On Wednesday, September 13, 2023, at 4:00 pm PT / 6:00 pm CT, ArtistWorks will be hosting a free virtual live-streamed event featuring both of our world-renowned fiddle instructors: Darol Anger and Brittany Haas. We are also excited to announce that Darol and Brittany will be joined on the live-stream by special guests Deanie Richardson (IBMA award-winning fiddler and co-founder of the Grammy-nominated bluegrass quintet, Sister Sadie) and Alex Hargreaves (nationally renowned fiddle virtuoso and the current fiddle player for Billy Strings). Other guests will probably appear! We found an actual Round Table!

Together, these four master musicians will be discussing all things music, sharing exclusive performances, and answering viewer questions in real-time. So, if there’s a question that you’ve been dying to ask any of these truly amazing fiddle players, now’s the perfect time to get it answered!

SIGN UP HERE to RSVP for the event, receive FREE sample fiddle lessons, and enter for your chance to WIN a 12-month subscription to the ArtistWorks course of your choice! We will be awarding the free subscription to three lucky winners!

ABOUT THE LIVE-STREAM EVENT:

The Virtual Fiddle Roundtable promises an exciting and engaging experience for fiddle players and music lovers alike. The event will feature:

Live performances: Witness breathtaking fiddle mastery as each artist showcases their unique skills and signature styles in individual performances.

In-depth discussions: Learn from the pros as they delve into the secrets of their fiddle techniques, share stories from their careers, and discuss the future of fiddle playing.

Q&A sessions: Have a burning question for one of the artists? This is your chance to get answers straight from the source during interactive Q&A sessions.

Giveaway Prizes: Sign up to RSVP for the event, receive FREE sample fiddle lessons, and enter for your chance to WIN a 12-month subscription to the ArtistWorks course of your choice!

Now, let’s get acquainted with our star-studded lineup:

Darol Anger

Freestyle Fiddler, composer, producer, and educator, Darol Anger is at home in a number of musical genres, some of which he helped to invent. Exceptional among modern fiddlers for his versatility and depth, Anger has helped drive the evolution of the contemporary string band through his involvement with numerous pathbreaking ensembles such as his Republic Of Strings, the Turtle Island String Quartet, the David Grisman Quintet, The Montreux Band, his Duo with Mike Marshall, his current touring group Mr Sun, and others. He has performed and taught all over the world with musicians such as Dr. Billy Taylor, Béla Fleck, Bill Evans, Edgar Meyer, Bill Frisell, Tony Rice, Tim O’Brien, The Anonymous 4, Marin Alsop and the Cabrillo Orchestra, the Detroit Symphony, Bruce Molsky, Mark O’Connor, and Stephane Grappelli. Today Darol can still be heard on NPR's "Car Talk" theme, along with Earl Scruggs, David Grisman, and Tony Rice. Alumni of his touring band The Republic Of Strings include Brittany Haas, Rushad Eggleston, Jeremy Kittel, Sara Watkins, Tristan Clarridge, Mike Block, Scott Law, Gabriel Witcher, Joy Adams, Maeve Gilchrist, Scott Nygaard, Scott Law, and Joe K Walsh. In addition to performing all over the world, he has recorded and produced many important recordings for Windham Hill, Compass Records, Six Degrees Records, and his own label since 1977. He is a MacDowell and UCross Fellow and has received numerous composers’ residencies and grants. He has been a featured soloist on dozens of recordings and motion picture soundtracks. He recently received a Distinguished Achievement Award from the International Bluegrass Music Association. A Professor Emeritus at the prestigious Berklee School of Music, he now runs an ambitious online fiddle school at ArtistWorks.com. He is interested in 5-string violin technology and has built 2.

Brittany Haas

Brittany Haas is widely considered to be one of the most influential fiddlers of her generation. Her unique style and approach to the instrument have garnered her international acclaim and established her as a pioneer of traditional old time and bluegrass music. Known most for her fresh take on a wide variety of classic fiddling traditions, Brittany draws influence from not only old time and bluegrass styles but an array of Celtic and Scandinavian genres as well. She began her career as a professional musician at age fourteen, touring nationally as a member of Darol Anger’s Republic of Strings, and released her debut, self-titled record at seventeen. Since then, Brittany has shared the stage with countless musical greats including Béla Fleck, Abigail Washburn, Yonder Mountain String Band, The Waybacks, Chris Thile, and fellow ArtistWorks masters Tony Trischka and Darol Anger. In addition to collaborating on a wide variety of projects with some of the biggest names in bluegrass, Brittany also leads her own quartet alongside bassist Paul Kowert of Punch Brothers, guitarist Jordan Tice, and mandolinist Dominick Leslie called Hawktail. Brittany’s technical abilities combined with her deep knowledge of a vast array of fiddling traditions truly elevate her as a fiddler and musician. Like many bluegrass greats, Brittany calls Nashville, TN her home and has been teaching at ArtistWorks since December 2022.

