She also received the 2018 IBMA Momentum Instrumentalist of the Year award. 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. Im still in shock, said Porchak, I could have never dreamed I could have been the first [to win both awards].. Courses in Celtic music at ETSU are taught by Jane MacMorran, a former U.S. National Scottish Fiddling Champion. In 2018, Aynsley joined the . 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. 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. Contact Us. I slowed the record down to 16 2/3 speed. I've never been more excited about . Aynsley spends her time off the road as a private fiddle instructor, session musician, and author. Meet The Band. Mommy, right there! That happened repeatedly, and her parents eventually thought She is the daughter of Roger and Jan Porchak and is from Woodstock, Ontario, Canada. I get a great deal of satisfaction when I see the light go on in students eyes, when they first understand something and accomplish a tune that they didnt think they could play before.. They are here to take part in an academic program like no other: Bluegrass, Old-Time, and Country Music Studies. I truly feel like it has changed my life for the better. In 2018, Porchak won the International Bluegrass Music Associations Momentum Instrumentalist of the Year award, for up-and-coming artists. I texted Daniel right afterward with a picture of me holding the plaque, saying, She was introduced to bluegrass through the music of Kenny Baker and Bobby Hicks, and quickly fell in love with the music. Warren (Feb. 19, 7:30 p.m., Culp Auditorium, www.etsu.edu/martin). Thank you. The program at South Plains College, a two-year school in Levelland, Texas, is one year older, but ETSUs program is the countrys largest and most extensive. In the video below, East Tennessee State University senior bluegrass and English major For this video performance top U.S. fiddle championship the previous four years, twice placing as high as sixth, but she hesitated because the festival was only two days away, and she had not practiced. Her love of classic cars (she porchak@mail.etsu.edu; Majors & Minors Cost Estimate Request Info Visit Apply Give. 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 . 2022, Lincoln Mash (guitar) and Tyler Griffith (bass) joined the band. On each day four back-to-back classes in bluegrass banjo and four back-to-back classes in old-time banjo will be held, and there is a stellar set of instructors, including Greg Cahill and Jeff Scroggins on the bluegrass side. She gave up her job as a teacher to go on the road, introducing bluegrass music to New Zealand. Find an instrument for your child or donate one of yours. May 16 1932-July 5 2019Recorded on The Vox (Custom Sho. Not only would I like to teach that someday, I would love to be able to use my English More information about bluegrass at ETSU is available online. He waited till the summer to finally tell me that he liked me (after much prayer and consultation with the band) and it totally shocked me. Banjo breakdowns ring out. Championship. Submit stories for publication/editorial guidelines. 2021, signed a recording contract with Billy Blue Records. Tennessee Bluegrass Band looking for new members, Save Me All the Heartaches first single from Tone Tuesday, ETSU welcomes Aynsley Porchak and Dan Eubanks to bluegrass faculty, Moments in Bluegrass: BG75 #12 Kenny Baker Plays Bill Monroe, Aynsley Plays Kenny on social media in July, Aynsley Porchak wins Canadian Grand Masters, Bobby Osborne & The Rocky Top X-Press at Bluegrass Wednesday Nights, Open Bluegrass Jam // Cinderlands Warehouse (Pittsburgh), Wernick Method Bluegrass Jam Class with Joel Denman Durango, CO, Open Bluegrass Jam // Cork Harbour Pub (Pittsburgh), Bluegrass Beyond Borders: Dave Wright & the Midnight Ramblers from Down Under, Bluegrass Beyond Borders: Bononia Grass plays with an Italian flavor, Russ Hooper: 74 years in bluegrass music and still gigging, Jason Fraley returns to Deeper Shade of Blue for one last show. This is Aynsleys second year teaching at the Monroe Mandolin Camp, and she is excited to share her love of old-school bluegrass fiddling with her students! One of those great bands is Carolina Blue from Brevard, NC. Nearby a bass fiddle vibrates the floor. of Aynsleys all-time favorite fiddlers, Bobby Hicks. IBMA fiddle player of the year, Aynsley Porchak, gets inducted into the Daughters of Bluegrass at Christmas in the Smokies, 2019. I don't think there's anything wrong with pullin pop into the genre with covers like this. East Tennessee State University graduate student Aynsley Porchak recently pulled off a huge feat when she won the Canadian Grand Masters Fiddle Championship. Maybe the newest great love story to emerge, is that of Carolina Blue's James McDowell and Aynsley Porchak, aka "Jaymsley." Let me start off by saying that the differences in driving from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Euclid, Ohio are almost polar opposites. This is a labor of love,but every dollar = a cup of coffee whileI work at keeping this resource up to date.Thanks for whatever you send my way! Online access to music lessons with our favorite musicians. of mine, and the idea of playing there it hasnt sunk in yet.. I love