mixture of her musical loves and influences – Latin, jazz, and folk music. She writes in Spanish, Portuguese, and English. Anna has performed for CBC’s Canada Live Studio One Mother Tongue series, the Vancouver International Jazz Festival, the Harrison Music Festival, and Festival Vancouver.

Besides performing, Anna has established an extensive teaching career, sharing her love and knowledge of world music and singing. She has led three choirs in Vancouver, Local Vocals, a 60-member singing group in Vancouver, Everybody’s Choir for all-ages, and the Jewish Community Centre World Music Choir. She taught at Sarah McLachlan School of Music, a music program for women living with addiction and poverty in the downtown eastside of Vancouver, as well as a choir program for at-risk teens at an alternative high school in Surrey, BC. She has been the voice, dance, and musical theatre facilitator at Jam Camp for many years.

Stefan Bienz

My name is Stefan and I mainly play upright and electric bass, and dabble in acoustic guitar.  I started off as a classical guitarist, but was lured to bass by friends in high school who needed me for a Led Zeppelin cover band.  It turned out to be a good fit and accidental life changer.  Just owning a bass is sometimes like an entrance pass which allows me to join in as a supporting player in a wide variety of groups.  I've mainly been a sideman in my music career- always a bridesmaid, never the bride.  Years ago I was brought into the wonderful Jam Camp world by longtime friends Celina and Thomas Tumbach and I discovered that I enjoy teaching music, especially to eager people who are just starting.  And it's always great fun to meet and play with all the amazing musicians who come out each year - facilitators and campers alike.  I feel very lucky.

Bobby Bovenzi 

BS African Studies, M.Ed.

https://www.babaroots.ca/

Bobby is a full time Master Rhythm Circle Facilitator contracting with Central and South Okanagan School Districts. His work is well known throughout the valley as highly engaging, easily accessible and incredibly fun! Bobby works with all ages and abilities, from pre school to Pro-D teacher sessions, physically and mentally challenged adults as well as seniors. His main instrument is the West African Djembe and Dunun stick drums, but he is also versed in Congas, Darbuka, Cajon, Kponlogo and hand held percussion instruments. Bobby teaches West African dance and songs, as well as Body Rhythms. His Jam Camp workshops are a real treat for everyone, and provide a great community building session! No experience necessary and workshops cater to the beginner through advanced participants. 

Colin Hamilton

Colin grew up listening to the sounds of piano, and moved on to make use of his musical ear through a degree in mass communications, specializing in audio engineering. He has been mixing for live concerts over the past 30 years. He finally committed to the banjo at the same time as he started a family with Wendi (23 years ago), being determined to make music a family pastime instead of having a television. His ultimate goal is to live at a beach with a great surf break, switching between the banjo and a surfboard with family, friends and bare feet. Jam Camp comes remarkably close to this dream - and while it is only 5 days and there is no surf, he will be making the most of this fantastic time sharing his clawhammer banjo skills with anyone who wants to learn, and spreading the joy of family music making. Colin has been involved with Jamcamp for 15 years and is currently co-managing Jam Camp on the Island with his wife Wendi (they also managed Jam Camp by the Sea for 5 years).  Colin plays banjo with his band PONDSIDE who have recently released their first album PaperThin!

Kansas-lee Hatherly

Kansas-lee has been teaching music for the past decade alongside pursuing her own music career, which continues to flourish. She has taught voice, guitar, ukulele, piano, violin and songwriting. In the past few years she has focused on the songwriting side of teaching, helping to write and record songs for young musicians in her hometown Osoyoos, BC, with some of her students' songs getting regular radio play on the local station. 

Known for her powerful voice and captivating performances, Kansas-lee’s timeless and tender alt-folk songwriting traces the quiet magic of becoming, rooted in unwavering hope. Following three home-grown albums, her first studio release Ostara beautifully captures that spirit in full bloom. 

Darcie Johnson

I asked my 14 year old son what he would write for my Jam Camp bio. He wrote: “Darcie’s an energetic and lively human who always leads with kindness and love. As a musician, Yogi, and mother of two, Darcie is well grounded and supportive.”

