LADY LUPIN
Lady Lupin consists of four friends eager to share their love for music making with each other and with you. Amy Collyer-Holmes, Maria Cherwick, Carole Bestvater, and Valmy are four established musicians in the St. John’s music scene. Lady Lupin is their creative outlet, presenting songs and instrumentals with a wide array of instruments and harmonies. Their group sound is inspired by the powerful women who have come before them.
Amy Collyer-Holmes, a cellist originally from Toronto, has made Newfoundland her home since 2016. A Tuckamore Young Artist Program alumna, she performs regularly with the Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra, Opera on the Avalon, the Strong Harbour Strings Collective, and is a founding member of both Lady Lupin and the Harbourlight Piano Quartet. Amy has built her career in Newfoundland as a freelance cellist, working as a teacher, performer, and arts administrator. Amy was nominated for both Music Educator of the Year, and Industry Professional of the Year at the 2023 MusicNL Awards. She is passionate about music education and currently has 30 private cello students; she also teaches group and private lessons for Strong Harbour Strings Program, and for the Suzuki Talent Education Program (STEP), where she is the Artistic Director and General Manager.
Violinist, violist and fiddler Maria Cherwick enjoys a diverse career, from symphony orchestras, to touring internationally with her Ukrainian speed-folk band, The Kubasonics. Twice named MusicNL “Side Musician of the Year” as well as “Celtic/Traditional Artist of the Year”, Maria maintains a busy performing schedule, dividing her time between several country, folk and bluegrass bands, and is highly sought after as a session musician. This year, Maria released her first solo fiddle album (self titled) with her band Jockey Special.
Carole Bestvater is a freestyle fiddle player/violinist based in St. John’s, NL. She is at her happiest when playing and singing a wide diversity of different music, and is equally at home performing a variety of different folk and classical genres. Carole is an in-demand session player, performer, and music educator, always striving to share her joy of music making with those around her. She plays classical music primarily with the Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra and the Strong Harbour Strings Collective, and folk music with many local bands including Youngtree & The Blooms, High & Lonesome, and Crooked Stovepipe.
Valmy is a St. John’s-based singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from Ontario, using her folk-influenced music to tell stories about loving and stumbling your way through the dark. Exploring themes of relationship, loss, and healing, she weaves nature-inspired melodic swells and atmospheric harmonies with her contemplative writing. Valmy released her debut album “The In Between” in September 2023 and received a gracious review from Tony Ploughman of Fred’s Records: “There is a cohesiveness to this full album offering meditative musings on balancing one’s own mental state in harmony with nature”. Valmy was a MusicNL award nominee in 2023 for Folk Artist and Rising Star of the Year and a 2024 ECMA nominee for African Canadian Artist of the Year. She looks forward to connecting with audiences on tour in the Autumn of 2024.
SEAN PANTING
Sean is a songwriter, musician and actor based in St. John’s, NL. He is a founding member of the iconic Newfoundland bands Drive and Kelly Russell & The Planks. Between 2000 and 2020, he has released six albums of original songs; the most recent, The Simple Machines, was released on February 22, 2020.
As an actor, he is best known for his portrayal of morally bankrupt barrister Walter McLean on CBC’s Republic of Doyle