the fact that No, it didn't hurt anymore to think about Kestrel. She graduated in 2017 with an additional bachelors degree in English, and completed her masters degree in Appalachian Studies in 2020. She also keeps busy with sessions work recording for other musicians. can with my music, just keep learning because you can always learn and just continue . Fiddle Since they were here last, they have enjoyed three IBMA nominations and earlier this month, won four SPBGMA Awards for Entertainers of the Year, Bluegrass Band of the Year (overall), Vocal Group of the Year, and Album of the Year for I Hear Bluegrass Calling Me. 2022 SM Living, LLC. The band has created a partnership, friendship, and family with the other band members; Reese Combs (bass), James McDowell (banjo), and Aynsley Porchak (fiddle). Formed in 2020 by Aynsley Porchak (fiddle), Lincoln Hensley (banjo), John Meador (guitar), Gracie Meador (bass) and Tim Laughlin (mandolin). She was Blessed to win the Grand Master Fiddler Championship in 2015 in Nashville, Tennessee, and in 2017, she also became the Canadian Grand Master Fiddle Champion, making her the first person to win both competitions. All rights reserved. Im a patient teacher, she says. Find a band near you or share your band info with the world! 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. 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.. She also played in 2016 on the Grand Ole Opry. Opening Act-The Mosley Brothers. He earned a degree in Vocal Music Education at ETSU before the university started awarding degrees in Bluegrass, Old-Time, and Country Music Studies. and how music, tastefully played, can be both exciting and inspiring. Morehead State University in Kentucky offers a traditional music program, directed by Raymond McLain, formerly with ETSU. loves it. However, I soon discovered my love for American styles of fiddling, and when I was My number one goal is to teach music, especially higher education, said Porchak. 24 / 7 Professional Support After graduation she would like to use her degrees to write and further scholarship in the field of American traditional music. To me, that experience really speaks to one of the things that I find most fascinating about the nature of music, " it is an inclusive way of communicating thoughts and culture across the boundaries of regions, and even nations, she says. Click here if youre interested in buying an ad. It could take me a while, I said, before I knew - it could be days, could be weekscould be monthscould be years! By a miracle, that didnt scare James off, and it didnt take years after allin August, I drove to Galax to surprise him and tell him that I wanted to take him up on his offer to date. She applied successfully for a Public Performance Scholarship and enrolled. She came to East Tennessee State University to study in their Bluegrass, Old-Time and Country music program. When they found out that it was the fiddle that I . didnt listen to country music, and her mom thought it unusual that every time she East Tennessee State University All Rights Reserved. In order to further hone her craft, Aynsley enrolled in East Tennessee State University's Bluegrass, Old Time, and Country Music Studies degree program in 2013. with internationally known, award-winning musicians like Ricky Skaggs and Sam Bush, This was right after the O Brother, Where Art Thou? phenomenon, and programs like ours were exploding, Boner says. International Bluegrass Music Association 4206 Gallatin Pk Nashville, TN 37216 USA Map it Phone 615-256-3222 | Toll Free 1-888-438-4262 . Here he is playing with Alison Krauss and ETSU alumnus Barry Bales, then with Krauss and her band, Union Station, in 1991. He first learned to play guitar in one of four Freewill Baptist churches in the Bridgeton, New Jersey, area. From a little girl, my teachers always talked about competition, said Porchak. said, My name is Dan Boner, and Im director of the Bluegrass, Old Time and Country The group formed as a spin-off of the band Carolina Blue. ETSU now offers a four-year degree in that field, and it has since 2010. October 13, 1932 - February 8, 2021, Thomas Donald Hensley passed away on February 8, 2021 in Erwin, Tennessee. While we both thought the other was nice, it wasnt love at first sight. When she couldnt fall asleep, her mom would ETSU wasnt the first higher education institution in America to offer a degree in bluegrass and other traditional music. We were in this tiny restaurant a little 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. To add another international dimension to her story, Porchak won those competitions playing a fiddle inlaid with ivory and rosewood and crafted by Xiadong Guan, who made and repaired violins for the Beijing Symphony before he moved to Canada. About the author: Fred Sauceman has worked at ETSU since 1985. 