Cajun, Creole & Classic Country Week 2026

Amelia Biere, Cajun & Creole Advisor

Guitar | Vocals

Originally from a small town in Wisconsin, Amelia Biere was exposed to many forms of traditional music at an early age from her father and his music community. After moving to Minneapolis for school and attending the regular Cajun dances, she picked up the guitar. A few years after being mentored by musicians of the Twin City scene and attending Cajun music camps in Louisiana and West Virginia, she decided to move to the source of it all – Lafayette, LA. There, her and her partner Blake Miller founded the Old-Fashioned Aces in 2017. Since then she’s won CFMA’s Female Vocalist of the Year, become a regular on the Lafayette music scene and most recently joined bands including Chère Elise and the Luke Huval Band as well as a country band called Grampa.

Blake Miller, Cajun & Creole Advisor

Fiddle | Accordion

Blake Miller comes from a multi-generational musical family in Iota, Louisiana.  He learned to play all the instruments traditionally found on a Cajun bandstand through his grandpa (world-renowned accordion maker Larry Miller of Bon Cajun Accordions), father, uncles, the late local accordion player Kenneth Thibodeaux, jam sessions at D.I.’s Cajun Restaurant, as well as the Augusta Cajun Week in Elkins, West Virginia.  He started playing regular dances at the age of 14, and at 17, he began bringing his love of Louisiana French Music around the world with bands such as the Red Stick Ramblers, Cedric Watson & Bijou Creole, and Pine Leaf Boys among others.  Today, you can find him with the Revelers, with his wife Amelia Biere in the Old-Fashioned Aces, Balfa Toujours, the Daiquiri Queens, the Lafayette Rhythm Devils, and you never know who else.  You can hear him on the radio as well with his bilingual public radio show called La Lou Jukebox on 88.7 fm, KRVS.org.  He also loves to teach and pass on the music he loves through private lessons, at various music camps, and even at his alma mater UL Lafayette.

Kendall Broussard

Folk Arts For Kids (more info here)

Kendall Miller Broussard is an enthusiastic, energetic individual who is always happy to share Cajun culture and life with others. She is a native of Iota, Louisiana and granddaughter to longtime Augusta instructors Larry and Jackie Miller. Having grown up close to her grandparents, Kendall was immersed in Cajun culture and traditions. She often traveled to festivals with them helping to demonstrate and sell Cajun accordions and Mardi Gras costumes. Growing up she frequently worked alongside her grandpa in his accordion shop. At age eight, Kendall began to participate and perform in the local Mardi Gras celebration. From this grew a love of Cajun music, dance and language. Jackie, Kendall’s grandmother, has taught her how to make the local Mardi Gras costumes including, masks, capuchon (hats), and suits. A favorite pastime of hers is assisting her grandmother during Mardi Gras mask-making and demonstration workshops. Kendall has earned a Master’s Degree in Education from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. While doing so she was able to work in the Center for Louisiana Studies, helping to archive various media sources of Cajun and Creole music. This afforded an opportunity to connect with various peoples and their folk arts. With her husband and three young children Kendall now lives in Lafayette, Louisiana. She constantly strives to pass down her Cajun heritage to their children.

Kelli Jones

Fiddle | Vocals

Kelli Jones has been playing fiddle since the age of fifteen and started out playing old time music in North Carolina, where she is from. In 2006 she moved to Lafayette, Louisiana to study dance at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and learn Cajun fiddle as well. She has been living in Lafayette since, soaking up the culture and touring the world with Lafayette’s own powerhouse psychedelic Cajun band, Feufollet and her fellow band mates Drew Simon and Megan Constantin. She has also traveled beyond Louisiana to perform and teach at festivals throughout the United States and Canada, including Ashokan Fiddle & Dance Camp, Augusta Heritage Center Cajun & Creole week, the Festival of American Fiddle Tunes, and Centrum’s Voiceworks.

Jesse Lége

Accordion

For more than 40 years Jesse Lege, originally from Guydan LA, has been bringing traditional Cajun dance hall music from the dusty back roads of southwest Louisiana, coast to coast and around the world, playing everywhere from local neighborhood dance halls to the largest international festivals.

