Elaine Meechan
Elaine hails from Nuneaton in Warwickshire and has played piano as far back as she can remember! For folk dancing she started playing keyboard in local folk dance band, Glorishears, having to quickly learn accordion when the accordionist left the band, and she still leads Glorishears on accordion today. Elaine has worked as a musician with Folk Camps, has led musicians’ courses at Halsway Manor and was the pianist in Skylark. She not only loves playing for dancing but also loves to dance when the opportunity arises. In Portland Drive she provides the driving, dynamic and rhythmic harmonic structure for the band.
Kathryn Dunphy
Kathryn has grown up with Folk Dance music. She started playing flute at the age of 9 and together with mum Elaine, dad John and brother Peter, she played with the Meechan Family Band for local barn dances. Kathryn studied flute at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester and now works as a curriculum music teacher in Primary education for Bolton Music Service. Kathryn is also much in demand for playing in pit orchestras for musical theatre around the Manchester area. Kathryn, who also played in Skylark, mainly plays the flute in Portland Drive but can often be seen (and heard!) playing the alto sax and the clarinet plus, occasionally, recorder and piccolo. As an aside from music, in addition to having three young children, Kathryn also bakes and decorates fabulous cakes in ‘Kat’s Kitchen’! See her Facebook page!