Fiddle

Words from Mitch Reed:
“I am a multi-instrumentalist, traditional music instructor, and storyteller. I was born in Bayou Vista, Louisiana, raised in Lafayette by musicians and storytellers from Mamou. At 15 I began playing the fiddle and studying traditional Cajun and Creole music. By 17 I toured as a cultural ambassador in Smithsonian Institution Office of Folklife Programs, and have continued to work with them since 1989.

During my career, I have played alongside Louisiana greats such as Canray Fontenot, Bois Sec Ardoin, Charles Neville, and George Porter. I have performed on four Grammy Nominated albums, and in 2009 I was awarded a Grammy with BeauSoleil for the album “Live at the 2008 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival”. Over the years I have built an extensive repertoire and learned an old style of playing which is evident in my sound today.

After I retired from 11 years on the road as the bass player and second fiddler with BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet, I moved from Louisiana to Maine with my wife and our family. These changes helped me continue passing on the unwritten tradition of Cajun and Creole fiddling and storytelling while exploring the connections between the musical traditions of Acadia and Acadiana.”

Mitch will be teaching either bass or fiddle during the week-long sessions in 2024

Elizabeth Anderson is the 2020 US National Scottish Fiddle Champion and the 2016 Perth All-Scotland Fiddle Champion.  Her stylish and vibrant fiddle playing has delighted audiences and dancers across the East Coast. As a duo with her brother Ben on cello, Elizabeth has played to full houses at iconic Boston venues The Burren and Club Passim, and has given popular performances and workshops as far away as France and Scotland.  A graduate of Berklee College of Music, she teaches string instruments as a middle school and private instructor.

Jessie fiddles for contra and family dances across New England, and she sometimes sneaks the cello into dance sets. Jessie teaches fiddle to all ages at Maine Fiddle Camp, Sandy Island Suzuki Camp, at workshops, and in her private studio. Dancing her first contra dance as a child to the band Swallowtail in New Hampshire, Jessie later moved to Maine, where she happily resides. Jessie can be reached at (207) 344-3106.

Isa Burke grew up in South Berwick, Maine, and now lives in Brooklyn, New York. On vocals, fiddle, electric and acoustic guitars, and clawhammer banjo, Isa makes music that balances a respect for tradition with a healthy disdain for the limitations of genre. Raised in a musical family (her parents are Susie Burke and David Surette), Isa grew up immersed in the Northeast’s thriving traditional music community and has attended Maine Fiddle Camp almost every year since she was 11. In fact, Isa first picked up the fiddle at MFC! (more…)

An Irish fiddler with New England contradance flair and classical sensitivities, Liz Faiella has captivated audiences at premier folk venues, contradances, and festivals around New England.

Along with her brother, guitarist Dan Faiella, Liz has performed at Club Passim, the Boston Celtic Music Festival, the New England Folk Festival, the Acadia Trad Festival, and New Hampshire’s Seacoast Irish Festival. She has received music and dance scholarships from the New England Folk Festival Association and the Country Dance and Song Society; and has shared the stage with celebrated New England folk musicians including David Surette, Randy Miller, Dudley and Jacqueline Laufman, Matt and Shannon Heaton, and Grammy winner Dan Zanes. In 2015, she was selected by the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts to conduct fieldwork on the history of contradancing in New Hampshire.

Liz has taught at the Strathspey and Reel Society of NH, Maine Fiddle Camp, and Acadia School of Traditional Music & Arts, and is the founder and organizer of the Fall Fiddle Festival at the Concord Community Music School, where she is on the faculty of the Folk Department. She creates fiddle lesson videos, sheet music, and practice tracks for traditional fiddle tunes on youtube.com/lizfaiellamusic and patreon.com/lizfaiellamusic.

Éric Favreau comes from a family of traditional musicians and has spent a great deal of time playing with other fiddlers, learning their repertoire and studying their varied styles. Éric has explored and exploited various sources including archives and personally made field recordings and has accumulated a rich and fascinating repertoire. Over the years, he has garnered a profound understanding and vast knowledge of Québécois traditional music. (more…)

Maine coast musician, Frank Ferrel is considered one of the seminal traditional New England and Maritime fiddlers. In fact, Boston Globe music critic, Scott Alarik called him, “One of the finest living masters of the genre.” his CD recording, Yankee Dreams, was selected by the Library of Congress to be included in their, “Select list of 25 examples of American folk music on record.” (more…)

George trained classically as a youngster and started fiddling in the late 1970’s, learning tunes from lobsterman and folk fiddler Albert Collins of South Blue Hill, Maine. He was a founding member of Oakum Bay String Band (1981-2011), the long-time host band for the monthly Blue Hill contradance, which had a remarkable 34 year run (1976-2010).

