THE FIDDLE TUNES WORKSHOP IS FULL.
Tickets are on sale now for the Fiddle Tunes at 50 Festival on July 4, 2026
Experience Fiddle Tunes
Artistic Directors
The Onlies
The Onlies are a longstanding collective of friends defining a powerful new generation of string band music. Comprised of multi-instrumentalists Sami Braman, Riley Calcagno, Leo Shannon, Vivian Leva, and Nokosee Fields on banjo, fiddle, guitar, and bass, the band moves effortlessly between ripping dance tunes, delicate waltzes, and strong, vocal-driven songs—woven together with rich two- and four-part harmonies.
Equally at home headlining a festival stage for a crowd of dancers or holding an intimate theater audience in rapt attention, The Onlies bring traditional music vividly to life for the modern ear.
Their fourth studio album, You Climb the Mountain (2025), marks 20 years as a band. True to its name, the record is a volcanic journey, featuring fiddles, banjos, guitars, bass, autoharp, harmonium, electric guitar, and expansive vocal harmonies across 15 generous tracks, including a special cameo from bluegrass legend Alice Gerrard.
The Onlies have earned first place at the Appalachian String Band Festival in Clifftop, West Virginia. As staples of the fiddle camp community, they have taught and performed extensively across the United States and internationally.
They have supported and collaborated with notable artists such as Bruce Molsky, Elvis Costello, Darol Anger, and Watchhouse, and have appeared at major festivals including Pickathon, the Berkeley Old Time Music Convention, and Father’s Day Festival.
Artist Faculty
Fiddle Tunes at 50 Artist Faculty features... Bertram and Madeline Levy - Los Originarios del Plan: Leonel Mendoza, Rafael Farías, Fernando Amezcua, and Elías Francisco Cárdenas - Suzy, Eric, and Allegra Thompson - Rhiannon Giddens, Justin Robinson, Jason Sypher, Justin Harrington - Dirk and Amelia Powell - Liz Hanley, Jefferson Hamer, and Eamon O’Leary - Jake Shulman-Ment, Alicia Svigals, and Pete Rushefsky - Jo, Jane, and John Vidrine - Carter, Maisie, and Helen Newell, Eric Dayan - James and Vivian Leva, Riley Baugus - Rafe and Clelia Stefanini - Nokosee Fields - David and Caitlin Romtvedt - Gerry and Jesse Milnes - Jim and Jamie Fox with Scotty Leach - Irene Herrmann and Kaethe Hostetter - Fru Skagerrak: Elise Wessel Hildrum, Maja Kjær Jacobsen, and Anna Lindblad - The Lost Keys: Tricia Spencer, Howard Rains, Isaiah Sibi, Orion Spencer-Speirer, Ru Yother
Bertram & Madeline Levy
About
Bertram started this festival in 1977, and it’s only fitting that he should be at the 50th gathering. He has recorded with an astonishing variety of musicians – Alan Jabbour, Tommy Thompson, James Reed, Frank Ferrel, Peter Ostroushko, and Kirk Sutphin, among others – as well as making the influential solo album, That Old Gut Feeling. Read More
Cheick Hamala Diabaté
About
Born in Kita, Mali, Cheick Hamala Diabaté is recognized as one of the world’s masters of ngoni, a Malian traditional instrument, and a West African historian in the Griot tradition. A sought-after performer, lecturer, storyteller, and choreographer throughout Africa, Europe, Asia, and Canada, Cheick Hamala began touring in the U.S. in 1995. He has performed at venues such as the Krannert Center, the Smithsonian Institution and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Read MoreDirk and Amelia Powell
About
Dirk and Amelia Powell are a father and daughter duo with strong roots in the bayous of Louisiana and the mountains of Kentucky. Amelia’s grandfather, Dewey Balfa, was known as a premier Cajun fiddler and cultural ambassador. She grew up experiencing the deep center of that tradition while simultaneously exploring the old-time music of her Appalachian heritage with her father, Dirk, who learned banjo, fiddle, and guitar from his own grandfather, J.C. Hay. Amelia is known for her hard-driving guitar playing and soulful vocals. Dirk has been regarded as a “musician’s musician” for the last several decades. His solo recordings, with a focus on exploring the emotional depth of tradition, have proven very influential on younger generations. He’s been a frequent part of Transatlantic Sessions and toured with artists such as Joan Baez, Eric Clapton, Loretta Lynn, and Rhiannon Giddens. Together, Dirk and Amelia perform music of their heritage, write and craft original songs, and bring audiences the kind of soulful connection that comes from family playing together with trust, humor, and love. Read MoreFru Skagerrak
About
Fru Skagerrak Read More
Kaethe Hostetter & Irene Herrmann
About
Irene Herrmann and Kaethe Hostetter Read More
Los Originarios del Plan
About
Leonel “La Chona” Mendoza, harp
Rafael “Caña” Farías, violín
Fernando “Perico” Amezcua, violín
Elías Francisco “Pancho” Cárdenas, vihuela
Rhiannon Giddens & Friends
About
Rhiannon Giddens, fiddle, banjo and vocals
Justin Robinson, fiddle and vocals
Jason Sypher, bass
Justin Harrington, banjo
Suzy, Eric & Allegra Thompson
About
