Kindred Voices performs a delightful variety of Celtic Folk and New Age songs from Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and England, as well as original music. The clear, stunning vocals are accompanied by equally remarkable guitar, pennywhistle, fiddle, mandolin, harp, flute, and bodhran. The group has enjoyed performing individually and collectively for many years at numerous events. They are adept in various genres, and have classical training along with their extensive experience in folk music. Several members of the group have Celtic ancestry on one or both sides of their families, and some have lived and traveled in the British Isles.

Kindred Voices is comprised of family members and friends: Brandon Bales, Celeste B. Childs, Rebekah Bales-Dunford, Ben Dunford, Nick Dunford, Russell Wulfenstein, Chris Watts, Chemain Evans, and Jarom Xochimitl. Often joining the group as guest performers are Amberly Xochimitl on viola, and Lindsey Wulfenstein with vocals and Irish dance.

Kindred Voices is pleased to present "Rosemary for Remembrance," a CD featuring a thoroughly enjoyable compilation of 26 traditional and original songs. The album is built around the theme of remembrance--looking back through the doorway of time to the lands and experiences of our ancestors.

We are also happy to offer a Winter/Christmas CD, "I Heard a Bird Sing in the Dark of December," an eclectic compilation of 26 songs from the Celtic lands, original compositions, contemporary favoirtes, and ancient tunes of the season. Additional recordings are in the works, among them a Celtic New Age CD, "Enchantment."

Kindred Voices believes that folk music and folk tales matter. We need them. Whether one's fore-bearers were Slovakian or Chinese, Norwegian or Polynesian, Danish or Irish, African or Apache, the threads that wove the fabric of their lives glowed with the same colors. Songs and stories from the four corners of the world contain the same fundamental truths. In our fast-paced and fragmented modern world, folk tradition provides a sense of meaning and purpose by linking us to our ancestors, thus enhancing our own sense of identity. Folk tradition serves to re-connect us to our past, give us joy in our present, and hope for our future.
Brandon Bales is pursuing a Master's Degree in socio-cultural anthropology. While serving an LDS Cambodian-speaking mission in Boston, Massachusetts, Brandon developed an interest in Asian culture, and his anthropological emphasis is in Asian studies. He recently spent two months in Cambodia doing field work. When his nose isn't in a book, he is writing, arranging, and performing music of all kinds. He has been singing publicly since the age of 2, performed for a year in a musical performing group which toured Utah, Nevada, and California, and played the role of Romeo in "Romeo and Juliet." Brandon has studied guitar and piano since childhood, and is one of those lucky people who can play whatever instrument they pick up, which for him also includes drums, pennywhistle, and banjo. Brandon is an avid outdoorsman who regularly hikes and backpacks in the Wasatch, Uintah, and Windriver mountains. He also recently competed in the Lotoja touring-bike race. Brandon is married to Anika (née Kronmiller), who holds a Master's Degree in Special Education, and is also an accomplished singer and dancer.

Celeste Childs is also a college student studying child psychology, in addition to being a licensed aesthetician. She is a former Miss Springville, and 2nd Runner-Up to Miss Utah. She sang her first solo at age 3, was a featured performer in a musical performing group for two years, which toured Utah, Nevada, and California, was cast as Ann in "Cheaper By the Dozen," and as Liesl in the Villa Playhouse's production of "The Sound of Music." Celeste has studied classical voice for five years, with Clayne Robison, Julie Wright Costa, Shauna Gottfriedson, and Elaine Brewster. Additionally, Celeste is an advocate for children and teens that have been victims of abuse, and has been a certified instructor for r.a.d.KIDS, a nonprofit child safety program. In her spare time, Celeste writes poetry and rides horses. She is married to Kenneth Childs, an outdoorsman and rancher who also happens to practice law, and is quite a guitarist and singer in his own right. 

Rebekah Bales-Dunford has been singing Celtic and other music since her childhood. She was "Best Actress" at Brigham Young University, served as Miss Pleasant Grove, and has written for and performed in children's educational videos, as well as appearing on stage, television, and film. She has enjoyed singing and performing in USO and other tours to Greece, Turkey, Germany, Alaska, and Hawaii. The arts as a whole have always played a significant role in Rebekah's life, and in addition to writing music, she is working on a novel. She is a former teacher at Challenger Schools, and currently teaches in her own private school, Serendipity School. Rebekah is fascinated with the Celtic lands, ancient cultures, languages, psychology, yoga, hiking, and gardening.