In addition to playing and teaching the fiddle tunes of Maine, Appalachia and the Canadian Maritimes, George also has a strong interest in Irish traditional music and in 1988 he started “New Potatoes”, a weekly Celtic music show on WERU-FM, which he hosted until his relocation to Hanover, NH in 2017.

He’s a member of The Montville Project , a repertory dance band conceived in 2007 at Maine Fiddle Camp, who remain active . They have recorded two albums of New England dance music and George has also recorded a personal album, Never Better. (more…)

Mary Fraser began her musical life by training in classical violin for thirteen years, concluding with a Suzuki method violin teacher certification.  She then left the classical music world and traveled extensively throughout the UK, immersing in the traditional music of her heritage.  Carrying right on into the southern US states to study the old time fiddle styles of eastern Kentucky, West Virginia and North Carolina.  (more…)

Ellen Gawler is a celebrated fiddler, masterful in many styles, including Irish, French-Canadian, Maritime, Shetland and New England. Her fiddling possesses sparkling clarity, authentically rooted in tradition while at the same time inventive and playful. Her lively delivery of traditional fiddling has sent many a contra dance hall into whirling delight with soaring melodies and driving rhythms. (more…)

Molly Gawler grew up on Buttermilk Hill on a small farm in Maine. She plays fiddle, banjo and sings in the “Gawler Family Band” as well as her trio of sisters, “The Gawler Sisters.” She grew up playing music with the traditional roots passed on to her from her Mom and Dad – Ellen and John Gawler. Molly is also a professional dancer which has taken her around the world. At fiddle camp, Molly teaches the beginners, and often enjoys sharing movement of all kinds including dance and parkour.

Pascal Gemme has a degree from St-Laurent College (Montreal) in arranging and classical/jazz guitar, he has since been searching for seldom-heard songs and melodies, interpreting them in his unique and unmistakable style. Originally inspired by his fiddling grandfather, he has played with (and learned from), most of today’s great Quebecois fiddlers and singers. On top of teaching fiddle lessons on a weekly basis in his village of Waterville, QC, his teaching highlights include the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance in Limerick, Ireland, the Goderich Celtic College in Ontario, Quasitrad Music Camp in Australia, The Festival of American Fiddle Tunes in Port Townsend, Alasdair Fraser’s Fiddle Train, Sierra Fiddle Camp and Valley of the moon…AND Maine Fiddle camp of course (the best one of them all)!

Tamora has been playing the fiddle since the early 1980’s and teaching for more than two decades. She teaches a broad range of music and created the first strings program at Ashwood Waldorf school. She is currently part of the teaching staff at 317 Main Community Music Center. Tamora is primarily known for her music in the Irish/Celtic tradition and in the world of Contra Dance.   (more…)

Born into a musical family, Ed started playing fiddle at the age of 4, learning Suzuki method. His musical interests cover a wide spectrum from Bluegrass to Celtic and beyond and he has been a regular instructor for Maine Fiddle Camp since 2003. Howe has an extensive electronics background, and took an interest in the electric violin. He plays a 5-string NS Design electronic violin and is a featured artist on the NS design artist page. (more…)

Elaine Malkin has played the violin since the age of 5. She was part of the resurgence of contra dances in Maine in the early 70’s, having learned from Otto Soper and Dudley Laufman. She played New England contra dances until 2009, when she began an intensive study of Québécois fiddle with mainly Éric Favreau, but also with Lisa Ornstein, André Brunet, Yvon Mimeault, and Liette Remon. This music has completely captured her heart and she uses a traditional Québécois repertoire for contra dances, concerts, and other venues. Learning, teaching, and sharing this special music is her greatest joy.

Claude Méthé, is a self-taught fiddler, his style reflects most particularly the eighteen years he lived in the region of Lotbinière, Québec, on the south side of the St-Lawrence river not far from Québec City. Today, he resides in Ste-Béatrix, Québec, in the Lanaudière region, known worldwide as the epicenter of Québec trad music. (more…)

Rodney Miller is known throughout New Hampshire and beyond for his mastery of New England fiddling, a uniquely American blend of French Canadian and Celtic influences. Over the past thirty years Miller has toured the United States, Canada, the British Isles, Australia and Denmark performing in concert settings as well as playing for social dances. Miller has recorded 13 albums and appeared on numerous others, often playing instruments that he crafted himself. He has composed over 60 tunes, many of which have become standards in the ever-growing body of traditional fiddle tunes. From his workshop in New Hampshire, Rodney crafts individually handmade violins. All of his instruments are acclaimed for their smooth, deeply resonant quality. Rodney can be reached at [email protected] and at 111 Brimstone Corner Rd., Antrim, NH 03440

