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A note from Greg Boardman: We would just like to tell you about the upcoming Maine Country Dance Fiddle Workshop this February 13, 2021. We are still negotiating for a hall in which to invite the first five registrants of each group, advanced, intermediate and beginner, to do the live portion of the workshop (wearing masks and keeping our distance, of course). Simultaneously, the entire workshop will go out on Zoom and thus involve as many folks as care to participate. [Read more…] about Maine Country Dance Fiddle Workshop, Feb 13, 2021

Most Fiddle Campers know who Sylvia Miskoe is. She has been teaching piano accordion at Camp for a couple decades, a petite woman with blonde/grey/white hair walking through Camp with an accordion slung over her back. Sylvia loves traditional Scottish dance music and also New England traditional dance music and old time country dancing. [Read more…] about Interview with Sylivia Miskoe

Most of you know from FaceBook that long time MFC staff member, Kaity Newell’s, home in Damariscotta burned to the ground last week. Kaity is fine as are her dogs, cats, chickens, car and fiddle. Everything else is pretty much gone. There is a go fund me campaign started to help Kaity recover from this devastating loss, and you can find that here: www.gofundme.com/f/kaity-newell-fire-recovery I can’t say enough about how big a part Kaity has been in the traditional music scene in Maine for the last 40 years or so. Please help as much as you can!

Those of you who registered for V-MFC all received a survey form to fill out. If you haven’t done that yet, please do, so we know what we did right and what we could improve on. We will definitely have more Maestro Bistros throughout the summer and there is talk about a “virtual winter MFC”, but no definite plans at this point. There are still “Camper Concert” Virtual Ensemble videos being processed and you can stay informed by watching the website and all news will be carried on the newsletter right here!! And of course, we are still hoping to get back to REAL “in person” live Maine Fiddle Camp in 2021. We will keep you informed right here!!

Well… we ALL did it!! Virtual Maine Fiddle Camp is over and it was an unqualified success. There were close to 500 registered campers and well over 1000 who “stopped by.” (Many stayed!) I’d like to let you know about the “crew” who put this all together. This was unchartered territory, and starting approximately one month before the virtual camp, we pretty much made it up as we went. Some of the MFC staff had familiarity with Zoom meetings and other interactive online platforms. Others had knowledge of YouTube, and others yet were familiar with website design, etc. None had EVER done anything approaching the scope of Virtual Maine Fiddle Camp 2020, but we wanted to give it a try. Read on if you want to know who made this happen… [Read more…] about VIRTUAL MAINE FIDDLE CAMP IS THE BEST EVER!!!

       “The Grand Life of Upright Piano”
by John Pranio

(PA Starck Piano Co. est.1891 New York – Chicago)

So here’s the fairly thrilling story of the piano the Oshima boys grew up plunking away on as kids in Whitefield.  Toki’s mother’s old upright was gifted to us early on, and we all enjoyed years of its musical generosity.  We had the old-timer tuned countless times and refurbished more than once. But finally, a couple years before we moved to Belfast, it was beyond repair and it ended up out on the screen porch. Here it hunkered down, functioning as a table of sorts at pot-lucks; a dusty collector of stuff; a plant stand, etc. There, hit by sideways spraying rain or snow, spilled lemonade, or manhandled by a new generation of young musical explorers, it stood, dignified, with unflagging posture. [Read more…] about The Grand Life of Upright Piano

Hi Fiddle Campers and prospective Fiddle Campers! As most of you know, the complete 2020 season of MFC has been cancelled due to the coronavirus. *sigh*.. BUT the MFC staff has put together a team to work on a “Virtual Fiddle Camp”. We plan to keep the spirit of MFC alive with live streaming concerts, workshops, presentations, music videos, one on one or group lessons with your favorite instructor, and MORE!! This will definitely be the BEST virtual Fiddle Camp ever!!! You can help to that end by donating with the knowledge that your donation will be going to help underwrite this project and help the MFC staff who are working on the project, many of whom have lost some or all of their livelihood. So keep an eye right here on the website for updates.. Stay safe!!

Click here to donate

Chris Brinn taught piano accordion for a weekend at MFC several years ago. In 2020 he is BACK and will be teaching during the newly established accordion track for the June week, June 21-26. here are Chris’s own words!! – bill o.

I started playing the trumpet when I was about seven years old. I was extremely lucky that both my parents and teachers always encouraged music. Both my grandmothers played piano, and my grandfather on mother’s side (who was from Wicklow, Ireland) played in a harmonica band when he was in the army. In school though, the headmaster always played guitar and had us all singing during weekly assemblies. I think this was where I first heard, and became hooked on, folks songs and folk music.

Bill: When did you first come to teach at Maine Fiddle Camp?

Éric: I think it was over ten years, or around

Bill: Who recommended you to MFC? Was it either Guy B. or Lisa O.

Éric: No body recommend me to go at MFC, I remember Guy Bouchard had been there before. I was just interested to travel, to go someplace where the people are interested about Québec music. I sent to Doug a package with my CD Reel à 2 and the last album I did with the band Entourloupe. His answer was cool and he invite me the years after.

Fiddle campers Emeline Dehn-Reynolds, Peter Yarensky and Paul Fackler, have just completed a project to transcribe the tunes played by Maine fiddler, Simon St. Pierre.  Check out this page to see a short biography of Simon and a discussion of his playing, as well as the detailed transcriptions of his three albums.