Today, Lege is one of the most-admired Cajun accordionists and vocalists from Southwest Louisiana. He has garnered numerous Cajun French Music Association awards in many categories, including original song for “Memoires Dans Mon Coeur”. In addition to his rich accordion style and soulful singing, his knowledge and vast repertoire that includes many of the earliest recorded and shared Cajun songs is treasured by everyone from other Cajun musicians to the first-time listener.

Chris Miller

Accordion

Chris Miller has been an active performer and music educator in southwest Louisiana for the last 44 years. He has performed with Cajun music legends like Rodney LeJeune, Hadley Castille, the Vanicor Family and many others, along with his own groups Louisiana’s Kingfish, and Chris Miller and Bayou Roots. Chris is a singer/songwriter and plays accordion, fiddle, piano, harmonica and several other instruments. The Cajun French Music Association (CFMA) has awarded him and his band “Band of the Year”, “CD of the Year,” “Song of the Year,” “People’s Choice,” and has won the “Accordionist of the Year” three different times from the CFMA, Chris is a Cajun Music Hall of Fame member at the CFMA in Lake Charles. He has Music Education degrees from McNeese State University and recently retired after teaching 33 years at Barbe High School in Lake Charles. He recently began piano services business, “Bayou Piano” and continues to teach privately and perform with his band in the area. Chris has taught frequently at “Augusta Heritage Cajun Week” in West Virginia as well as “Blown Away on the Bayou” in Opelousas. He is also the choir director at St Martin de Porres Catholic Church in Lake Charles.

Peter Schwarz

Fiddle | Bass

Peter Schwarz has performed a variety of roles in the music industry for over 30 years. Son of noted folk musician Tracy Schwarz, Peter was touring as a full-time musician by age 10. In 1983, he was awarded a NEA apprentice fellowship to study Cajun fiddle with master artist Dewey Balfa, and soon after performed on Balfa’s Grammy nominated release Souvenirs. Schwarz was a member of Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys through the 1990s, performing and composing on bass and fiddle, as well as managing the group through several years of heavy international touring and multiple recordings. Their 1993 Rounder release Trace of Time received a Grammy nomination. Peter has produced records and toured with additional artists such as Balfa Toujours and Charivari. He still performs regularly in Austin and in Louisiana, with bands such as Jesse Lege and Bosco Stomp and Charles Thibodeaux and the Austin Cajun Aces.

Kevin Wimmer

Fiddle

Kevin Wimmer is a highly regarded fiddler known for his work in Cajun and Creole music, as well as his versatility across jazz, Western swing, and old-time styles. Originally from New York City and raised by Juilliard-trained classical musicians, he began studying music at age four. A formative meeting with Cajun fiddling legend Dewey Balfa more than 30 years ago led him to immerse himself in Louisiana’s traditional music scene.

Wimmer has performed with prominent bands including Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys, Balfa Toujours, and The Red Stick Ramblers. In addition to performing, he is a sought-after instructor at music camps nationwide and remains active as a collaborator and recording artist. His playing bridges deep tradition with technical mastery, making him one of the most respected fiddlers in modern Cajun music.

Ginny Hawker, Country Advisor

Classic Country Duets with Emily Miller

Ginny Hawker was born to make Country music, growing up in southern Virginia in a large musical family. Starting with the soul-stirring unaccompanied singing of her father’s church that came to this country from Scotland, lyrics are important and you hear that when Ginny sings. Ginny learned harmony through Bluegrass and southern Gospel, where the blend of voices singing together pulled her ear and made her a gifted teacher at music camps in US, Canada, and the British Isles for over 25 years. Any class Ginny teaches will be informative and challenging without being overwhelming. Emmylou Harris is quoted in “O” magazine describing Ginny as “real as dirt” when reviewing her first solo recording, Letters From My Father.

Beth Chrisman

That Basic Right Hand | Tone Production In Country Fiddle

You can hear the high-lonesome of her birth-state Kentucky in the voice and fiddling of Beth Chrisman, but the warmth comes straight from the festive and tight-knit music community of Fairbanks, Alaska where she grew up.

She’s come a long way since showing up in Austin, Texas in 2006. While a member of retro country trio the Carper Family, Chrisman performed on Mountain Stage and A Prairie Home Companion, US & international festivals, and was recognized for her songwriting by the Independent Music Awards (“Cold, Dark & Lonely” Best Americana Song, “Foolish Ramblin’ Man” Best Country Song, IMA).

