Due to unforeseen circumstances, this concert and masterclass have been canceled.

Masterclass 5:00 pm

Concert 7:00 pm (Guitarist Owen Marshall will join Jenna for the concert)

“…in Moynihan’s hands, the simplest ideas can feel profound.” – Amelia Mason, WBUR The ARTery (article)

Jenna Moynihan will walk us through a few of the unique characteristics of Celtic music styles on Saturday, May 7th. She will cover essential forms, ornamentation and phrasing. Students will walk away with exciting techniques to practice, and a couple of beautiful tunes to play.

Too often artists view tradition as a towering monolith to be either conquered or cowed by, but young Scottish fiddler and experimentalist Jenna Moynihan knows that tradition is meant to be a starting point for great inspiration, not a wall. On her new album, Woven, she darts back and forth like the shuttle in a loom, pulling the many strands of the Scottish fiddle tradition into a colorful tapestry that showcases her virtuosic control of her instrument as much as her deep sense of playfulness.

To help her create this work, she’s brought together some of the best young traditional artists in her hometown of Boston, one of today’s hotbeds for new traditional music. The lineup included cutting-edge Scottish harpist Mairi Chaimbeul, renowned bluegrass guitarist Courtney Hartman (Della Mae), New England Celtic guitarist Owen Marshall, plus all-star guest fiddlers: Duncan Wickel, Darol Anger, and Alex Hargreaves.

It’s easy to tell that the music on her new album stems from what must have been many late-night jam sessions with these friends, but the ease of companionship found on this album belies the complexity of Moynihan’s arrangements. As the harp rolls in counterpoint behind the racing fiddle lines, or as the guitar matches her beat for beat, this is music whose virtuosity lies in Jenna’s construction of the atmosphere around each tune, and her delivery of each beautiful melody.  Produced by acclaimed harpist Maeve Gilchrist, Woven comes from the deep community of talented roots musicians based around Boston.  Some of the most beautiful melodies on her debut solo album come from her own pen, like the slow-rolling “Haven,” which opens the album, or the more improvisational “The Chill on Montebello”. Jenna is moving to become one of the best traditional fiddlers of her generation, teaching now at multiple fiddle camps across the US and touring internationally.

What’s making her so successful is both her masterful ability as a lead fiddler and also her fine sensibility to the power of the old tunes. She’s remarkably subtle at drawing out the melody of a tune, and at recognizing how each tune fits best into the acoustic grooves of her fiddle.

Jenna is from Lakewood, New York, and is a graduate of Berklee College of Music. While studying, she was selected to receive the Fletcher Bright Award & and The American Roots Music Award – two honors given annually to one outstanding string player. She performs in a duo with Scottish harpist, Mairi Chaimbeul and has performed with The Milk Carton Kids, Laura Cortese & The Dance Cards Darol Anger & The Furies, Old Blind Dogs, Hamish Napier, Bruce Molsky, Phil Cunningham, and as a soloist at Symphony Hall with the Boston Pops. In addition to a busy touring schedule, Jenna teaches at music camps & courses throughout the year.