Eric & Suzy have devoted their lives to the pursuit of weird and obscure old-time American music – warped fiddle tunes in odd tunings, cinematic ballads, country blues songs that contain mysterious metaphors, early Cajun music with incomprehensible French lyrics and backwards chords. Using fiddle, mandolin, guitars, Cajun accordion, banjo (and the occasional odd instrument such as the ten-stringed cuatro) they bring these early 20th century sounds right into the present day. Eric’s flatpicking on guitar and mandolin is exceptional for its purity of tone, speed, and soulfulness; Suzy is a powerful singer, an award-winning fiddler and Cajun accordion player who has apprenticed with older generation Louisiana Cajun musicians under an NEA Fellowship. Founding members of many influential roots music groups including the Black Mountain Boys, Any Old Time, the Klezmorim, and the California Cajun Orchestra, Eric and Suzy have also worked with Maria Muldaur, David Grisman, Peter Rowan, Jim Kweskin, Geoff Muldaur, Jerry Garcia, Darol Anger, Laurie Lewis, the Savoy Doucet Cajun Trio, and many other fine musicians. Read MoreThe Fox Family
About
Jamie Fox is an Aaniiih tribal member of the Fort Belknap Reservation in eastern Montana. At the age of 5 she got her first fiddle, for Christmas, which started a life-long love of the Metis Native American style of fiddling. Her first mentor was Marvin Morin, but she was also influenced by other fiddlers in the area, and later by Jimmie LaRocque and Mike Page of the Turtle Mountain Reservation and Johnny Arcand of Saskatoon. Jamie’s father Jim learned guitar so he could chord for his kids. Read MoreThe Lost Keys
About
The Lost Keys Read More
The Vidrine Family
About
Jo Vidrine, guitar and accordion
Jane Vidrine, guitar, fiddle, voice
John Vidrine, accordion
Additional Staff and offerings
Sue Truman – crankies
Sue is a fiddler, guitarist and crankie artist from Seattle. What's a crankie you ask? They are an old storytelling art form. Start with a long-illustrated scroll that is wound onto two spools. The spools are loaded into a box which has a viewing window. The scroll is then hand-cranked while the story is told, a song is sung, or a tune is played.
The term crankie is being used now to name this very old art form. In the 19th Century, they were called moving panoramas (among many other names). They originated in Europe in the late 18th century. This scrolling, picture art form is experiencing an international comeback, and Sue is at the forefront of this movement.
Sue will lead a workshop at Fiddle Tunes, meeting each day to create a group crankie, which will celebrate the 50th year of the festival. It will performed at the festival, with live music of course!
EMOTIONAL SUPPORT MUSICIANS
In lieu of a Tutorial Staff, the 50th Fiddle Tunes gathering is offering Emotional Support Musicians. ESMs offer companionship and support to folks at Fiddle Tune, alleviating symptoms of depression, tuning anxiety, FOMO, and being overwhelmed by the number of tunes in the key of C. ESM’s will meet behind the Commons at 1:30 (after lunch) on Monday through Thursday to answer any questions you might have, or to help with bowing, or breaking down a tricky phrase in your band lab tune, or to work on a part of a tune that challenges you. They’ll be there to help you get the most out of your Fiddle Tunes experience.
The following folks will be available during Fiddle Tunes:
Caleb Klauder
About
Washington – mandolin Read More
* * * *
John Harrod and Tona Barkley - Kentucky
John Harrod and his wife Tona Barkley will make several presentations during the course of the week. John has documented, recorded, and performed traditional music for more than 45 years. Born and raised in Shelby County, Kentucky, he has a B.A. from Centre College (1967) and an M.A. from Oxford University (1969) which he attended as a Rhodes Scholar. Recently retired, he taught history and English at Owen County High School and Frankfort High School. In the 1970s and ’80s, he played with a number of bands including the Progress Red Hot String Band, the Bill Livers String Ensemble, and the Gray Eagle Band that re-introduced traditional musicians such as Bill Livers and Lily May Ledford to Kentucky audiences. During this time he also worked for three years as a Kentucky Arts Council folk artist-in-residence in Wolfe, Estill, and Trimble Counties. Along with Mark Wilson and Guthrie Meade, he produced a series of field recordings of Kentucky fiddle and banjo players that is still available on Rounder Records. In 2015 the Field Recorders Collective issued his recordings of Carlton Rawlings and Darley Fulks, two exceptional and heretofore unknown fiddlers who have had a great impact on his life. John's field recordings are housed at both Berea College and the Kentucky Center for Traditional Music at Morehead.
Nathan Viner - Kentucky
Nathan Viner will present Songs Between Others: Jewish Visions of Appalachia. Though understudied if not unacknowledged, a meaningful connection between Jewish artists and Appalachian cultural tradition has developed over the past half-century. Jewish figures such as John Cohen, Art Rosenbaum, and many others have explored and adopted the historied traditions of the region through their work in music, film, visual art, and other forms. In this workshop, we will explore the stories of some of these artists and use their work as a means of seeing Appalachia through their eyes. We will also consider what causes lie behind this affinity, from social and political history to the musical modes of their liturgy.
Workshop
FIDDLE TUNES 2026
Check-in starts at 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, June 28, followed by dinner in the Commons. After dinner there will be an extensive orientation where we’ll introduce everyone who is teaching during the week.There are two categories of staff – the faculty and the tutors.