Both at home and on the road, she has joined a variety of artists on stage and in the studio – honky-tonking with Bobby Bare and Bill Kirchen, swinging with Big Sandy & the Fly Rite Boys, jamming with Shinyribs and the Heartless Bastards.   With her bands the Carper Family and High Plains Jamboree, Chrisman performed standout showcases at Folk Alliance International, SXSW, IBMA (International Bluegrass Music Association), and as a featured songwriter with Project ATX6 brought old-time country influence to festivals & clubs in Toronto and Angers, France

Thomas Bryan Eaton

Electric Guitar In A Country Band | What To Do When They Say “Take It’

Thomas Bryan Eaton is the most fun, patient, organized yet relaxed teacher you will ever come across. He currently lives in the Nashville area where he is an in demand guitar & pedal steel player both live and as a studio musician and producer. He writes and performs his own songs while touring regularly with Miss Tess & the Talkbacks, Western Centuries and others. You may have heard the old saying that someone is “eat up with music”? Well, that is Thomas. He can stay up all night playing both six string and steel guitar as well as singing whatever the jam or performance calls for. He knows all the old classic country songs and sings them with feeling that belies his young years. A young student once wrote, “This man is a phenomenal musician, teacher and human. He made the hardest instrument there seem not so daunting.”

Arty Hill

Deep Into Country Standards | Supporting The Song In Country Music

From Baltimore, Md to Central Texas, Arty Hill packs the bars and dance floors with his unique brand of modern Honky Tonk. He sings with an “‘everyman’ quality…reminiscent of Johnny Cash.” (Vintage Guitar Magazine). His songs – marrying the soul of classic country with the wry storytelling of Guy Clark and Townes Van Zandt – have been recorded by the Grammy-nominated Kenny and Amanda Smith Band, Alt-Country pioneer Jason Ringenberg, Rockabilly Queen Bee Marti Brom, and Austin’s Texas Sapphires, among others. 

With his band the Long Gone Daddys, he has released 8 full length recordings and a Hank Williams tribute EP.  and his songs have appeared in two seasons of “Gun it with Bennie Spies” on the Sportsman Channel and in the 2017 movie “I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore” starring Elijah Wood.  Arty is also co-founder of the Hank Williams Songwriting Workshop in Montgomery, AL., and an instructor at Augusta Heritage Classic Country week in Elkins, WVa since 2017.

Leon Kasdorf

Steel Guitar In Country Music (Evening Mini-Class)

Leon (aka Lynn) Kasdorf is a very busy Pedal Steel Guitarist in the Washington DC and Baltimore music scene. He does session work and plays with several bands including Arty Hill, The Hula Monsters, Oklahoma Twisters, The Old Part of Town, Dave Chappell, Kiti Gartner, The Backroads Band, and with his wife Julia.

Leon has a wide knowledge of classic country music, and has learned the steel kickoffs and solos on most songs in this genre.

Emily Miller

Classic Country Duets with Ginny Hawker

Emily Miller is the Artistic Director of the Augusta Heritage Center, the string band director of the college’s Appalachian Ensemble, and a professional singer and fiddle player. At Augusta, Emily works with the director to oversee all programming and helps the theme week coordinators to execute a joint artistic vision. She received her BA in Anthropology-Linguistics from Brown University and her MS in Speech-Language Pathology from Vanderbilt University. In her career as a musician, she has toured with bands such as the Sweetback Sisters, The Starry Mountain Singers, and as a duo with Jesse Milnes, performing multiple times on national radio programs Mountain Stage and A Prairie Home Companion. She has released several albums of traditional and country music including In the Valley (2006), Chicken Ain’t Chicken (2009), Looking for a Fight (2012), Jesse Milnes & Emily Miller: Deep End Sessions (2015) and King of Killing Time (2017).

Blake Whitmire

Singing Confident Lead | Texas Honky Tonk

Since winning his first fiddle contest at the age of 12, Blake Whitmire has spent his entire life playing and singing country music in dance halls across the country. Born and raised on the high plains of west Texas, Blake spent his teenage years touring with bands across the state until he left Texas to attend Berklee College of Music in Boston, Ma. where he studied with fiddle greats including Darol Anger, Matt Glaser, and Jason Anik. After College he moved to Austin, Texas where he has spent the last 10 years leading his own honky tonk band and regularly performing with many incredible musicians including Joe Ely, Gary P. Nunn, Augie Meyers, Del McCoury, Old Crow Medicine Show, Brennen Leigh, and Summer Dean to name a few.

