About Us
Peat & Barley is Bill Mitchell on hammered dulcimer and Becky Ross on fiddle. Their music reflects their love of traditional Celtic music along with their love for each other.
About Us About our Name Weddings Performance Schedule
Read our interview with the Monacacy Monacle
Bill has played the hammered dulcimer since 1992 and was inspired to play from his first experience of hearing a hammered dulcimer. He is a self-taught player and is particularly noted for his strong accompaniment skills. Bill's playing incorporates the full range of his hammered dulcimer from the shimmering sparkle of the highest treble notes to the depth and power of the lowest bass notes.
Becky was classically trained on violin during her schooldays but was drawn to begin playing again in 1991 after discovering Celtic fiddle music. Her playing is known for her rich tone and sensitive emotional connection to the music, whether that is a sorrowful Scottish lament, a majestic march or a driving reel. Becky also plays regularly for Scottish and English Country Dances in the D.C. area.
Bill and Becky have been playing together as
Peat
&
Barley since 1996 and recorded their first album, "Reflections on Big
Moose
Lake," in 1998 (out of print). In addition to their performances as
Peat
& Barley, they also perform as members of the Celtic group The Homespun Ceilidh Band.
They are longtime active members of the Potomac
Valley Scottish Fiddle Club, a non-profit
group promoting Scottish fiddle music. Becky also plays
with a classical duo, Violinsanity and
an 18th Century music trio, Tasker's Chance.