FACULTY: During the week most faculty will teach three or four classes, lead an afternoon band lab, play for an evening dance, and play in one in-house performance and one public performance. Classes and band labs are open to all. In a band lab, you’ll be a part of a group learning to play in that faculty member’s style. You’ll learn what makes that style sound like it does – slurs, slides, bowing, ornaments, tempo, etc. Each band lab will play for a dance on Friday night, and in the band lab concert on Saturday morning.
There is also a Beginners’ Band Lab, which is a band lab for beginning-level musicians, and a Teen Band Lab for younger folks.
TUTORS: Tutorials are offered four times during the week. Tutorials are designed to address the needs of beginning and beginning/intermediate players who wish more individualized instruction on their instrument; they will focus on technique. Intermediate level tutorials include technique and tend to focus on style. In many cases, the intermediate tutorials will be in the musical styles presented by the faculty. Tutorial sessions are open to all.
You will also find tutors hosting jam sessions with a spirit of graceful encouragement, playing for dances, and generally being a welcoming and helpful presence throughout the week.
General Schedule
9:30 - 10:45 a.m.: choice of classes
11:15 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.: choice of classes
Lunch and siesta
3:00 p.m.: band labs and tutorials
4:30 p.m.: wildcard workshops
Evenings: showcase concerts and dances
Schedule
FIDDLE TUNES WORKSHOP SCHEDULE 2026
SUNDAY JUNE 284:00pm - check-in starts at 4pm at the Centrum office.
6:00pm - Dinner
7:00pm - Fort Worden Tour
7:30pm - Orientation in McCurdy Pavilion.
9:00pm - First Timers Orientation in the Wheeler Theater
~ 9:00pm - A welcoming square dance in 204.
Mornings: Monday - Friday
9:30 - 10:45 - choice of classes
11:15 - 12:30 - choice of classes
12:30 lunch
AFTERNOONS: MON, TUE, WED, THU, FRI
2:00 - 3:30: Band Labs
4:00 - 5:00: Wild Card Workshops
6:00: Dinner
AFTERNOON: THURSDAY
1:30: Free concert with Marley’s Ghost
on Littlefield Green
4:00 - 5:00: Wild Card Workshops
6:00: Dinner
EVENINGS
7:15: Showcase concerts in the Wheeler
on MON, TUE, THU
9:00: Dancing in 204 north and south
FRIDAY AT 8:00:
Band Labs play for dancing
SATURDAY
9:00: Band Lab Concert in the Wheeler
12:00: gates open for the Fiddle Tunes at 50 Festival
McCurdy Pavilion, Wheeler, USO
SUNDAY
8:00: breakfast and goodbyes
11:00: out of housing
Beginners
FIDDLE TUNES FOR BEGINNERS
What might a beginning musician expect at Fiddle Tunes? The gathering welcomes people of all abilities, but it’s not uncommon for beginning musicians to feel frustrated at Fiddle Tunes. Here’s what to expect.The morning classes are dedicated to workshops led by the faculty (and the tutors as well). These players were invited to the festival as representatives of a certain style of music, one that they learned from their family and neighbors. Some are experienced teachers, many are not. In an effort to present them appropriately, they receive no guidelines from Centrum as to what level they should teach – it’s their choice. Most teach at an intermediate and above level.
Even though most of these classes are not geared towards beginners, we think it’s critically important that you attend these sessions. The people on staff are active tradition-bearers, and they share more than their music. You might not open your case at these sessions. Rather, you’ll be in listening mode, soaking your head in a certain style, hearing to stories, understanding the context in which this person’s music is played “back home.”
In the afternoon you have a few choices. You can join the Beginners Band Lab – all beginning-level players of any instrument are invited. You’ll get an idea about how exciting it is to play with other people. The Beginners Band will play in the Band Lab concert on Saturday morning.
You can also choose to take a tutorial. Beginning-level tutorials are designed to address the needs of beginning and beginning/intermediate players who wish for more individualized instruction on their instrument; they will focus on technique. Intermediate level tutorials include technique and tend to focus on style. In many cases, the intermediate tutorials will be in the musical styles presented by the faculty.
We hope this information is helpful to you in deciding whether the workshop might be a good fit. Being among so many players can be overwhelming, but it helps to know what to expect. If you have any more questions, feel free to call Peter McCracken at 360-385-3102, x127, or peter@centrum (dot) org.
Kids & Teens
FIDDLE TUNES KIDS & TEENS
Fiddle Tunes is proudly an inter-generational gathering, welcoming musicians of all ages to participate.The Kids Track is a morning-only program geared towards people from the ages of five to twelve, running from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, with a Saturday performance.
9:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.: Fiddling for Kids.
Young participants are broken into groups based on ability, starting at the VERY beginning (“here’s how to hold a bow”). Every effort is made to integrate the more advanced groups with the styles of music of the faculty at Fiddle Tunes.
11:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m.: Play Party Games or Kids Band Lab
Kids have two choices in this time slot: either play party games, or join the Kids Band Lab. The Kids Band is directly aligned to one of the faculty members’ styles, and will play for a dance and in the band lab concert at the end of the week. All instruments are welcome in the Kids Band Lab.Participants who are registered in the Kids Track receive free admission to all performances, public and private, and are welcome at the evening dances as well.
The Kids Track is only available to children of registered participants, or to kids with a local zip code (98368, 98339, 98358, 98365, 98325). There is a limit of 50 Kids Track slots. Parents considering registering their child in the Kids Track should be prepared to check in their child between 9:15 a.m. and 9:30 a.m., and check out their child at 12:30 p.m.
