Fiona McDonald Fraser was born in Scotson Hill, near Glasgow, Scotland, but emigrated to Canada in 1963 with her parents and sister. She grew up in Pointe-aux-Trembles, Quebec, but later moved to Glengarry where she lives with her husband and two children. Fiona has been singing from an early age in choirs and amateur productions. In June of 1992 she began realizing her dream of learning the ancient tongue of her Grandfather. She is an enthusiastic and agile learner of the Gaelic language. She has been awarded a gold medal for excellence in Gaelic song from Mod Ontario, the premier Gaelic festival in North America.

Lynda Dowker Kathan was born in Montreal. She began piano studies as a child and sang in choirs. Later, she went on to study Fine Arts at Concordia University. She eventually became a teacher and mother of two. Presently living in Quebec, near the Ontario border and Glengarry, she has maintained a love for Celtic music in all its' forms. As keyboard player for the group Phenigma, she met Sine McKenna and through her, rediscovered the expressive beauty of the Gaelic language and songs. She loves to create accompaniments for traditional music. In addition to Nigheanan, Lynda's other musical activities include directing and accompanying a small choir at the church where she is the organist. She recently contributed musically and artistically to a book and CD of Irish traditional music to be published by Mel Bay.

Sine McKenna, although born and raised in Montreal, Quebec, was immersed in Gaelic music and song from an early age. She pursued Celtic Studies at St. Francis Xavier University, Nova Scotia and later moved to the Isle of Skye to continue her studies. Returning to Canada in 1990, she became deeply involved in the Celtic heritage revival in Glengarry, where she continues to work with her parents and the Highland Society of Glengarry in preserving the language, music, songs and customs of her people. She spent several years as lead singer with the Celtic group Phenigma who released a CD in 1995 and has recently been awarded for her efforts to preserve Gaelic language and song by the Quebec Thistle Society. She lives in Glengarry's historic St. Raphaels.

Judy McRae MacLeod was born on a farm north of Glengarry next to the original McRae homestead of the late 1880's which her brother now owns. A Highland dancer with the internationally known MacCulloch Dancers of Glengarry for many years, she married the company fiddler! Her husband Darrel is a fine singer and musician in his own right and is a member of the acclaimed McCormick and MacLeod duet. Judy is an enthusiastic and hardworking student of the Gaelic language.

Marion MacDonald Whitton is a native of Glengarry County where Gaelic music and song were an integral part of her upbringing. Although leaving Glengarry in later years, she returned to her roots when she joined Nigheanan Glengarry. She proudly traces her ancestry to the original Knoydart settlers who came to Glengarry from Scotland in the late 1790's. Marion pursues her Gaelic language studies with loyalty and passion and is affectionately known as Mairi Mhor na Puirt a Beul, Great Mary of the Mouth Music.

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