Gather in a beautiful natural setting for a synergistic and joy-centered weekend of music making, taking inspiration from nature, and tapping the deep wellspring of traditional music, song, and dance, with a focus both on individual creative expression and enhancing an awareness of commonality and sense of community.

At its heart, "Cup o' Kindness" retreat is about the pleasure of making music and being together in community: generations learning from one another, musicians finding their own voices, and sharing tunes, stories, and meals in the extraordinary natural setting of the Sierra Nevada.

The weekend will move naturally between learning by ear, harnessing rhythm and groove, discovering the stories and character within tunes, arranging music together, improvising, composing, and finding greater freedom of individual expression. Through workshops, ensemble playing, informal jams, and nature activities, and we will explore creative approaches that have shaped our lives.

Come prepared to listen, play, experiment, laugh, learn—and venture a little further into the music.

Sally Ashcraft

Sally Ashcraft grew up in a tiny Montana town, part of a large family that loved to gather around her aunt´s piano to sing the heart songs of several generations -- well-kent folk melodies, rousing hymns, and a decade-spanning panoply of popular music. There was a fiddle in the house, and occasionally a visitor would tune it up and play Little Redwing or Turkey in the Straw to general delight. That same fiddle now gets dusted off to sing (mostly) traditional Scottish melodies in Sally´s hands.

Music is a vital and central component of Sally´s personal, family, and community life. She has been producing folk and fiddle music concerts, workshops, and camps since her early 20s. She co- founded Valley of the Moon Scottish Fiddling School (1984), the non-profit organization Scottish Fiddlers of California (1986) and Alasdair Fraser´s Sierra Fiddle Camp (2006) and co-owns Culburnie Records with her husband Alasdair Fraser. Sally´s passions include harmony singing, woodturning, painting, writing, swimming in lakes and rivers, and lingering in Nature.

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Alasdair Fraser

2026 CAC Upstate Legacy Fellowship Award Recipient

Alasdair Fraser is an internationally renowned Scottish fiddler, composer, teacher, and cultural ambassador based in Nevada County, CA.

For more than four decades, he has championed the expressive traditions of Scottish fiddle music while expanding its possibilities through performance, composition, recording, and education. Fraser is founder and director of the Valley of the Moon Scottish Fiddling School and Sierra Fiddle Camp, and has inspired generations of musicians worldwide. A dedicated community builder and mentor, he brings traditional music into contemporary settings, fostering connection across cultures and generations. His work celebrates music as a living, shared language of place and belonging.

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Galen Fraser & Maria San Miguel

Performing as a duo, San Miguel Fraser is redefining folk music with their dynamic fusion of Castilian and Celtic traditions. The duo, featuring María San Miguel—an Oviedo Conservatory graduate deeply rooted in the vibrant music of Castile—and Galen Fraser—a Berklee College of Music alumnus and son of the legendary fiddler Alasdair Fraser, blends heartfelt vocals, intricate string arrangements, and the lively charm of the cittern. Their music celebrates the shared spirit of their homelands while embracing the beauty of innovation.

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Cameron Fraser

An accomplished performer on both acoustic and electric guitar, Cameron Fraser has a knack for making tunes groove, and a keen ear for nuances of style, phrasing, and tonality. He is passionate about music production in many genres and his intensive, extensive listening and love for many styles of music informs his own compositions, including tunes that have found their way into the traditional session repertoire.

Cam has been immersed in the traditional music of Scotland his entire life. He honed his skills as a rhythm and lead guitarist in countless jams, music camps, and ceilidh dances in California, Scotland, and Spain. Performances include festivals and concerts in a band with his father, fiddler Alasdair Fraser, the California-based Celtic acoustic group The Low Coals, and San Francisco Scottish Fiddlers. In a fresh and exciting development, Cam, his dad Alasdair, his brother Galen and Maria San Miguel are launching a new family band with a concert tour this October.

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You will find general information from Big Springs under the heading Our Retreats. Please refer to Description of Retreat section for detailed information about this retreat. You may reach out to the retreat organizer if you have any questions. Thank you!