----------------------------------------------------
The Teen Track is designed for players ages 13-18. All abilities are welcome. This track is intended for players who want to learn with their peers, or for players too advanced for the Kids Track. Teen Track tuition includes admission to everything – workshops, in-house concerts, and dances.
Teen Track participants must be accompanied by a registered adult with the following exception: if you are local and your teen won’t be staying at Fort Worden, you may come in to the Centrum office and sign a waiver.
The general schedule:
Monday - Friday:
11:15 – 12:30: Fiddling for Teens
12:30: lunch
2:00 – 3:30: Teen Band Lab (does not meet on Thursday)
In addition to Teen Track specific programming, teens are welcome to attend:
9:30 – 10:45: choice of classes
4:00 – 5:00: wild card workshops
7:15: Showcase concerts in the Wheeler
9:00: Dancing in 204 north and south
Saturday, July 4
9:30: Band Lab Concert (including Teen Band) in Wheeler Theater
Mid-afternoon: Teen Band performance at FT at 50 Festival
Costs
2026
The Fiddle Tunes tuition structure relies on the honor system, allowing you to choose the tuition fee that best suits your finances. As a result we are not requiring scholarship applications. If you need financial assistance, please choose the Fiddle Nut or Scholarship rate.Fiddle Fanatic - $875
Choose Fiddle Fanatic if you are in a good place financially and wish to help support the Youth/Scholarship rate.
Fiddle Aficionado - $675
The standard rate for 2026.
Fiddle Nut - $550
If you can't currently afford the Aficionado price but would still like to be a part of our community.
Scholarship - $350
Scholarship is for individuals requiring financial support
Teen Track - $150
We curated a track especially for teens and it has been a big success. This program runs all day, each day and includes entry to all public performances.
Kids Track (mornings only) - $60
This popular track is for kids, kids, kids! Classes and fun-making held 9:00-12:00, Monday - Friday with a Saturday morning performance. Parents or guardians, plan to check your student/s in and out each day.
Adult Guardian
This is a no-cost registration type for a parent or adult guardian (21 or older) who does not play music but wishes to provide opportunities for their kids. Youth at Centrum under the age of 18 are required to attend with a registered adult (unless they live locally). The Guardian option makes this possible and affordable. Guardians do not participate in the workshop, rather, they supervise and support their U18 participant.
Room and Board Options
Most participants stay in private dormitory rooms at Fort Worden. There are a limited number of double rooms, i.e., rooms with two beds. If you’d like a double, please request one, and list another registered participant who has signed up for room and board in order to share that room. It is first come, first served.
Private Room only: $400
All meals: $480
Lunch and Dinner: $360
Lunches only (6): $155
All meals are served at the Fort Worden Commons. The first meal is dinner on June 28; the last meal is breakfast on July 5.
Our new food service provider is locally based Planted. Planted offers nourishing plant-based meals and ingredients that are locally sourced from the Olympic Peninsula. For more info on Planted, visit plantedporttownsend.com.
Lucas Hicks Shining Light Front Porch Fellowship
Honoring the Legacy of Lucas Hicks
Centrum and the greater family of Lucas Hicks are proud to offer the Lucas Hicks Shining Light Front Porch Fellowship.
Composer, teacher, and multi-instrumentalist Lucas Hicks left a hefty legacy when he passed in October of 2017, and his family and friends have created, in his honor and at his request, a fellowship to be awarded to a person who might embody the spirit and character of Lucas Hicks’ approach to music and to community. The Front Porch Fellowship grew out of the notion of folk music as a shared experience—passing along tunes, songs, and stories person-to-person, or as Lucas would say, knee-to-knee, and in a spirit of revelry. At the end of the day, folk music is about sitting around on each other’s porches, sharing music until the sun comes up.
The Front Porch Fellowship is awarded annually to a curious musician who embodies some of the most essential attributes of Lucas Hicks’s musical ethos. The fellowship is available to anyone from anywhere, of any age, playing any instrument.
Essential criteria are that the recipient is passionate about traditional music; is eager to learn, and to share; and is fond of people.
In return, the Fellow agrees:
- to seek out and learn one tune a day during the week, “knee to knee” from someone outside of scheduled classes;
- the Fellow will learn three new jokes;
- the Fellow will pass on one tune to another player;
- and the Fellow will record these things in the Shining Light Bible.
The Fellow receives tuition, room, and board at Fiddle Tunes.
To apply, all you need to do is describe why you think you are deserving of this fellowship. Send this in an email to peter@stage.centrum.org, with "Lucas Hicks" in the subject line. Deadline to apply is February 2, 2026.
BETSY BROWN MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP
BETSY BROWN MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP
Betsy Brown started fiddling late in life. She had been amazed at the musicians Who populated the house parties where she lived in Austin. They sat in the back yard, knee to knee, fiddle and banjo, focused on the tune at hand. When she said she wanted to learn the fiddle one of them told her that she was already too old. Sadly, she believed him and put that dream aside. She was 29.
Betsy started contra dancing while in medical school and continued as she moved to Seattle for Residency. Summer would take her to the Festival of American Fiddle Tunes where she’d dance the night away. One afternoon she got to see David Cahn’s “Baby Band” play at the Band Lab concerts. These were adults who had never played before standing on stage and ripping on three tunes. She made up her mind to learn to fiddle and that decision changed her life.
