1888 PressRelease – A Free Performance Fiddle Class will be taught by Champion Fiddler and Recording Artist Casey Willis at Chemeketa Community College on March 22nd in conjunction with the Oregon State Fiddle Championship.
Oregon Youth Fiddlers are invited to attend a free workshop on March 22, featuring Performance & Contest fiddling and learning advanced tunes and bowing techniques. All students will also receive a free month of access to FiddleVideo a fiddle teaching website that Willis has just launched this past year. Willis is the founder and principal instructor on the site that includes international teacher and performer Hanneke Cassel teaching Scottish Fiddle tunes and techniques.
Willis started playing classical violin at the age of 3 and transitioned to Texas-Style/contest fiddling at age 12. Later he had the privilege of playing in a group that opened for Johnny Cash.
Willis went on to up become two-time Oregon State fiddling champion and placed second in the Young Adult division of the National Old-Time Fiddling Contest. At 19, Casey moved to Tennessee and played country and bluegrass music for a living for several years, playing with Grand Old Opry stars including Dolly Parton, Craig Morgan, Johnny Russell, Jack Greene, George Hamilton IV, Jeanny Seally, Jean Shepard, and Margo Smith.
The workshop is funded by the Kielhorn Endowment of the Oregon Oldtime Fiddlers’ Association that is used to provide fiddle scholarships and tuition for Oregon Youth under 18 years of age. Last year OOTFA was able to provide scholarships and tuition’s for over 100 of Oregon’s youth fiddlers to fiddle camps and workshops.
The free class will be held at Chemeketa Community College in Building 5, Room 112 on March 22nd from 9 am to noon. The class is for intermediate to advanced players and students need to be a members of OOTFA. Family Memberships are available for $20 per year and includes the OOTFA Hoedowner a monthly newsletter and free admission to all State wide OOTFA events.
For application forms and or membership information contact Roland White Program Director, email address: fiddlplay ( @ ) icloud dot com or call 541-647-4789 to sign up dot