Houston Fiddle Week is a camp dedicated to fostering community by learning and performing different styles of music. This year we are featuring Old-time, Bluegrass, Irish, and Scottish music.
We are accepting participants ages 13 and up. All string instruments (violin, viola, cello, bass, & guitar) are welcome.
2023 Tuition: $395 + $35 Registration Fee
Register before June 15th to have your Registration Fee waived!
Monday – Friday
9am – 3:00pm
Intro & CONCERT
Tune Class
Tune Class
LUNCH
Electives
Tune Class
Practice / Jam
Tune Class
Tune Class
Mike Block and Hanneke Cassel CONCERT
LUNCH
Electives
Tune Class
Practice / Jam
Tune Class
Tune Class
Tune Class
LUNCH
Electives
Tune Class
Practice / Jam
Tune Class
Tune Class
Invoke CONCERT
LUNCH
Invoke Workshop
–
–
Tune Class
Tune Class
Tune Class
LUNCH
Tune Class
STUDENT SHOWCASE
–
Students attend a core class (Tune Class on schedule) throughout the day where they’ll focus on learning tunes and techniques in Old-time, Bluegrass, Irish, and Scottish fiddle styles. Several elective choices are available in the afternoons. The week will also feature a total of five performances by the faculty and guest artists (see below) including Mike Block, Hanneke Cassel, Invoke String Quartet, the Ayrshire Fiddle Orchestra, Ellen Story, and Katie Geringer. Participants will get to show off what they’ve learned in a final student performance on Friday afternoon.
Participants will be grouped by the ability level indicated on their registration form. We may reach out beforehand to learn a little more so as to ensure the best placement.
Described as “…not classical but not, not classical – Invoke is beautiful, adventurous, American and immediately engaging” (David Srebnik, SiriusXM Classical Producer), Invoke strives to successfully dodge even the most valiant attempts at genre classification. The multi-instrumental band’s other not-nots encompass traditions from across America, including bluegrass, Appalachian fiddle tunes, jazz, and minimalism. Invoke weaves all of these styles together to create truly individual music, written by and for the group. Equally at home in a collaborative setting, Invoke has performed with musicians from widely varying genres, from the Miró and Ensō Quartets, to chamber rock powerhouse San Fermin, to beatboxer/rapper/spoons virtuoso Christylez Bacon. Invoke’s three albums Souls in the Mud, Furious Creek, and Fantastic Planet, all feature original works composed by and for the group, and the quartet has also performed and recorded numerous world premieres. Invoke believes in championing diverse American voices, including their ongoing commissioning project American Postcards, which asks composers to pick a time and place in American history and tell its story through Invoke’s unique artistry.
With a career spanning over two decades, Hanneke Cassel has helped redefine what it means to be a modern fiddler. A driving force in the ever-changing landscape of acoustic music, Hanneke blends originality and innovation with the spirit of Scottish traditional fiddle. Fusing musical roots from the Isle of Skye and Cape Breton Island with Americana stylings, Hanneke’s playing has been described by the Boston Globe as “exuberant and rhythmic, somehow wild and innocent, delivered with captivating melodic clarity and an irresistible playfulness.” Beyond the strings of her fiddle, it is Hanneke’s hugely generous presence and passion that round out her magnetism as a performer on the world stage of fiddle music.
The Ayrshire Fiddle Orchestra
An energetic, exciting, rhythmic concert of Scottish fiddle music!
Saturday, July 29th
7:00PM
Location: MATCH
Admission Free, Click Here to Register
The Ayrshire Fiddle Orchestra (AFO) aims to encourage the study, performance and development of fiddle music by young people (generally between 10-18 years) throughout Ayrshire. It aims to nurture and promote musical development of all young people irrespective of gender, social, religious or racial background. In so doing, it also aims to educate and entertain the general public in fiddle and other traditional forms of music and Scottish culture generally by the presentation of concerts and other related activities not only within Ayrshire but throughout the UK and abroad.
Invoke String Quartet
Thursday, July 27
7:00PM
Location: MATCH
Camp Director & Lead Teaching Artist
Teaching Artist
Camp Administrator
Any string player who is interested in learning more about different styles of string playing. This is an intergenerational camp. We do not currently accept students under 13 years old, but may do so in future years.
This year we are thrilled to have a wonderful faculty including Katie Geringer and Ellen Story.
July 24-28, 2023
First Cumberland Presbyterian Church
2119 Avalon Place
Houston, TX 77019
Registration fee: $35
Tuition: $395
Tuition includes a camp t-shirt.
6-10 students in each class.
Participants will be grouped by the ability level indicated on their registration form. We may reach out beforehand to learn a little more so as to ensure the best placement.
Participants will have the opportunity to work with all faculty members and all guest artists throughout the week!
Intro & CONCERT
Tune Class
Tune Class
LUNCH
Electives
Tune Class
Practice / Jam
Tune Class
Tune Class
Mike Block and Hanneke Cassel CONCERT
LUNCH
Electives
Tune Class
Practice / Jam
Tune Class
Tune Class
Tune Class
LUNCH
Electives
Tune Class
Practice / Jam
Tune Class
Tune Class
Invoke CONCERT
LUNCH
Invoke Workshop
–
–
Tune Class
Tune Class
Tune Class
LUNCH
Tune Class
STUDENT SHOWCASE
–
Unfortunately, unforeseen events happen. We are unable to reimburse you for any missed days since our instructors are hired several months ahead of time.
Bring your instrument and any additional items that you feel will help you get the most out of class. This could include things like a notebook to take notes or a phone or other recording device to record your instructor playing the tunes you’ll be learning.
Participants are strongly encouraged to bring their own lunch. The lunch break is 40 minutes, so there is not a lot of time to leave campus.
Music reading is recommended but not mandatory. Students will be learning tunes by ear, and are encouraged to record the tunes during class for reference.
Notation will also be provided to aid students in practicing and remembering the tunes after class
Participants must bring their own instruments.
That’s why we are here! Maybe you are a total beginner or maybe you are a professional musician who just wants to learn a new style. This camp is all about learning new styles and techniques. All are welcome!
This year we are offering Old-time, Bluegrass, Irish, and Scottish fiddle styles.
Participants are encouraged to record the instruction. Since we will be teaching the music by ear, it can be very useful to have a recording to go back and reference.
The registration fee is non-refundable.
If you cancel before June 25, you will receive a 100% refund on your tuition fee minus the $35 registration fee.
If you cancel before July 1, you will receive a 75% refund on your tuition fee minus the $35 registration fee.
If you cancel before July 8, you will receive a 50% refund on your tuition fee minus the $35 registration fee.
If you cancel anytime after July 8, we cannot give you a refund.
Once the camp starts, there is no refund.
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