Fiddle Tunes became an annual pilgrimage to the heart of the music. She learned the rhythmic twisty styles she loved from her favorite old geezers. Bob Douglas, Joe Thompson, JP Fraley, and Lee Stripling were friends and mentors. The community of old-time music became an integral part of her life with house concerts and travel to meet new friends throughout the country and beyond. One night a bearded banjo player named Jamie danced into her heart and they shared the next 22 ½ years of music and community.
This scholarship is in recognition of the fact that it’s never too late to follow your dream. Life doesn’t always offer the time or resources to take up an instrument. We hope this award can give a bit of each and the support to continue. With a little luck and effort, it will change your life too.
“If I ever wanted to get even with someone, I’d give them a fiddle and 3 lessons.” - Frankie McWhorter
Have you ever been told by someone else, or the voice in your head, that you couldn’t play music? Or that you couldn’t sing? Then the Betsy Brown Memorial Scholarship might be for you. It’s open for all string band instruments, and the applicant needs to be 21 years of age or older.
The scholarship includes:
- Full tuition, room, and board to Fiddle Tunes.
- Use of a good instrument for 1 year.
- To the best of our ability, personal resources to connect with musicians at your level, in your geographic region.
If you apply, you promise the following:
- A commitment to practice every week of the year. Even when life gets in the way.
- To return the instrument after 1 year.
To apply, please answer the following questions.
- Are you currently part of a music or dance community?
- How often did you play music in the last 18 months?
- Do you aspire to play a specific kind of music?
- What instrument would you like to learn?
- Why do you want to do this?
Please email your answers with “Betsy Brown” in the subject line to peter@centrum dot org. Deadline is March 15, 2026.
FAQ
FIDDLE TUNES FAQ
If you are interested in volunteering, or a work trade position, please contact Peter McCracken at peter@centrum (dot) org.Cancellation policy:
All but $50 is refundable if cancellation is made on or before May 31, 2026.
Fiddle Tunes Travel Tips
Book flights to arrive June 28 by 1:00 p.m. Pacific Time and depart no earlier than noon on July 5. Port Townsend is two hours from Sea/Tac on a good day.
If you’re interested in transportation from SeaTac Airport to Fort Worden, choose the shuttle option for when you register. The shuttle costs: $130 round-trip or $65 one-way.
Fiddle Tunes shuttle schedule:
Arrive – Sunday, June 28, 2026, pick-up at SeaTac airport, 2:30pm, Pacific Time.
Depart – Sunday, July 5, 2026, depart Centrum at Port Townsend, 9am, Pacific Time.
If you have any further questions, please contact Peter McCracken at 360-385-3102, x127, or peter@centrum (dot) org.
Performances
Workshop tuition includes admission to everything including the public performances
Fiddle Tunes at 50 Festival
Saturday, July 4
12:30–7 p.m.
Fort Worden State Park, Port Townsend, WA
All-Day Festival Tickets: $40–$50
Tickets on sale April 15 (donors) and May 1 (general public)
Festival Lineup & Schedule (Performances and Presentations Across Four Stages)
Rhiannon Giddens Old Time Revue
with Justin Robinson, Dirk & Amelia Powell, Jason Sypher, and Justin Harrington
The Onlies
Fiddle Tunes Artistic Directors
3 Generations of Fiddling from Maine
The Newell Family Band
Music from Michoacán (Big Harp)
Los Originarios del Plan
Basque Music
David & Caitlin Romtvedt with surprise guests
Blues and Rags
Suzy, Eric, and Allegra Thompson
Cajun Dance Music
John, Jane, and Jo Vidrine
Festival Founders
Bertram & Madeline Levy
Fiddle Music from Kansas
The Lost Keys (Spencer-Rains Family)
Fiddle Music from Quebec
Alexis Chartrand & Nicolas Babineau
From Mali to Port Townsend
Cheick Hamala Diabate & Danny Knicely
Irish Fiddle
Liz Hanley, Jefferson Hamer, Eamon O’Leary
Italian Music
Irene Herrmann & Kaethe Hostetter
Klezmer Fiddle
Jake Shulman-Ment, Alicia Svigals, Pete Rushefsky
Métis Fiddling
The Fox Family with Scotty Leach
Old Time from Italians
Rafe & Clelia Stefanini
Pan-Scandinavian Fiddle
Fru Skagerrak
Southern Old Time Music
James Leva & Riley Baugus
West Virginia Fiddle
Gerry & Jesse Milnes
Presentations
Sue Truman
World premiere of the Fiddle Tunes at 50 Crankie
Tom Pich and Barry Bergey
National Heritage Fellows pictorial exhibit and conversation
John Harrod and Tona Barkley
Traditional Music from Kentucky
Nathan Viner
Songs Between Others: Jewish Visions of Appalachia
Festival Activities (Ongoing Throughout the Day)
Food Trucks
Gypsy Coffeehouse
Tin Type Photography Booth
Beer Garden
Kid-Friendly Activities
Past Artist Faculty
Fiddle Tunes 2024 FacultyOver the years, Centrum's Fiddle Tunes has welcomed a diverse and talented roster of faculty, representing a rich variety of fiddle traditions from around the world. From masters of Appalachian old-time and bluegrass to Celtic, Cajun, Québécois, and beyond, these esteemed musicians have inspired countless participants with their artistry and dedication to their craft. This directory celebrates the incredible faculty who have shaped Fiddle Tunes, offering a glimpse into the legacy of teaching and collaboration that continues to make the program a cornerstone of Centrum’s mission. Explore the musicians who have brought their unique traditions and talents to this vibrant community!
