Do you remember this young lady, leader of the NWSF Teen band for so many years?? She’s back!!
This will be a unique, and rare opportunity to learn tunes from a former member of the NW Scottish Fiddle club, who studied with Calum MacKinnon, and for the past six years, has resided in Scotland!
The free workshop will be held on Sunday, March 13th, at noon(Pacific Time), via Zoom. Please note this is a week earlier than our usual workshop!
And now a bit about Christina-
Christina Cowart-Smith has played traditional Scottish music for the past twenty years. Raised in Seattle, Christina took up classical violin aged eight before continuing her classical studies alongside weekly fiddle lessons with Calum MacKinnon from elementary school to high school.
Christina was no stranger to Scottish fiddle competitions while living in the Seattle area. She won the junior and open divisions of the Portland Highland Games, the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games, and placed first in the regional competition for the US Nationals in Williamsburg, VA.
She went onto pursue an undergraduate degree in Classics at Stanford University. While in California she played for RSCDS dance with Andy Imbrie on piano. Double minors at Stanford in medieval art history and archaeology allowed her to further her academic interest in Scotland and neighbouring northern England.
After undergrad, she moved the UK where she has now lived for nearly six years. Christina has two master’s degrees: one in Scottish History from the University of Glasgow and another in Medieval Archaeology from Durham University. She is currently in the fourth-year of a PhD in the latter subject, also at Durham.
Christina resides in Edinburgh and enjoys playing in local jam sessions at the Antiquary and RSCDS dances, as time allows. She also privately teaches fiddling.
Here’s a few recordings you might enjoy-
- Christina and Calum MacKinnon playing in Tiree for a “Welcome Back” party for Calum.
- Tullochgorum- At the Seattle Public Library-
- Playing at a session in Edinburgh–
- Two audios from a Seattle Folklore Society concert with Muriel Johnstone:
- Glenurquhart Set
- Dean Brig and Ye Banks Set