With a career spanning over two decades, Hanneke Cassel has helped redefine what it means to be a modern fiddler. A driving force in the ever-changing landscape of acoustic music, Hanneke blends originality and innovation with the spirit of Scottish traditional fiddle. Fusing musical roots from the Isle of Skye and Cape Breton Island with Americana stylings, Hanneke’s playing has been described by the Boston Globe as “exuberant and rhythmic, somehow wild and innocent, delivered with captivating melodic clarity and an irresistible playfulness.” Beyond the strings of her fiddle, it is Hanneke’s hugely generous presence and passion that round out her magnetism as a performer on the world stage of fiddle music. A native of Port Orford, Oregon, Hanneke found her start in Texas-Fiddling competitions. A two time Junior Scottish Fiddling Champion between 1992 and 1994, Hanneke went on to win the 1997 U.S National Scottish Fiddle Championship. Continuing her journey into the traditions of Scottish fiddle music, Hanneke was embraced by the Scottish Fiddling community, centered around the camps of Alasdair Fraser. Hanneke will be joined by Blackstone River Theatre favorites, Keith Murphy, a native of Newfoundland who plays guitar and sings, and Jenna Moynihan, a dynamic five-string fiddler and vocalist. Jenna is a graduate of Berklee College of Music where she received the Fletcher Bright Award & and The American Roots Music Award – two honors given annually to one outstanding string player.