Alasdair White
About
Alasdair White is an exceptional exponent of west coast Scottish music and is widely regarded as one of the foremost Scottish fiddler players of his generation. He was born and brought up on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides, a chain of islands of singular importance to Gaelic Scotland’s musical heritage and is perhaps best known as having been a member of Scotland’s seminal Battlefield Band for over 16 years, touring extensively in that time throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. Now resident in New York, Alasdair has performed and recorded as a guest with many of the best-known names in Scottish, Irish and Breton traditional music including Kathleen MacInnis, Julie Fowlis, Eddie Reader, Allan MacDonald, Manus Lunny, Nuala Kennedy, and Arnaud Ciapolino. Current ongoing projects include Daimh, the Alan Kelly Gang and of course, Battlefield Band. Alasdair also recently premiered a major commission at the Hebridean Celtic festival in Stornoway, an hour-long original piece entitled An Iuchair. Read MoreAlice Gerrard
About
North Carolina Read MoreAllison De Groot
About
Banjo virtuoso Allison de Groot is known for her great clawhammer technique, exquisite tone, timing, and taste. She has deep roots in the old time tradition and yet she’s fearless when it comes to breaking new ground. In addition to playing with Molsky’s Mountain Drifters, she is also member of the super group the Goodbye Girls, and tours often with the Tatiana Hargreaves. Of playing the banjo, she says “It still feels just as exciting as it did the first day I picked it up ….. I feel like I could live 100 lifetimes and explore the banjo.” Read MoreAnn Savoy
About
Ann Savoy is a musician, an author, a record producer, and a photographer. Her most recent endeavor is the acclaimed newly released “Adieu False Heart”, a CD of duets with the legendary Linda Ronstadt. As a musician she, has played guitar, fiddle, and accordion and traveled throughout the world with her husband accordionist Marc Savoy and fiddler Michael Doucet in the Savoy Doucet Cajun Band, with her all-woman band The Magnolia Sisters. and with Marc and their talented sons in the Savoy Family Band. Read More
Bruce Molsky
About
New York State Read MoreCaleb Klauder
About
Washington – mandolin Read MoreCarrie Carter
About
Kentucky
Carrie Wells Carter was born and raised in Red Bush, Kentucky, immersed in traditional Appalachian music and art. Learning fiddle from her father, Jamie Wells, from the age of 7, she also spent a good deal of time in her youth learning from her uncle, Robbie Wells, and brother, Jesse Wells. She currently lives in Whitesburg, Kentucky, with her husband, Matthew, and two daughters. Carrie was selected for the SouthArts Emerging Traditional Artists cohort in 2022. She is also an advisory committee member for the Cowan Creek Mountain Music School, and enjoys playing and teaching tunes from the repertoire of local fiddlers and from her family. Particular fiddle influences include Paul David Smith, Snake Chapman, Buddy Thomas, J.P. Fraley, Bruce Greene, and Barb Kuhns. She also plays guitar and electric bass, and is bassist for a Kentucky-based punk band. Carrie finds that the eclectic musical influences of Eastern Kentucky are a constant inspiration and she looks for more ways for these varied styles to converge.
Cláudio Rabeca Band
About
Cláudio Rabeca is a fiddle player, composer, singer, teacher, music producer and luthier from the Northeast of Brasil. For more than 20 years he has fiddled, sang, and played percussion with multiple Brasilian groups, including 11 years with the forró group Quarteto Olinda. After he dedicated himself fully to the fiddle, he found that the instrument informed his creative process and is the basis for his singing. In 2009, he released his first solo album, Luz do Baião, and in 2019 he released his second, Rabeca Brasileira. He one of the composers of the soundtrack for the show Raízes, by the Belgian contemporary dance company Untamed, with which he performed as a musician in Belgium, Mexico and Holland. He has played his fiddle on stages all over the world, with Forró de Rabeca his main source of inspiration and the highlight of his career. He is preparing a new CD for 2023, which will be entirely of instrumental Forró de Rabeca. Read MoreDaniel Steinberg
About
Daniel has been a musical performer and teacher for over 45 years, with a particular fascination with the traditional music and dance from diverse cultures around the world. He plays piano and flute with the contra dance band Hillbillies from Mars and with New England fiddler Rodney Miller, and has performed with many luminaries of the fiddle music scene, as well as several Latin American and African ensembles. Inspired by a gospel choir workshop he attended in 1995, Daniel founded community choruses in the San Francisco Bay Area, and has led a chorus workshop at Fiddle Tunes for the past 25 years. His interest in Brazilian forró led him to discover the world of rabeca repertoire, which he has been studying and performing, on melodica and pifano (a Brazilian wooden flute), for the past two years. Read MoreEarl White
About
Virginia
with Mark Olitsky – banjo, Adrienne Davis – guitar, and Joseph DeJarnette – bass.
Eloise Co.