My take: I really like to infuse music and storytelling into all aspects of my life including: Kids and Family yoga, Outdoor Education, or simply sitting around a fire with friends. I believe story and song bring people together, hence my enthusiasm for all things Jam Camp! My musical journey has drifted from one inspiration to another, from piano lessons as a child, trombone in middle school, volunteering with guitar club, to learning the uke because it was fun and portable for Outdoor Ed.

I’m so grateful to help manage Jam Camp, and I’m so inspired when I see how Jam Camp offers support for first timers of any age, while still keeping people who’ve played all their lives just as entertained and engaged.

Leo D.E Johnson

Leo D.E Johnson is a trans, Black, Scotian artist whose music is a transcendent blend of Spiritual Soul and Galactic Gospel, infused with a gritty West Coast Grunge and a Rock 'n' Roll kick. Hailing from Nova Scotia and Washington State, Leo draws inspiration from their diverse experiences and cultural influences, infusing their music with a unique blend of soulful storytelling and powerful messages of resilience and hope. Currently residing in the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations, Leo is dedicated to honoring and amplifying Indigenous, Black and Queer voices and advocating for social justice and equality. Through their artistry and advocacy, Leo strives to create a space of love, acceptance, and unity, inviting listeners to join them on a transformative musical journey unifying us through the power of music.

Leo had the pleasure of working with the folks of Jam Camp during the winter season in 2024, bringing some Soul Rock n Roll to the kiddos! It was an absolute pleasure to collaborate with the youth and the organizers of the program! Leo is so excited for this year and for the opportunity to facilitate once again!

Robin Layne

https://www.robinlayne.com/
https://locarnoband.com/

Robin has become a regular fixture on the B.C. festival circuit, collaborating with a wide spectrum of folk and world artists. His recent touring engagements have led him to Europe, Mexico, China, the U.S. and Canada. His love for music, rhythm and culture have led him to study with master percussionists in Cuba, Guinea, Mali, and Mexico.

Robin currently performs with Locarno, Mazacote, Tambura Rasa and his own group Robin Layne and the Rhythm Makers. He just released his debut marimba record Memories this spring and has been touring the province in support of it. He is also in demand as a freelance percussionist for recordings, performances and tours. Recent highlights include working with Juno Award winning artists Quique Escamilla, The Paperboys, Donne Roberts (African Guitar Summit), Alpha Yaya Diallo, Celso Machado and Silk Road Music. 

Robin strongly believes that the gift of music should be accessible to everyone. He is the senior percussion instructor at the Sarah McLachlan School of Music, the Artistic Director of the World Rhythms for Youth Society, a Facilitator at Jam Camp and co-artistic director of the Vancouver World Music Festival with Tom Landa.

Wendi Lopatecki

Wendi began singing and playing the guitar as a teenager and spent most of her time jamming on camping trips with her group of musical and creative friends. Jam Camp feels much like those distant days.  Music continued into family life when her husband Colin picked up the banjo at the time of the birth of their first daughter.  Jam Camp quickly became an annual part of the growing family, embracing the joy and creativity of connecting and communicating across cultures and language.  Wendi spends most of her time gardening and weaving on the Gulf Islands, maintaining a musical presence with her family at various events around the island throughout the years.  Wendi is excited to share her experiences of song, guitar and mandolin with the extended Jam Camp family of which she has continued to be involved with since those early days 15 years ago, and is currently co-managing Jam Camp On the Island with her husband Colin (they also managed Jam Camp by the Sea for 5 years).  Wendi sings and plays mandolin with her band PONDSIDE who have recently released their first album PaperThin!

Anna Lumiere

https://mimosamusic.com/

Anna Lumiere is a Sunshine Coast-based pianist, accordionist and composer. She is the leader of the band Mimosa, for which she writes most of the music. Mimosa has toured across Canada and has four critically acclaimed CDs, the most recent of which was just released on the label "Cellar Music". They have performed at numerous jazz festivals, including Montreal and Vancouver. She also plays with several other bands, including a duo/quartet with her husband, saxophonist and flutist Graham Ord, as well as an R&B/soul project with Kiki Connelly and the Understory and the Budge Schachte group.

Anna has received awards for her compositions, some of which have been placed in film and television. She is currently working on a solo album.