Cajun Cooking Over Fire with Greg Brown

Learn How To Make: Jambalaya, Crawfish, Gumbo and Etouffee. 

Greg Brown is a Louisiana-based chef and gardener whose passion for Cajun flavor and homegrown ingredients led to the creation of Pop’s Midnight Heat, a family-run hot sauce business rooted in tradition and community. Raised in Richie, Louisiana, Greg was inspired by the gardens of his grandfather, father, and a close neighbor—mentors who helped cultivate his lifelong love of gardening. That love evolved into a culinary venture as Greg began growing a variety of peppers—including habaneros, jalapeños, banana peppers, and scotch bonnets—in his backyard garden. These peppers form the foundation of his small-batch, handcrafted hot sauces. Carefully harvested only at peak ripeness, Brown’s peppers are vacuum-packed and slow-cooked to create bold, distinctive sauces now enjoyed far beyond Louisiana.

Greg retired with 45 years employment/service of Texas Gas/Boardwalk Pipeline. He spends his downtime alongside his wife of 46 years, Michelle,  hunting, fishing, gardening and sharing their vibrant Cajun flavors with family, friends and fans around the country. 

Steel Guitar in Country Music with Leon Kasdorf | July 7-10, 2026

Class Description: I’ll be discussing and demonstrating the uses of both non-pedal steel (aka lap steel) as well as pedal steel in various eras and styles of country music. I’ll be teaching basics of both instruments, as well as backing a singer, handy patterns, phrases and intros, kicking off songs, etc.

Leon (aka Lynn) Kasdorf is a very busy Pedal Steel Guitarist in the Washington DC and Baltimore music scene. He does session work and plays with several bands including Arty Hill, Hula Monsters, Oklahoma Twisters, Kiti Gartner, Karen Collins, and several others,Leon has a wide knowledge of classic country music, and has learned the steel kickoffs and solos on most songs in this genre.

Fiddle from Scratch with Walter Hojka | July 7-10, 2026

Class Description: Learn to play the fiddle in this fun and supportive beginner class! If you never played fiddle, or are eager to learn more as a beginning student, this is the class for you. We’ll start with how to hold the instrument, where to put your fingers, and some simple tunes to get you playing right away. By the end, you’ll have a strong foundation and the confidence to keep learning and enjoying the fiddle. Augusta does have some fiddles to lend out for this class. Please reach out to Augusta at info@augustaartsandculture.org or 304 637 1209 to reserve one. 

NOTE: This class is offered Weeks 1, 3 and 5. For any locals who want to sign up for more than one week, Walter will make sure that you grow and learn new things each week. Take all three for a true Beginning Fiddle Bootcamp!

Walter Hojka is a renowned strings educator and musician. He also served as a fiddle teacher for the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago for many years before relocating to West Virginia. He has taught strings in two West Virginia schools, is the founder of the Snowy Mountain Music School in Pendleton County, WV, and performs regularly on fiddle and banjo.

Folk Arts for Kids with Kendall Broussard

FAFK runs from 9 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

Kendall Miller Broussard is an enthusiastic, energetic individual who is always happy to share Cajun culture and life with others. She is a native of Iota, Louisiana and granddaughter to longtime Augusta instructors Larry and Jackie Miller. Having grown up close to her grandparents, Kendall was immersed in Cajun culture and traditions. She often traveled to festivals with them helping to demonstrate and sell Cajun accordions and Mardi Gras costumes. Growing up she frequently worked alongside her grandpa in his accordion shop. At age eight, Kendall began to participate and perform in the local Mardi Gras celebration. From this grew a love of Cajun music, dance and language. Jackie, Kendall’s grandmother, has taught her how to make the local Mardi Gras costumes including, masks, capuchon (hats), and suits. A favorite pastime of hers is assisting her grandmother during Mardi Gras mask-making and demonstration workshops. Kendall has earned a Master’s Degree in Education from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. While doing so she was able to work in the Center for Louisiana Studies, helping to archive various media sources of Cajun and Creole music. This afforded an opportunity to connect with various peoples and their folk arts. With her husband and three young children Kendall now lives in Lafayette, Louisiana. She constantly strives to pass down her Cajun heritage to their children.