Jenn Botari~Jenn,the founding member of Nero’s Fiddle, is the driving force, some would say ‘Force of Nature’, behind the band. Jenn compares singing with the girls to dancing with a partner you’ve known for decades, and in the ten years of its existence, the band has become Jenn’s extended family. After over 30 years of solo music, theatre and comedy work Jenn’s decided that it’s all way more fun with four or five voices than it ever was alone! Jenn will tell you that while she might be our navigator in the very loosest sense, generally speaking, the songs evolve with the performers, and each piece, by the time anyone else hears it, is truly a collaborative arrangement. ‘However high the music gets me, and it does, it’s the people I get to share this with that are the biggest payoff.’
Dorothy Fairbairn~ Dottie started out as our ‘fixer’. Dorothy jumped in on short notice in 2011 to understudy one show, and was mightily abused by Nero’s Fiddle for an entire year, having had to learn our entire repertoire as both an alto AND a soprano, on account of we always seemed to be missing somebody. Dot’s not only a ridiculously fast learner, her quick wit and merciless humour sparkle on stage, making her the best understudy a wench band could ever ask for! Now our main Soprano, Dottie continues to bring new, fantastic ideas to the Nero’s Fiddle table.
Angela Whyte ~ Angela isn’t very good at sitting still, and her spare time is spent doing a variety of things including, but not limited to: knitting, spinning (the kind with a wheel), lifting heavy things, drinking tea, herding her three cats, watching geeky tv, making terrible puns, and laughing at her own terrible puns. Her humour tends to be firmly located in the gutter, along with her mind. She’s been singing for as long as she can remember, and thinks that singing with Nero’s Fiddle is just about the best way there is to make noise (just about).
Christine McLeod started on our farm team before moving to the main line-up, and has worked very hard to learn a decade’s worth of music. In addition to keeping us on track from the bottom end of things, she has brought new music to the band, including some of her own! When not performing with Nero’s Fiddle, Christine can be found working at her own company Steeltown Mermaids, or performing with Blackthorn Productions, or The Baker Street Victorian Carollers.
Nero’s Fiddle’s Knickers~ Originally requested by Al Bourke, musical director of the Chinguacousy Swing Orchestra, the knickers have become a symbol of our esteem, mostly, but not exclusively, for our baby brother band, Eclectic Revival. You never know these days where or when the knickers will turn up.