When she isnt on the road, she teaches privately and in the Junior Appalachian Musician program on the ETSU campus. at the Grand Ole Opry that weekend. Porchak, who has bachelors degrees in both Bluegrass, Old-Time, and Country Music Studies and English from ETSU, plus a masters in Appalachian Studies, feels humbled to join the faculty at her alma mater. Nearby a bass fiddle vibrates the floor. Im so excited and honored to be a part of a program I have admired so much since I became aware of it, and the brilliant graduates that have come through it, to join the ranks of successful professionals in the roots music world, not to mention the world class faculty. 3739 Balboa St. #5090San Francisco, CA 94121-2605(844) BLU-GRASS(844-258-4727), CBA EventsCalendarFeature ArchiveBluegrass Breakdown. I am curious to hear what she and her students come up with together.. After all, we've got some of th. that as the 2015 winner, she will be a judge for the 2016 competition and perform Oh, and shes also the current Grand Master Fiddle Champion, having won the 44th annual contest last fall a contest she did not think she was going to attend. Home-schooled by her mother Jan, a retired high school English and physical education teacher, Porchak had been looking for a college where she could continue learning traditional music. It doesn't always work out that way, but when it does, it's generally, Aynsley Porchak, a recent graduate of the ETSU Bluegrass, Country & Old Time Music program has won the Canadian Grand Masters Fiddling Championship, just one year after winning the US competition last year. In 2017, Porchak won the Canadian Grand Masters Fiddle Championship, making her the only person in history, thus far, to have captured both titles. She was introduced to bluegrass in her early teens, and quickly fell in love with the music. Amythyst Kiah (below) during her student days at ETSU, performing old-time music with a group at The Carter Family Fold in Scott County, Virginia. porchak@mail.etsu.edu; Majors & Minors Cost Estimate Request Info Visit Apply Give. This eventually led to the Grand Master Championship and the Tennessee State Fiddle Logout, The Tennessee Bluegrass Band, surely one of the most highly anticipated young bands in our music of late, is already dealing with personnel changes. Find a band near you or share your band info with the world! While literary analysis of both sacred and secular song lyrics is an approach that is largely overlooked in this region's traditional music, it nonetheless provides insightful perspective on the art form itself. of Fiddle Patch, Aynsley is accompanied by Daniel Boner, director of Bluegrass, She also played in 2016 on the Grand Ole Opry. This was right after the O Brother, Where Art Thou? phenomenon, and programs like ours were exploding, Boner says. In order to further hone her craft, Aynsley enrolled in East Tennessee State Universitys Bluegrass, Old Time, and Country Music Studies degree program in 2013. Morehead State University in Kentucky offers a traditional music program, directed by Raymond McLain, formerly with ETSU. Aynsley Porchak, a Grand Master Fiddle Champion and ETSU student majoring in Bluegrass, Old Time, Country and Celtic Music as well as English, made her Grand Ole Opry performance debut on Sept. 3, 2016. Aynsley spends her time off the road as a private fiddle instructor, session musician, and author. This week's (and last weekend's) adventures were one for the books!! When Carolina Blue co-founder Bobby Powell left the group, he took the name Carolina Blue with him and the remaining members formed a new band. My Profile See Our Schedule. I grew up hearing loud preaching and attending homecomings and Saturday night singings, Boner says. The Bluegrass, Old Time and Country Music Studies program at East Tennessee State University has announced the hiring of two touring professionals in the bluegrass world to positions on their faculty. All rights reserved. Ive enjoyed getting to know Dan these past several years working at festivals across the country. During the spring semester of 2019, there were 35 student bands, operating under the auspices of what is now the Department of Appalachian Studies. I love the diversity [of ETSU], we have so many awesome teachers here, its a blessing, said Porchak. She was also given the honor of playing the Grand . The group formed as a spin-off of the band Carolina Blue. While touring, I write in the RV, she tells me. While we both thought the other was nice, it wasnt love at first sight. Big Stone Gap, Virginia, native Tyler Hughes, a 2015 ETSU alumnus, divides his time among playing in the Empty Bottle String Band, calling square dances throughout the region, and teaching banjo and dance at Mountain Empire Community College in his hometown. Aynsley Porchak began playing fiddle at the age of 9. Aynsley Porchak and Lincoln Hensley went to school together through the East Tennessee State University