2023 Registration Is Open!

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About Houston Fiddle Week

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! 

Testimonials

2022 Photos

2023 Camp Schedule

Dates and Location

July 24th – 28th, 2023

First Cumberland Presbyterian Church
2119 Avalon Place
Houston, TX 77019

Schedule

Monday – Friday
9am – 2:30pm

General Description

Students attend a core class 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. 

2023 Classes

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. 

2023 Guest Artists

Invoke

https://www.invokesound.com/

Invoke

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.

Hanneke Cassel

https://www.hannekecassel.com/

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.

Mike Block

https://www.mikeblockmusic.com/

Mike Block is a pioneering cello player, singer, composer, and educator, passionate about cross-cultural collaboration through music. Acclaimed by the New York Times for his “vital rich-hued solo playing”, and by Salt Lake City Desert News as “a true artist… a sight to behold”, Mike Block “is one of the bravest, most intriguing musicians on the American fusion scene.” (Gramophone). Mike’s performances offer a rich mixture of classical repertoire, folk music, original compositions, and songs. Since 2005, Mike has been a member of Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road Ensemble, with which he has been featured as both cello and vocal soloist, contributed arrangements and compositions, and earned a Grammy Award in 2017 for their album Sing Me Home.

Houston Fiddle Week Presents

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

Faculty and Staff

Katie Geringer

Camp Director & Lead Teaching Artist

Katie Geringer is a classical violinist turned Irish fiddler based in Houston, TX. She is a graduate of the Florida State University College of Music where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Music Education and a Certificate in Violin Performance. After teaching public school orchestra for several years, Katie’s love of Irish music led her to Ireland where she attended the University of Limerick and completed a master’s degree in Traditional Irish Music Performance. While in Ireland, she competed in the Limerick County Fleadh and was awarded first place in the senior division.
 
A passionate, thoughtful, and in-demand teacher, Katie has enjoyed teaching in a variety of settings including the AFA Chamber Music Academy, a collegiate Irish Ensemble at Florida State University, the Houston School of Irish Music, and the Gulf Coast Cruinniú. She has also presented at the American String Teacher’s Association national conference on teaching Irish music authentically in the classroom. Katie is certified to teach the Rolland Method (Level 1), and maintains a private studio with both classical and Irish fiddle students. 

Nina Knight

Houston based violinist/violist Nina Knight started playing violin at age nine in Atlanta, Georgia. As a young musician she was part of a program that taught the Suzuki Method and fiddling. The two went hand in hand! This style of teaching and learning influenced her performances as a teenager and an adult. Nina has played a variety of styles as a violinist and violist. She frequently teaches fiddle tunes to her students and encourages improvisation and an appreciation for alternate styles. As a chamber musician she loves the opportunity to play in all styles including pop, country, bluegrass, and classical. You can hear her on Axioms: Moments of Truth. You can also hear her and the Madu String Quartet on alternating Mondays from 4-7 PM at the Hobby Airport. The group performs as part of the Harmony in the Air, The Houston Airport Systems performing arts program. Houston Fiddle Week was inspired by her unique start to playing violin and a desire to build community and share the joy of folk music in Houston.

Ellen Story

Teaching Artist

Ellen Story hails from small-town Tennessee, where she grew up playing a variety of genres with her parents in The Appleton Family Band. From a young age, she showed a propensity for picking up any instrument she could get her hands on; first the violin, then on to mandolin, guitar, and piano (just to name a few). Classically trained, Ellen participated in local youth orchestras and concerto competitions on the violin.  Now a resident of Ellinger, TX, Ellen works as an itinerant fiddler spanning multiple genres, performing and working in recording studios all over Houston, Austin, and surrounding areas. She frequently plays with local artists and bands including The Broken Spokes, NewVintage, and Slow Meadow, as well as contributing her musical gifts at Chapelwood United Methodist Church. Most notably, she proudly serves as the fiddler and female vocalist of Western Bling, an up-and-coming Houston sensation with a dynamic and unique approach to Western swing, classic Country, and Jazz.
westernblingmusic.com

Daniel Saenz

Camp Administrator

Founder of Brazos Music, Daniel Saenz, has wanted to see a fiddle camp in Houston for years. A diverse musician, Daniel excels in multiple genres. As a core musician with Aperio, Music of the Americas, you can hear Daniel shredding on cello with D.J. Sparr one concert and performing jazz standards with some of Houston’s finest Jazz musicians on another. His versatility and appreciation for multiple styles of music has led to meaningful collaborations with musicians from all over the world. He currently serves as Associate Professor of Cello at Sam Houston State University. As a concerto soloist, he has performed with orchestras in the United States, France, and Bolivia. An advocate of the music of our time, Mr. Saenz has performed under the auspices of Aperio, Music of the Americas, The Foundation for Modern Music, the University of Missouri Kansas City Musica Aestas Composition Festival, and SoundSCAPE Composition and Performance Exchange in Maccagno, Italy. This summer, Daniel is serving as the Camp Administrator and will be on site to facilitate the day to day operations.

FAQ

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! 

Coming Soon

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.

Register now