Benjamin Dunford, age 8, and the youngest member of the group, also loves to sing. He has memorized every song in the repertoire, and has some great solos on the CD's! A poem written by Ben recently won a school district-wide "Reflections" contest. Ben likes to read, enjoys karate, baseball, and soccer, and is a bright, happy spirit who is interested in everything around him.

Nick Dunford had the lead in his ninth grade play, and is glad to be back in the performing saddle after a hiatus of several years. He sings a killer bass in the church choir, and lends that same talent as the foundational element of the group. Nick's interests include the out-of-doors, art and painting, history, microbiology, and traveling. He toured the British Isles recently, and found the birthplaces and homes of several of his ancestors.


Russell Wulfenstein has been playing violin since age 10, and is also an accomplished mandolin player. He recently won 1st place for mandolin in the Utah State Fiddle Championship Contest, and 3rd place in fiddle and guitar. Russell has studied fiddle with Karl Allred, and mandolin with Mark Geslison. Russell served an LDS mission to Chile, and is a graduate of Brigham Young University in Business Management. In addition to being part of Kindred Voices, Russell heads his own band--Brush Fire. He has played with BYU's "Christmas around the World", the American Fork Symphony, the Utah Valley Civic Orchestra, and the folk ensemble "Back Country, Front Porch." He has also played with Clog America, and the BYU Folk Ensemble. Russell has toured the south-eastern states, Canada, Poland, Germany, France, Holland, Hungary, Romania, Mexico, and Russia playing fiddle. He is also a gifted graphic designer. Russell is married to Lyndsey--a beautiful, talented all-around performer who specializes in folk dancing and singing. Lyndsey appears as a frequent guest artist with Kindred Voices as well.

Chris Watts has enjoyed making music one way or another since she began singing solos at the age of 3. She began playing the piano at age 7, flute at age 10, organ for church at age 11, and guitar at age 14. She has taught piano and flute since the age of 14, including a 2 year stint at BYU as a Special Instructor of Flute. She has accompanied many groups and individuals and received awards for both flute and piano performance. After graduating from BYU with a degree in Elementary Education, she served an LDS mission to Bolivia. Later, she received a second degree from BYU in Flute Performance . After a visit to Europe, the United Kingdom and Ireland, she decided to make a childhood wish come true: she bought a harp and took six months of lessons. Chris has enjoyed playing it ever since--at the Timpanogas Storytelling Festival, for weddings, at hospitals and rest homes, and for individuals who are ill or in need of encouragement. Chris has been trained in a variety of alternative health modalities. Other interests include storytelling, creative writing, and political science. Chris has a few CDs in the works: one on which she tells folk tales and embellishes them with harp and flute music, one of Christmas music, and another which features flute music that will lift and strengthen those who are dealing with difficult challenges.

Chemain Evans is a musician extraordinaire! She plays the piano and organ, and has been an accompanist since her teenage years. Chemain enjoys writing/arranging music for choir and composing for piano. She has also worked as a studio musician. Chemain currently serves as director of her church choir, director of a community women's choir, and organist for the Utah Valley Children's Choir. She recently won an Award of Merit in a music contest sponsored by the LDS church and has had several pieces published by Jackman Music Corporation. She served an LDS mission in Latvia and graduated from BYU with a bachelor's degree in linguistics. Chemain is married to Lyle Evans, and has two darling children, Kaylie and Bryson, who sing in the Utah Valley Children's Choir.

Jarom Xochimitl is a student at Utah Valley University, studying Business Management and Music. He has enjoyed music ever since he can recall, and remembers wanting to play the cello at age 2 (who knows why)! He fulfilled that infant longing, and has played cello for the last twelve years. More recently, Jarom has been using his considerable talents as a vocalist, and has found that he enjoys singing even more than playing cello. In addition to playing and singing with Kindred Voices, Jarom performs with the UVU Symphony Orchestra, the Chamber Orchestra, and Chamber Choir, and another local band, Code Hero. Accompanying his love of music, is Jarom's enjoyment of the outdoors, trail running, rock climbing/rappelling, competitive shooting sports, traveling, reading, school, and the company of great friends and family.