Steve Muise has been fiddling his family’s Downeast Style for many years. (His parents are 1st and 2nd generation Nova Scotians) He founded the Franklin County Fiddlers, a group of high school musicians that tours around Maine and way beyond displaying, promoting and learning about fiddle styles. Steve is a graduate of Berklee College of Music, and is a stringed instrument teacher in the MBRSD schools (Farmington area). Steve was honored with the “Maine Music Educator of the Year” award in 2007 from MMEA. Steve enjoys playing all styles, ranging from Downeast (maritime), Québécois, Celtic, and jazz, and can be seen playing music with his dad Paul, Boréal Tordu, Frigate, Muisette and the Franklin County (more…)

Carter Newell usually teaches the first weekend at Maine Fiddle camp which was the original weekend when the camp started. He played conta dances for 4 decades and is a big fan of Down East fiddling as well as French Canadian, Irish and Scottish styles. He currently farms oysters and mussels and plays in a trio The Oystermen as well as with members of his fiddling family ( 8 fiddles and counting including grandchildren) and currently resides in Bucksport, Maine. He recently released an album with 33 tunes called Passing it Down Down East fiddle joined with his daughters Maisie and Helen.

Helen Newell grew up in Maine surrounded by the New England Folk scene. Her parents, Kaity and Carter Newell are founding members of Maine Fiddle Camp, and Helen has spent every year of her life at MFC, first as a camper and now as a staff member since 2018.

Helen graduated from Berklee College of Music in 2022, where she studied Western classical music, American roots, jazz, and traditional music from all over the world. She has an active performing life as a professional violinist—playing in orchestras, musicals, recording sessions, chamber groups, and folk bands.

An important aspect of Helen’s musical life is teaching. She currently teaches online violin lessons to students of all ages and abilities all over the US! Depending on her student’s goals, she likes to explore different genres, repertoire, and techniques such as improvisation, composing, and arranging. If you are looking for your next step in your musical journey, her teaching philosophy is to make playing the violin enjoyable and effortless, reduce tension, and find styles that make you love music even more!

Kaity teaches fiddle in Damariscotta and has played for dances for many years with The Maine Country Dance Orchestra, and with the band The Lady Bugs. A native of Great Britain, Kaity has brought many a fine tune from the British Isles to our local dances. Kaity also plays viola in the local community orchestra and has four children, all of whom play music and come to camp every year.
7 Creek Lane Damariscotta ME 044543 207-563-8440

Megan is on the beginner fiddle team.

Hannah Otten grew up in upstate New York, living both near the banks of the Hudson River and within the Catskill Mountains. She began playing classical viola at the age of 9, picked up a violin at age 15, arrived at Maine Fiddle Camp, and kept on playing traditional fiddle styles from there. Hannah has a clear and playful teaching style that serves camp well as a member of the beginner team. (more…)

Ed Pearlman is based in South Portland, enjoys many styles of fiddle music, and is best known for Scottish and Cape Breton fiddling, often working with his son Neil, daughter Lillie, and his wife, dancer Laura Scott. He has taught in-person workshops and private lessons since the 1980s, and since 2014, has run www.fiddle-online.com, an instructional fiddle website offering many styles and techniques. Ed co-led music and walking trips to Scotland for 14 summers, and now writes weekly posts about them on substack.com, as well as weekly posts about learning fiddle. Ed has worked closely with many top fiddlers, wrote for Fiddler magazine for several yeas, and was the music columnist for Scottish Life magazine for 24 years. He directed the Boston Scottish Fiddle Club 1981-99, and the Roaring Jelly open contra dance band for several years. With Neil on piano, Ed has toured widely and recorded 3 CDs (one with Lillie on fiddle). Together, they published a book of 150 original tunes called the “Pine Street Collection”. Ed invented the popular Finger Finder, a slide rule for violin fingering in all keys. Contact: [email protected]

Lilly Pearlman has grown up in Maine immersed in the musical traditions of Scotland and Cape Breton, performing with family band Highland Soles since the age of nine. Through her experiences living and studying in New York City and Salvador da Bahia, Brazil, she has continued to explore and incorporate influences from various other musical genres–from bluegrass to samba to funk– into her unique Celtic-based fiddle sound. (more…)

Julia lives in Belfast, Maine where she plays music, grows a yard full of spring bulbs and miniature fruit trees, and teaches fifth grade at Captain Albert Stevens School. Julia has always loved the percussive interplay between traditional music and dance forms and has enjoyed soaking up bits and pieces from players and dancers throughout New England and in Québec, Ireland, Brittany, and the southern Appalachians.  Julia performs with Baron Collins-Hill in their duo Velocipede (www.velocipedemusic.com). In addition to teaching at Maine Fiddle Camp, Julia hosts freefiddlelessons.com, a site with YouTube fiddle lesson videos and learning materials.