About
Vermont Read MoreFoghorn String Band
About
The Foghorn Stringband is the present day gold standard for real-deal hard-hitting genuine old-time American string band music, with nine albums, thousands of shows, over 15 years of touring under their belts, and an entirely new generation of roots musicians following their lead. American roots music is a diverse and never-ending well of inspiration, and Foghorn Stringband continually and obsessively draws from old-time, bluegrass, classic country, and Cajun music traditions in an ongoing quest to present a broad span of American historical music with an unparalleled youthful energy, joy, and virtuosity. Read MoreGeoff Seitz
About
Geoff Seitz has been playing music since age eight and has been playing fiddle for over 45 years. Throughout his years of fiddling, Geoff sought out traditional master fiddlers and learned tunes in the old time style. Although Geoff has spent many hours with the Missouri Valley and Ozark fiddlers, he also learned from Appalachian fiddlers as well as fiddlers Read MoreGeorge Wilson
About
George has performed and recorded with the popular “Fennig’s All-Star String Band”, featuring Bill Spence on hammered dulcimer, since 1975. He has performed and recorded with the “Whippersnappers” (Wilson, Peter Davis and Frank Orsini) since 1976. He plays at contradances, festivals and dance camps on both coasts and in between with Selma Kaplan, Groovemama, the Beaudoin Legacy, Bruce and Sue Rosen and more. Additionally he performs with the trio Peter, Paul & George (with Peter Davis and Paul Rosenberg), presenting hundreds of dance and music programs in “Homespun Community Dancing” in elementary, middle school and high schools. Read MoreJerron Paxton
About
Born and raised in South Central Los Angeles, Paxton’s music is steeped in the rich cultural heritage of the Great Migration. His family’s journey from Shreveport, Louisiana, to the Athens neighborhood of South LA in the 1950s laid the foundation for his appreciation of Southern Black culture. As an only child, he spent much of his upbringing absorbing the culture his family had taken with them to California from the South. Paxton grew up very close with his grandmother, often shadowing her mannerisms and adopting them as his own. While Futurama or King of the Hill were on the family TV, he’d find himself sitting down with her, practicing banjo chords he’d heard on her favorite records. Since relocating from Los Angeles to New York City in 2007, Paxton has found an embracing audience within the city’s diverse cultural communities and vibrant music scene. He discovered that New Yorkers are sensitive to the kind of authenticity in storytelling that he was exposed to as a child. Read More
Jim Nelson
About
Jim Nelson is a veteran of the old-time music scene, having honed his guitar skills through many years of playing with senior dance fiddlers, especially Bob Holt of Ava, Missouri and Lotus Dickey of Paoli, Indiana, and by keeping a close eye on some of the older guitar players. He has been playing with Geoff Seitz for the past 40 years, and along with Geoff and Curt Buckhannon, he played with the St. Louis-based Ill-Mo Boys for over two decades, and produced their three critically acclaimed recordings. He also played with the Volo Bogtrotters from 1985 to 1991 and rejoined the band in 2011, and remains a member of that band to this day. In addition to recordings by the previously mentioned fiddlers and bands, Jim’s solid, creative guitar playing can also be heard on recording projects with “younger” fiddlers like Rhys Jones, Chirps Smith, Geoff, and more recently with the Rocky Creek Ramblers and the Little Egypt Pep-Steppers. These days he and his wife, Dedo Norris, keep a steady schedule playing dances throughout the Midwest. In addition to performing and playing for dances, Jim also has taught guitar classes and numerous workshops on old-time music at camps and festivals across the country. Read MoreJoel Savoy
About
Louisiana – fiddle Read More
Katie McNally
About
Maine
Katie McNally grew up playing Scottish and Cape Breton music near Boston, Massachusetts and currently tours with her own projects, Pine Tree Flyers and the Katie McNally Trio. A member of the cross-genre fiddle supergroup, Childsplay, Katie has also toured with Karan Casey, John Whelan, and Galician bagpiper Carlos Núñez.
Katie Shore
About
Like many fiddlers, Katie was inspired at a young age by her grandfather. At six years old she told her parents she wanted to “play music you can clap your hands and stomp your feet to”. Hailing from Ft. Worth “Cowtown”, Tx, Katie grew up playing in a world of strong fiddle traditions, attending fiddle contests, music camps such as Mark O’Connor’s and Johnny Gimble’s, and with some classical training, was part of the Ft Worth Youth Orchestra. After receiving an Associates Degree in Commercial Music in 2008, Katie moved to Austin, Tx. In addition to becoming a luthier and teacher, Katie leads her own project and has performed and collaborated with musicians including The Jitterbug Vipers, Continental Graffiti, Ghosts Along the Brazos, Willie Nelson, and George Strait. Inspired by many styles and cultures, Katie’s voice and fiddle have taken her around the country and abroad. Currently the female vocalist and fiddle player for 9-time Grammy Award winning band, Asleep at the Wheel, Katie looks forward to every new adventure and opportunity to sing and play! Read MoreLiette Remon
About
Liette grew up in the Gaspesie region of Quebec in a small municipality called Petit-Pabos. Music happened only at home, when her father’s fiddler friends would drop by, and at family get-togethers, once or twice a week, where music (along with a glass of gin and food) was the focus. They’d mainly sing popular songs, with traditional songs and fiddle tunes mixed in among them. Her uncles and aunts would sing and play the guitar, her father played fiddle, and her grandmother sang mouth-music. They would dance a bit, of course. Daughter and granddaughter of Gaspé fiddlers, Liette has recorded two solo albums, South Gaspé County and A Little Family Air, which showcase her rich family musical heritage. For her, traditional music is a music of pleasure. Although well anchored in tradition, she constantly tries to extend her musical self, and she’s involved in an astonishing array of creative projects involving music, theater, school programs, music research, collecting, and archiving. Read MoreLinzay Young