Anna and Graham have been coming to Jam Camp with their children Béla and Noah for over 10 years and just love the memories they have made sitting around a fire singing three part harmony while kids run barefoot through the tall grass. Freedom, music, connection and creativity are nourished in the most beautiful way and music is made accessible to everyone.

J. Ben McGrath (he/him)

Ben’s drumming journey began while growing up in south-western Ontario, where his Trinidadian roots evoked an early love of rhythms and music. As a teenager playing snare drum in a cadet marching band, Ben established strong drumming foundations while letting the speed and energy of punk rock and funk jams shape his musical identity. In 2004, Ben moved up to Dawson City, Yukon and his drumming style broadened while performing ragtime and jazz at the Diamond Tooth Gerties cabaret show from 2006- 07. Academic pursuits led Ben and his growing family to Victoria BC, where his dynamic style found him gigging and recording with the two-drummer, six-piece, power rock ensemble “Rugged Uncle”.

Now living on the traditional territories of the Kwanlin Dün First Nation and Ta’an Kwäch'än Council in Whitehorse, Yukon, you can find Ben playing drum kit, congas or djembe, sitting in on sessions with some of Whitehorse's favourite local players, such as The Hayley Warden Experience, Parker Thomas Jazz, The Heart House Band and The Elijah Bekk Band. You can also find some of Ben’s demo recordings with longtime friend and collaborator Brooke Gallupe (Immaculate Machine) in their two-piece remote collaboration project under the name “Atlatl”. Ben’s greatest musical asset may be his ear-playing ability, which lets him compliment whomever he accompanies and feel at home on the festival stage, in a coffee house or jam room. Ben's approach to drumming instruction centers around student-led interest, focusing on what the student loves about drumming, and developing personalized instruction based upon those interests. He has led drumming workshops for the Yukon Summer Music Camp and also teaches private lessons at The Heart of Riverdale Community center in Whitehorse.

Patrick Metzger

Multi-instrumentalist Patrick Metzger took an interest in music at the age of twelve when he started playing rock & roll and blues with his friends. He studied classical guitar through the Royal Conservatory of Music and jazz at Capilano University.

Patrick has been a fixture of the Vancouver roots music scene for the last decade, working regularly with Pharis & Jason Romero, Petunia, and John Reischman, playing major music festivals and touring extensively throughout North America and Europe. Patrick loves making music and jamming and is eagerly looking forward to experiencing his first Jam Camp!

Bela Ord

Bela Ord was raised on the Sunshine Coast surrounded by musical experiences and family members. He has been playing the piano since he was 6 years old, and the guitar since he was 15. His piano experience comes from a background of classical lessons and exams, music theory classes, jazz lessons with his mother Anna Lumiere, and years of improvisation by himself. In more recent years, he has also gotten into producing beats on GarageBand, as well as mixing songs together.

Bela Ord has been going to Jam Camp for over a decade, and it is a very important part of his life. Jam Camp has had a major impact on his values, interests and relationships. He hopes to bring some teaching opportunities to Jam Campers in the form of group melodica lessons, small group piano chord theory lessons, and guitar lessons. He is always keen to jam and share musical experiences with anyone!

Graham Ord

An alumni of the West Vancouver Boys and Girls Band, Graham began playing the flute at age 9 and saxophone at 17. Graham has toured and performed with groups as diverse as Sumalao, a Chilean Canadian band, Uzume Taiko, the Hard Rubber Orchestra and ANAGRAM, a jazz group with his wife Anna Lumiere. Graham lives in Roberts Creek, xwesam, with his family and has enjoyed teaching sax and flutes to children and adults for over twenty years on the North Shore, in Vancouver and now on the Sunshine Coast. “I love Jam Camp.”

Noah Ord

Noah Ord is a violinist who grew up playing fiddle music on the Sunshine Coast. He studied classical violin and folk music from a young age, and was immersed in jazz by his parents, Anna and Graham. More recently, he has also been playing the blues, and exploring other genres that are often vague and hard to define. Noah has also been playing ukulele about as long as he's been coming to Jam Camp(over a decade). He has played in fiddle groups, jazz bands, and a violin/accordion duo known as Bellows and Strings with his mom. 

