about Catherine

So… what follows is my general bio in 3rd person

Until recent times Catherine was living a somewhat nomadic existence mostly in the west of Canada.

She is presently based in a small mountain village in the north of Thailand where she has set up a musical instrument making and composing studio.

Through ดนตรีป่า Music Forest & The Sun and the Wind Project, her work is devoted to creating a deep & deepening connection with the wild natural world. A reawakening. Catherine is a composer, vocalist, musician, instrument maker, visual & material artist.

A major focus in Catherine’s life in recent years has been long distance travel on horseback. In the years of 2011-13 she traveled, solo, more than 2500 km through the southern plains of Saskatchewan and Alberta in what became an effort to link through slow travel some of the last remnants of the Canadian native prairie grasslands.  In September 2012, Catherine was honoured with full membership in The Long Riders’ Guild, the international association of equestrian explorers.

Catherine has had a long involvement, since childhood, in traditional Irish music both as an instrumentalist and vocalist. She has taken part in Irish language and singing (séan-nos) workshops at Oideas Gael in Co. Donegal in the northwest of Ireland as well as workshops and studies in Canada.

This interest in Irish music over the years has led her to many different places musically, often quite radically different from the roots of that tradition. Over more than twenty-five years she was involved in composition and performance with a number of contemporary dance creators, primarily in Canada. To date she has created more than twenty five musical and sound pieces for dance theatre.

In the dance world, Catherine has worked with Kate Alton, P. Megan Andrews, Peggy Baker, Louise Bédard, Serge Bennathan, Sylvie Bouchard, Tanya Crowder, Susanna Hood, Sasha Ivanochko, Karen Kaeja, Rachel Kennedy, Susan Lee, Elena Mamais, Naoko Murakoshi, Julia Sasso, Roger Sinha, Heidi Strauss, Darryl Tracy and Eryn Dace Trudell.
Her work has been seen and heard in a number of diverse modes throughout Canada, in Thailand, Ireland and the USA. While studying Irish, Catherine had some wonderful performance opportunities in Donegal, Ireland as well as of course, witnessing and learning from some incredible musicians and their music. In the theatre/film/TV realm she has recorded and composed music for Armand Garnet Ruffo’s film, A Windigo Tale, Vision TV, Debaghimajig Theatre and Native Earth Productions.

ดนตรีป่า Music Forest is the current ‘umbrella’ for Catherine’s work. Rooted in finding an ever deepening connection to wild nature, as her work has been and always will be. ดนตรีป่า Music Forest represents Catherine’s instrument making, songwriting and composing.

The Sun and The Wind project revolves around Catherine’s long distance solo horse travels. It is extensive in scope and deals with many aspects of our human place on the wild world. Please go to The Sun and the Wind for more information.

In the world of making stuff, Catherine has been making moccassins and other related things since her youth. The first bit she ever sewed was at her grandmother’s side at the age of 8 where she learned to darn socks. She makes most of the instruments that she plays. The first instrument that she made was at the age of 8 by her grandfather’s side (after begging for his help for a week) making a sweet little harp.
Catherine worked for many years in the Toronto film world in the costume, props and set departments of numerous productions.
These days, a lot of her stuff creating revolves around making instruments. Many instruments that have hide sounding surfaces, Cora, Banjo, Igil and Tsugaru Shamisen. These days (2018) her instrument making focus is on making Flamenco and Classical Guitar.
She also made much of the tack and clothing for her long rides.

It goes without saying that Catherine is an avid outdoors enthusiast, she loves to wander the wild hills and grassy plains, swim in the clear waters and walk on the frozen lakes of this beautiful wonderful earth as often as she can.
She has practised Kendo for 39 years and Iaido, 19.