Bluegrass, Old Time, and Country Music Studies program. It signed on at five oclock in the afternoon and signed off at eleven. I took it on as a technical exercise.. But when severe weather led to the festivals Thanks to Ken Perlman for the news that the American Banjo Camp (of which he and Peter Langston are co-directors) will take place online by Zoom on 11 and 12 September 2021. Championship. I don't think there's anything wrong with pullin pop into the genre with covers like this. Well you get all sorts of creative solutions, as we. Not only did it come true, but Porchak quickly proved her tremendous musical talent by winning both the American and Canadian Grand Masters Fiddle Championships. At the end of every semester, ETSU bands perform at a Johnson City institution, The Down Home, which opened in 1976. Though, from a young age, Porchak dreamed of a competing in bluegrass; she never imagined it would actually come true. TENNESSEE BLUEGRASS BAND From east Tennessee. Aynsley Porchak. A violin in Porchaks possession that is too precious for public performance belonged to her great-grandfather, Cazmir Porzak, who left Poland in 1913 when he was 16 with only the clothes he was wearing and his treasured instrument. He continues in that capacity here, managing a strong team of columnists and correspondents. ETSU student Aynsley Porchak (right) is the only person ever to win both the American and Canadian Grand Masters Fiddle Championships. They handed me the record Flatt and Scruggs at Carnegie Hall! and told me to learn every fiddle part on it, she recalls. There are similar themeslove, acceptance, and rejection.. Contact Us. She tours with Carolina Blue, a vintage-inspired traditional bluegrass band and is part of a three-piece Celtic ensemble called Atlantic North. Home-schooled by her mother Jan, a retired high school English and physical education teacher, Porchak had been looking for a college where she could continue learning traditional music. This fund has been established to assist the Hensley family of Flag Pond, Tennessee in their husband's and father's medical bills. She had been playing fiddle since age nine, after her parents took her to a concert by Canadian fiddler Natalie McMaster. We were the resident band for a program called Country Touch, based on early Grand Ole Opry television shows.. The year that film came out, 2000, ETSU alumnus Kenny Chesney had already released a Greatest Hits album, on his way to country music superstardom. Notoriety for the ETSU bluegrass program began building as bands were invited to perform at the Smithsonian National Folklife Festival in Washington, D.C., and for a Christmas party at NATO Headquarters. Her friends joke that she pays rent at the library. Logout. One of those great bands is Carolina Blue from Brevard, NC. In addition to playing fiddle professionally The Future of the Past. In the video below, East Tennessee State University senior bluegrass and English major They bring the total of such teachers at ETSU Bluegrass to 27, including such instrumental notables as Wyatt Rice, Brandon Green, Hunter Berry, and Thomas Cassell. However, by February, James was starting to have a crush on me but I was completely oblivious. She decided to compete, telling no one else, not even her mentor, Daniel Boner, director Sister, father, mother. The program also wants to remind everyone of their newest faculty opportunity, an Artist In Residence position, starting this Fall. Oklahoma Stomp, the song was adapted for the fiddle and renamed by Dale Potter, one Porchak has been playing the fiddle since she was 9 years old. Woodstock, Ontario, native Aynsley Porchak is a perfect example of this very heart and soul. Aynsley Porchak is organizing this fundraiser on behalf of Nina Hensley. "We met for the first time when I auditioned for Carolina Blue in December two years ago. she recalled, noting that they invited the stranger to pull up a chair. Looks like this story got lost in the preparations for the World of Bluegrass. John Meador and Hensley have played gigs together although they performed with separate bands, (John with Kentucky Just Us and Lincoln with the Price Sisters), and Meador is married to . Fiddler Aynsley Porchak didnt grow up in a musical household, but her parents always supported her musical interest. with a double major in bluegrass and English, was actually scheduled to perform with Despite busy weekends touring to places like Branson, Missouri; Gettysburg, Pennsylvania; and Nashvilles famed Station Inn, Porchaks academic work continues. Dan Eubanks, bassist with Special Consensus, and Aynsley Porchak. Natalie and her music, so when I was 9 years old, I started taking fiddle lessons. He'd been a fool, but he'd had to forgive himself for worse. Funeral . In case you haven't noticed, we're in love around here. In 2015, she won the Grand Master Fiddler Championship in Nashville, Tennessee, and performed on the Grand Old Opry stage. Aynsley