Haugaard's West Denmark Fiddle School
The Fiddle School Instructors
Harald Haugaard Over the past 15 years Harald Haugaard has established himself as one of Denmark’s most well-known and recognized musicians. His virtuoso fiddle playing combines playful ease with a rich and melancholic sound. His compositions are contemporary, whilst remaining deeply rooted in the rich soils of the Danish musical tradition. In both composition and performance, Haugaard has shown himself to be an inquisitive and innovative artist who is continuously searching for something new. He brings a contemporary flair to the traditional Danish music in which he is clearly rooted. http://www.haraldhaugaard.dk/
Hanneke Cassel “Exuberant and rhythmic, somehow both wild and innocent, delivered with captivating melodic clarity and an irresistible playfulness,” says The Boston Globe about Hanneke Cassel’s playing. Such charismatic fiddling has brought Hanneke Cassel many honors and awards. She is the 1997 U.S. National Scottish Fiddle Champion, she holds a Bachelor of Music in Violin and performance from Berklee College of Music, and she has performed and taught across the U.S., Scotland, Sweden, China, New Zealand, France, England, and Austria.
Kevin Henderson is one of the most exciting young fiddlers on the world stage, and is in hot demand as he performs around the globe with five musical groups. He has been a member of Shetland group, Fiddlers’ Bid, since 1991; Celtic group, Boys of the Lough, since 2002; Scottish group, Session A9, since 2004; Nordic trio, The Nordic Fiddlers Bloc, since 2009 and Shetland/Norway trio, Aamos since 2009. Henderson has been featured on 15 albums. He has appeared on television and radio programs worldwide, including the BBC and many appearances on Garrison Keillor’s “A Prairie Home Companion” on National Public Radio in America. http://kevinhenderson.co.uk/
Jenna Moynihan 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. https://www.jennamoynihan.com/
Sebastian Boesgaard Bloch Larsen
Sebastian Bloch is one of the exciting new names on the thriving Danish folk music scene, bringing a fresh and innovative approach to the genre. His professional music career started at the age of 17, playing electric guitar on large amplifiers as a member of several rock bands. In parallel with his attraction to the electric guitar, Sebastian's upbringing as the son of a sailmaker and a jeweler fostered his appreciation for the handcraftsmanship of acoustic music which led him to explore the world of folk music. This sparked his interest to pursue studies at Skurups Folkhögskola in Sweden, and the Danish National Academy of Music, where he developed a profound connection with the traditions of Nordic folk music. As an active internationally touring and recording artist, Sebastian plays with bands such as Mads Hansens Kapel, breathing new life into the Danish instrumental tradition, The Good Tune, where he regularly presents fresh and captivating live-recorded folk music videos to thousands of followers, and Helene Blum &; Harald Haugaard Band, where he contributes with the distinctive rhythmic playfulness that he is well known for. Drawing from his eclectic musical influences, including rock, jazz, folk, and classical music, Sebastian is always striving to create music that is both rooted in the traditions of the folk music traditions that he loves and is yet alive and breathing in the present day.
Kirstine Elise Pedersen was born in 1984 in Oxford, England and grew up in Denmark. She began playing the cello at the age of 7. In 2003 she was accepted at Det Fynske Musikkonservatorium in Odense to study with Professor Niels Ullner. Together with Trio Gemini she got a Soloist degree at the Royal Danish Academy of Music Copenhagen in 2015. Kirstine is a versatile musician and plays with folk bands as well as in classical ensembles. She is a member of various ensembles, including the Trio Gemini, Wang-Pedersen Ensemble, Fiolministeriet, Svestar and the Helene Blum and Harald Haugaard Band. Kirstine has performed throughout Denmark, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, England, Scotland, Japan and the USA. Kirstine will be doing 6 online lessons and will not be in person at West Denmark.https://www.triogemini.com/kirstine-elise-pedersen
Antti will not be able to join us this year.
Antti Järvelä Antti grew up in a small town of Kaustinen, Finland, in a family where the traditional fiddling has been carried through several generations. He started playing the fiddle from the age of four and soon adapted the local dance fiddling style directly from his grandfather. In Kaustinen Music College Antti also started to learn the double bass, which soon became his main instrument. After studying bass at the famous Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, he decided to make music his profession. Antti works as a full-time freelance musician and teacher all around the world, carrying on the energy and fun he’s got to experience with folk music. He is the founder of the Finnish-Norwegian powerfolk string band Frigg and a member to such bands as Baltic Crossing, JPP, Troka and Kings of Polka. https://www.thefolkmusicacademy.com/