Noah is currently living in Victoria with his brother Bela, playing in a nine piece band called This is the Glasshouse, and attending university. He loves to share the joy of music by jamming with people, and by helping others gain the confidence needed to join in. For Noah, Jam Camp is a place that overflows with that musical joy, driven by a strong community that feels like family.

Ricardo

https://ricardomusicstudio.com/

Ricardo is an artist, composer, and music producer based in Vancouver, BC. Born in Mozambique a few years after the civil war, Ricardo immigrated to Canada with his mother when he was just 5-years old. Ricardo's music comes from the perspective of a story teller. One who weaves the personal and the Universal. Ricardo's main stories that he writes about have to deal with trauma; both relationally, familial, and generational trauma. Ricardo believes music is the medium for not only healing, but for communicating beyond what we normally do with language. 

Ricardo has lots of experiences facilitating or being a part of choirs. Formerly a soloist at Universal Gospel Choir, a choir which accompanied Alicia Keys Vancouver tour in 2022. Ricardo also started two community choirs: “Inlet United Community Choir” and the “New West Community Choir” which he currently directs. From intimate Sofarsounds shows to festival main stages, his music invites you to sing along with him. Ricardo’s concerts are more than just a set—they’re an experience. Ricardo is really excited to facilitate at Jam Camp for the first time.

Mariela Shuley

Mariela is a multi-instrumentalist and singer. The basis of her inspiration and drive growing up were her musical parents and this very camp! After leaving secondary school, Mariela trained in a Musical Theatre focused program at Capilano University, where she earned a diploma for her studies. She continues building her artistic toolbox in the Film and TV world, particularly in the independent sector. She craves the prospect of a voice-over career, where her heart definitely lives. On top of her artistic pursuits, Mariela walks dogs and teaches in an outreach-based Science Club Program for children in the Greater Vancouver Area. Her musical life has ebbed and flowed, but after releasing a five-song EP and returning to her piano-driven roots, she is excited to teach and learn from the participants at this year's Jam Camp.

Andy Tabb

Andy Tabb has honed his chops on guitar, songwriting skills and voice for 30 years now and it shows. He skillfully weaves together Americana roots, Baroque folk and an essence of Jazz, taking risks with melody and harmony that are natural and beautiful within his own captivating songwriting. His voice evokes a summer afternoon, as he ranges easily between painterly ballads and rootsy rock. His album, Neon Jesus Man, is an epic journey through a myriad of lyrical emotions and sonic landscapes.

Owen Thomas

Owen Thomas is an occupational therapist and musician, choir director and facilitator in Vancouver with a background in piano, guitar, and choral music. He trained and performed with the UBC Choral Union and the Northland College Choral Ensemble, performed with the Harlem Spiritual Ensemble and the Duluth Symphony Orchestra, and apprenticed under the incredible Anna Baignoche :) Owen teaches privately and for school groups, and brings his love of contemporary world and folk music into workshops with adults and youth, including Jam Camp.

Amelia Tumbach

Amelia is an upbeat and spirited lifelong Jam Camper, having attended the first-ever camp with her parents, who are part of the original founders of Jam Camp Society. Sharing the joy and connection of music with others is the core of her passion for music, which she has integrated into her daily life as a university student. Amelia has sung and played guitar and piano from a young age. She seeks to provide an inclusive space to explore music at all levels for others through her continued involvement as a manager at Jam Camp. She cherishes the creative - and often silly - experiences she had through the musical theatre aspect of camp, and as a manager, she strives to support and include everyone in creating these positive lifelong memories. 

Thomas Tumbach

Thomas Tumbach grew up in the Okanagan Valley and was trained as a classical violin player as a youth. After taking an extended break from training in his late teens, Thomas was lucky to meet several folk musicians in university, who introduced him to many styles of bluegrass, folk rock, jazz and world styles of music and rhythm. These styles of music helped broaden his horizons of the many amazing types of music that he had not been exposed to as a child, and expanded his understanding of improvisation and composition.

Following university, Thomas helped to found the Jam Camp Society, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping increase access to music for all people, and to inspire families and youth about playing music together. Thomas loves to teach all levels of violin, mandolin, banjo, guitar, voice and composition, in any style of music at Jam Camp.