began playing fiddle at the age of 9. Porchak, an Appalachian studies grad student here at ETSU, is the first person to have won both the American and Canadian Grandmaster Fiddle Championships. Formed in 2020 by Aynsley Porchak (fiddle), Lincoln Hensley (banjo), John Meador (guitar), Gracie Meador (bass) and Tim Laughlin (mandolin). about bluegrass. Originally a western swing tune for the steel guitar called The Meet The Band. All rights reserved. It brings ETSU great pride to congratulate such an accomplished student. High-res versions are in Flickr. Some have built on those projects by adding more songs and putting out records., According to Blue Highways Tim Stafford, This program is helping ETSU take the worldwide lead in educational leadership in the field of contemporary music studies.. Bluegrass, Old Time and Country Music Studies program, Jake Workman releases 20 Flatpick Standards, Vol. Click on one photo to see large photos in sequence. that said, WHAT?!?!? Porchak began playing the fiddle at 9-years-old and developed a passion for bluegrass and competition quickly. Aynsley Porchak began playing fiddle at the age of 9. She was introduced to bluegrass in her early teens, and quickly fell in love with the music. Pittsburgh-rolling hills, winding hig Aynsley Porchak In this thesis, I demonstrate how analysis through literary criticism can provide a commentary on Appalachian song. Find an instrument for your child or donate one of yours. Fiddler Aynsley Porchak didnt grow up in a musical household, but her parents always supported her musical interest. Woodstock, Ontario, native Aynsley Porchak is a perfect example of this very heart and soul. The group formed as a spin-off of the band Carolina Blue. to talk to Buddy and then realized he hadnt introduced himself. May 16 1932-July 5 2019Recorded on The Vox (Custom Sho. However, when I arrived, I found that I was still able to musically interact with the other students, even though we lived hundreds of miles apart. When they found out that it was the fiddle that I . Blue Added to East Public Relations /a > Aynsley Porchak fiddled for the now disbanded Carolina.. In 2012, after years of lessons, Porchak traveled with her family to Nashville to participate in the Grand Masters Fiddle Championship. as well as Bobby Hicks, whom she has long admired. a little outdated, and I would love to be able to use my English to write more about I still have the program, Trenwith says. minds when she was a toddler in Canada. At a banjo pickers convention in New Zealand, Trenwith and her band met American folk singer Mike Seeger. Aynsley Porchak, from Woodstock, Ontario, This past summer Aynsley Porchak, the super talented fiddler with Carolina Blue, came up with a great idea for a social media promotion. She also received the 2018 IBMA Momentum Instrumentalist of the Year award. Her love of classic cars (she collected die-cast cars as a youngster) led to her hobby of photography. It gives us a venue to showcase our students to the public. Owner Ed Snodderly, who teaches dobro and guitar at ETSU, fittingly calls it a listening room. For example, some textbooks are Aynsley Porchak Fiddle. It taught me that I could foster the music of our region not only for employment but also to work for change and to educate a new generation about the historical and cultural significance of Appalachian music.. Two years later, she won the Canadian Grand Masters Fiddling Championship. She is a connoisseur of tea. rolled the radio dial and hit a certain country station, Aynsley would say, Stop, They select their own material, arrange it, and record it. A devoted student of Kenny Baker, Porchak set out to record and post a video of her, We've enthused several times about Aynsley Porchak, the talented young fiddler with Carolina Blue. ), doctor of nursing practice (DNP) and doctor of philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees on successful . One of those is Aynsley Porchak. And from an impromptu jam session comes the high harmony of twin fiddles. Her thesis topic is the music of the Louvin Brothers, Charlie and Ira, from the Sand Mountain region of northern Alabama. Aynsley Porchak (Photograph contributed / ETSU) Porchak, an Appalachian studies grad student here at ETSU, is the first person to have won both the American and Canadian Grandmaster Fiddle Championships. Formed in 2020 by Aynsley Porchak (fiddle), Lincoln Hensley (banjo), John Meador (guitar), Gracie Meador (bass) and Tim Laughlin (mandolin). After graduation she would like to use her degrees to write and further scholarship in the field of American traditional music. As I argue, one particular duo of Appalachian musicians, the . New Zealand, Trenwith and her band met American folk singer Mike Seeger started taking lessons..., some textbooks are Aynsley Porchak is organizing this fundraiser on behalf of Nina Hensley and Aynsley Porchak didnt up... 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