Deanie Richardson

Making her debut appearance on the Grand Ole Opry at the tender age of 13, Deanie Richardson took the stage and never looked back. Raised just outside of Nashville in the small town of Kingston Springs, Deanie grew up in a musical family. With both of her grandfathers and her daddy playing music, it was just natural for Deanie to want to play along. Deanie has several titles under her belt, having entered and won numerous fiddle contests before she started playing bluegrass or bluegrass festivals. She has been nominated for the Academy of Country Music Awards Top Fiddle Player of the Year for 2010 putting her up against Stuart Duncan, a fellow fiddler she admires greatly. Her band Sister Sadie has released two very successful albums,  the first of which was nominated for a Grammy. Deanie then released a solo project entitled " Love Hard Work Hard Play Hard" in 2019. For the year 2020, Deanie was awarded the International Bluegrass Music Association's Fiddle Player of the Year. The band that she helped to cofound, Sister Sadie, also won Vocal Group of the Year and was the first all-female band to win Entertainer of the Year, in the IBMA's history.  She was the most awarded artist at the 2020 IBMA awards, winning four awards. She also took home an award for a collaborative event with Becky Buller, "The Barber's Fiddle".

Alex Hargreaves

Described as “one of the greatest improvising violinists in America today” by virtuoso mandolinist/composer Mike Marshall, Alex Hargreaves is a fiddler who draws inspiration from a wide variety of genres and traditions. He is currently touring full-time with Grammy award-winning guitarist and singer Billy Strings. Based in Brooklyn, NY, Alex has toured with Jerry Douglas, David Grisman, Béla Fleck, Danilo Perez, and Sarah Jarosz, and has performed with many others including Punch Brothers, Sierra Hull, Steve Martin, and Kacey Musgraves, appearing on her Saturday Night Live debut. He was a member of the Grammy award-winning Turtle Island Quartet from 2016–2019, appearing on their 2018 release, Bird’s Eye View, and can often be heard playing in the house band on the public radio variety show, Live From Here with Chris Thile. Currently on faculty at The New School, Alex is an experienced music educator, having taught at a variety of music camps and workshops including the Mark O’Connor Fiddle Camp, Swannanoa Gathering, Augusta Heritage, Christian Howes’ Creative Strings Workshop, and the Mike Block String Camp. He also teaches privately in Brooklyn and online. With a strong emphasis on ear training, Alex helps his students find their own way of learning and staying inspired, while still respecting the traditions and contributions of those who set the groundwork for the music we play today.

ABOUT ARTISTWORKS:

ArtistWorks online music lessons are recorded and taught by more than 40 world-renowned master musicians who not only have rich musical legacies but also have a deep passion for teaching and sharing their knowledge.

Through the ArtistWorks platform, students have the unique opportunity to both learn at their own pace and also interact with and receive feedback from our faculty of master teachers in the form of Video Exchanges. ArtistWorks' patented Video Exchange Learning® platform allows students to submit questions to our master faculty in the form of a video, and our instructors then create personal video responses full of guidance, encouragement, and critical next steps to facilitate improvement.

Our teachers also provide notation, tablature, backing tracks, and other amazing supplemental materials to round out their holistic curricula in each course. Students can learn anything from electric and acoustic guitar to banjo, piano, mandolin, fiddle, saxophone, ukulele, how to sing—just about any instrument you can think of. And, our esteemed faculty can teach you how to play everything from bluegrass to jazz to rock to blues to classical and beyond.

Sample some free music lessons here and see what makes ArtistWorks courses some of the best online music lessons around!

READ MORE:

Fiddle Lesson: Bowing Patterns & Rhythms for Backup with Brittany Haas

Celebrating 12 Years of Darol Anger's ArtistWorks Fiddle Course

Brittany Haas: A Reflection on Her First 100 Video Exchanges