John started his early musical life as a drummer, but by some miracle got hooked on traditional music in his teens.

John’s been teaching fiddle and harmonica at MF Camp since its start in the mid 90’s.  He’s been known to get a few silly skits going for the evening variety show. He teaches fiddle, guitar and harmonica privately and can be contacted at [email protected] 338-0296 (cell 213-3294).

Doug likes to play the “old-time piano” for dances, melodramas, honky tonk saloons, and silent movies. He learned his style from Otto Soper, Geneva Walton, and Danny Patt among many others. He plays with Old Grey Goose and produced all three of their recordings, including the group’s first recording in 1978 for Folkways, “Old Time Country Dance Tunes and Songs from Maine”, now available again on CD. Doug also plays piano, accordion, and fiddle. He is the Camp Director again this year. 
116 Pleasant Cove Dr. Woolwich ME 04579 207-522-3800

Alden Robinson learned to play the fiddle as a child growing up in coastal Maine. His earliest lessons came from Tamora Goltz, Katie Newell, and from the teachers at Maine Fiddle Camp. In college, he studied Irish fiddle in Ireland at University College Cork, and in several pubs.

For the past five years or so he has toured and recorded with The Press Gang, an Irish trad band from Portland. (more…)

Maggie Robinson has been teaching fiddle since 2003.  She began taking fiddle lessons the age of 10 and became concert mistress of her school orchestra during her senior year.   Many years later she discovered Contradancing and fell in love with the music  She took the violin out of the closet and began learning fiddle tunes. She completed a course in 2003 at the Hartt College of Music, Theater, & Dance on “Teaching Fiddling”.

Currently she is teaching at several locations in greater Portland, and also regularly calls for contra dances around the state.

Don learned how to play the fiddle from his Uncle, Lucien Mathieu when he was 15 years old, and soon after became influenced by his fiddling friends Ben Guillemette, Joe and Gerry Robichaud, and Graham Townsend. His personal style would show strong influence from the Canadian provinces and Northern Ireland. Don started and managed The Maine French Fiddlers with his wife Cindy, an accomplished piano accompanist and stepdancer, for 11 years during which he played such venues as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, The Barns at Wolf Trap, Prairie Home Companion. (more…)

A new England fiddler and folk singer, Lissa grew up in Maine as an active member of the folk music and dance community, where she cut her teeth as a musician at a very young age. She has continued to explore music throughout her life, leading to her graduation from The New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Massachusetts (2001). Her list of mentors includes Greg Boardman, Alasdair Fraser, David Kaynor, and Hankus Netsky. While embracing a diverse pallet of musical influences, she still stays true to her New England roots.
For more info on Lissa, check out her website at www.lissafiddle.com

Fiona picked up the fiddle at age two, and learned her first fiddle tunes from her father Bill Schubeck when she was four. She grew up with classical Suzuki training and joined the family contradance band in high school, playing for the Blue Hill dances every month. She went on to study at Berklee School of Music in Boston for one semester and continues to play for dances and weddings with various groups.  She first attended Maine fiddle camp in 2004, came back the next year to teach and has been calling it home every since.

Hank Washburn has been fiddling at contra dances and Irish sessions for, like, ever.  His first exposure to Irish music was in the last century in Philadelphia, where he was graciously encouraged by Mick Moloney and many other musicians at the Commodore Barry Center.  On moving to Maine, he played for contras with the Back Bay Banana Band (now the Crooked Stovepipe), and later with the Usual Suspects.  He currently plays with the bands Racket Factory  and Dromore Bay, and has also accompanied singers Steve Richardson and Ruth Hill.  His other preoccupations include shoveling snow,  obsessing about politics and baseball, and working with kids.

Pam sings and plays several instruments in the folk trio, T-Acadie, is fiddler and singer for the Maine-based Cajun dance band, Jimmyjo & the Jumbol’Ayuhs, plays fiddle and mountain dulcimer in the contradance band, Scrod Pudding, and performs solo or with guitar player and caller Bill Olson. She is an accomplished tunesmith and has composed scores of tunes, from lively jigs and reels, to entrancing airs and beautiful waltzes.

(more…)