Michelle Footz
Bred from a long line of trumpet players, Michelle Footz draws on more than three decades of experience as a versatile multi‑instrumentalist, spanning trumpet, trombone, piano, accordion, and voice. She feels most at home on a live stage, whether at a remote West Coast festival or in an orchestral hall, but is equally at ease in the recording studio. As a singer‑songwriter, she performs under the moniker Shelder the Electric Clamfish, crafting epic fantastical folk tales and deep‑sea folk‑punk infused with a vagabond spirit, coastal grit, and electric imagination.
A mainstay of the West Coast’s brass‑band party scene, Michelle brings her trumpet to a wide range of horn‑driven dance projects, including Balkan Shmalkan, Babyface Brass, Bu Von Blume, Small Town Artillery, and Caraluna. Her collaborations also extend into Electronic Dance Music through work with DJ Resistor. She has toured solo across Canada four times and has performed internationally throughout the United States, Mexico, and England, appearing at major events such as the Glastonbury Festival, Burnaby Roots and Blues Festival, and Victoria Ska and Jazz Festivals and of course ArtsWells Festival of All Things Art.
Michelle holds a Bachelor of Music in Music Education with a focus on classical trumpet from the University of Victoria, where she studied with Louis Ranger and David Michaux. She has also pursued further studies with Manon Lafrance at Domaine Forgét in Quebec and with jazz artist Bria Skonberg. She currently serves as Music Director at Gulf Islands Secondary School on Salt Spring Island, teaching guitar, songwriting and production, and leading the Concert Band, Jazz Band, and Choir. Beyond the school, she directs the community big band Swing Shift. In addition to teaching at Jam Camp in the Mountains this year, she will be performing at festivals throughout the province, including Salty Hearts, Pachena Bay, Kispiox, Starbelly Jam, Music on the Mountain and Edge of the World in Haida Gwaii. As Shelder the Electric Clamfish, Michelle is producing her second album, slated for release in summer 2027, while pursuing a Master’s degree in Music Technology with a focus on studio production at Southern Utah University.
Wells has always been an inspirational place for Michelle, ever since her first ArtsWells festival in 2010. She is excited to be returning this summer for Jam Camp in the Mountains for all the magical music making that is bound to happen!