About
Linzay is a versatile fiddler, soulful singer and a talented songwriter. A founding member of the notorious Red Stick Ramblers of Louisiana, he is a true link in the chain of Cajun Music and Culture whether he’s wielding a fiddle bow, playing his accordion or cooking in a blackpot. A founding member of the Sticks, a Cajun Music and Western Swing band, they made three records for Sugar Hill and appeared in “No Reservations,” with chef Anthony Bourdain, in a show entitled “Cajun Country.” Read MoreLisa Ornstein
About
Washington – Québecois fiddle Read MoreLuke Price
About
Oregon Read More
Neal Pearlman
About
Multi-instrumentalist, producer, step dancer and host of the TradCafe podcast, Neil Pearlman is a vital and distinctive voice in contemporary folk music. Described as “a tremendous pianist” on BBC Radio Scotland and “a force to be reckoned with” by WGBH’s Brian O’Donovan, Neil is best known for his groundbreaking approach to the piano in Celtic music. Motivated by a deep musical curiosity and a love of collaboration, his playing is continually evolving and spontaneous without losing its roots in the traditional piano styles of Atlantic Canada, New England and Scotland. He has appeared internationally at major festivals such as the Newport Folk Festival, Celtic Connections in Glasgow, Celtic Colours in Cape Breton and the Orkney Folk Festival and has recorded or performed with luminaries of traditional folk music including Natalie MacMaster, Darol Anger, Seamus Egan and Alasdair Fraser. Read MoreOsiris León
About
Veracruz, Mexico
with Canto a Mi Tierra: Bernabe Hernandez Orozco on quinta huapanguera guitar, and Fernando Hernandez Orozco on jarana huasteca.
Phil and Russ Tanner
About
Gid Tanner was a farmer in Dacula, Georgia, and played the fiddle on the side. By 1926, he and other musicians such as Clayton McMichen on fiddle and Riley Puckett on guitar, created a group called Gid Tanner and the Skillet Lickers, recording country and bluegrass music from 1924 to 1934. The men sold millions of records for their songs, like “Down Yonder” and “Pass Around the Bottle and We’ll All Take a Drink.” The original group members eventually dispersed while Tanner’s son Gordon took the reins with a new round of performers until he passed away in 1982. Four generations later, thanks to the younger Tanners wanting to take over, The Skillet Lickers are still alive and well and performing on a regular basis. Read More
Reeb Willms
About
Washington – guitar and singing Read More
Rick Good
About
One of the founders of the famous string band, The Hotmud Family, Rick Good is an accomplished guitarist, banjo player, singer and songwriter. A performer of traditional and original music, Good’s career has spanned nearly four decades. He started playing traditional music at age twelve. After The Hotmud Family (1970-1983) he moved on to Rhythm in Shoes (1987-2010), a touring dance and music ensemble that combined clogging, tap dancing and original choreography with traditional and original music. Since Rhythm in Shoes, Good has more recently played with ShoeFly (an offshoot of Rhythm in Shoes), the Red Clay Ramblers, Good & Young and The Elements. With his partner Sharon Leahy, a professional dancer and choreographer, Good has captivated Dayton, Ohio, and the rest of the United States with his versatility, musical innovation, and storied career. A fearless educator, comfortable in any workshop setting, open and at ease in any community, mentor to younger musicians, a gifted and versatile writer, singer, musician, and actor, Rick Good has had as distinguished a career as any traditional musician could wish for. Read More
Tatiana Hargreaves
About
Over the past decade, Tatiana Hargreaves has been on the forefront of an up and coming generation of old time, bluegrass and new acoustic musicians. From placing first at the Clifftop Appalachian Fiddle Contest, to her bluegrass fiddling on Laurie Lewis’ GRAMMY-nominated album The Hazel And Alice Sessions, Hargreaves shows a musical fluency that flows between old time and bluegrass worlds with ease. She has toured with musicians such as Dave Rawlings, Gillian Welch, Laurie Lewis, Darol Anger, Bruce Molsky and Jake Blount. She currently tours with banjo extraordinaire Allison de Groot and teaches bluegrass fiddle at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. Read More
Tony Mates
About
Washington Read More
Wes Westmoreland
About
Texas Read MoreWilson Savoy
About
Wilson was born into a musical family in Eunice, Louisiana, and grew up surrounded by Cajun music among other styles. As a teenager, under the spell of Jerry Lee Lewis and Ray Charles, Wilson fell in love with rock n’ roll and blues piano, and taught himself to play. A little later, he picked up one of his dad’s accordions, and later still, Cajun fiddle. In the mid-2000s, Wilson formed a Cajun band called the Pine Leaf Boys, recording two albums for Arhoolie, three for his brother’s Valcour label, one for Lionsgate, and one Live at New Orleans Jazz Fest, garnering four Grammy nominations along the way. In 2012 he won a Grammy in the Regional Roots category for the album “Courtbouillon” with local legends, Wayne Toups and Steve Riley. He has also appeared on three Arhoolie albums as a member of the Savoy Family Band. Wilson has travelled to over 30 countries, playing music in Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Malaysia, Latvia, Macedonia, Italy, Denmark, Germany, France, England, and elsewhere, including two U.S. State Department tours with the Pine Leaf Boys. He was a guest actor on HBO’s “Treme” and had a guest appearance with Sean Penn in “All the King’s Men”. Read More