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. Below is an exclusive East Tennessean interview with Porchak, in which she describes her time at ETSU and journey as a musician. Aynsley, a native of Woodstock, Ontario, who is a senior at East Tennessee State University Mission Statement and commitment to Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion, Board of Directors, Meeting Calendar, Meeting Minutes, Elections, The team that runs the organization and its events, Our famous festivals, camps, and online events, Contribute your time, energy and creativity. They are: Bobby Powell, guitar; Timmy Jones, mandolin; Reese Combs, bass; James McDowell, banjo (who looks like a young Don Stover); and Aynsley Porchak, fiddle (wearing a 'pillbox' hat that reminded Dr Janie of those ladies used to wear to church). Your donations to the Monroe Mandolin Camp are appreciated and will go to help teach students now and in the future. Get recommendations for other artists you'll love. Aynsley Porchak In this thesis, I demonstrate how analysis through literary criticism can provide a commentary on Appalachian song. In order to further hone her craft, Aynsley enrolled in East Tennessee State University's Bluegrass, Old Time, and Country Music Studies degree program in 2013, and . Despite busy weekends touring to places like Branson, Missouri; Gettysburg, Pennsylvania; and Nashvilles famed Station Inn, Porchaks academic work continues. John had served as primary author and editor for The Bluegrass Blog from its launch in 2006 until being folded into Bluegrass Today in September of 2011. concert later this month when the Bluegrass Pride Band will open for The Earls of In fact, it is the achievements of musicians like Aynsley Porchak that can promote a spark with aspiring musicians. Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), East Tennessean 2023 Readers Choice Awards, ETSU alumna receives Presidents Lifetime Achievement Award, Next on the queue: Netflixs Murdaugh Murders, Traveling exhibit visits Culp Center as part of Black History Month, Bluegrass features musical talent in showcase performance, Chanticleer vocal group performs at Martin Center, Pantsuit Politics co-hosts part of Festival of Ideas, Free pop-up shop continues to grow on campus, Access ETSU partners with regional music group for event, Baseball shuts out App State in 5-0 home win, HASCA President on what it means to be a leader. 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. One year, while she and her parents were in Nashville for the Grand Master contest, Formed in 2020 by Aynsley Porchak (fiddle), Lincoln Hensley (banjo), John Meador (guitar), Gracie Meador (bass) and Tim Laughlin (mandolin). 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. In 2012, after years of lessons, Porchak traveled with her family to Nashville to participate in the Grand Masters Fiddle Championship. Click here for full pdf versions of the 2022-23 print edition. 3739 Balboa St. #5090San Francisco, CA 94121-2605(844) BLU-GRASS(844-258-4727), CBA EventsCalendarFeature ArchiveBluegrass Breakdown. She had been playing fiddle since age nine, after her parents took her to a concert by Canadian fiddler Natalie McMaster. Logout. This is an historic first, making her. In this thesis, I demonstrate how analysis through literary criticism can provide a commentary on Appalachian song. . My Profile She earned a double bachelor's in both English . urged her to compete while she was there. She was introduced to bluegrass in her early teens, and quickly fell in love with the music. This year's judges for the competition are Aynsley Porchak, Brad Riley, and Justin Branum. He was like a one-man bluegrass band. This eventually led to the Grand Master Championship and the Tennessee State Fiddle 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. Takes the music extremely traditional Bluegrass . She plays in the ETSU of Fiddle Patch, Aynsley is accompanied by Daniel Boner, director of Bluegrass, Read Aynsley Porchak's bio and find out more about Aynsley Porchak's songs, albums, and chart history. Aynsley Porchak(Photograph contributed / ETSU). Southwest Virginia Museum Historical State Park Accepting Entries for Quilt Show, World-Folk fusion ensemble comes to Big Stone Gap, 'School of Rock' on stage in Jonesborough, Appalachian Music Project announces children's choir, 'Beauty & The Beast Jr.' is at Knoxville Children's Theatre, Southwest Virginia Museum hosts Wise JAMS, Bristol Virginia Historic Preservation Award Program Seeks Nominations, @Southwest Virginia Cultural Center & Marketplace, @University of Virginia's College at Wise. Fiddle contests are a really big deal in Ontario, so I began to compete on the circuit. level. as well as Bobby Hicks, whom she has long admired. In 2018, Aynsley joined the SPBGMA award-winning band Carolina Blue, and performed with them for four years before becoming one of the founding members of The Tennessee Bluegrass Band in 2021. This man came up to our table and he recognized Buddy. 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. The three musicians who have directed the Bluegrass, Old-Time, and Country Music Studies Program at ETSU. Its not unusual for students to secure jobs well before graduation. Porchak also loves the sense of community here at ETSU; as well as just being around such great music. In the 1960s, with the Hamilton County Bluegrass Band, Colleen Trenwith helped introduce bluegrass to New Zealand. Aynsley began playing fiddle at the age of 9. Patch was also recorded as the title track of a Grammy Award-winning album by another I look forward to passing on my knowledge to students and helping them become just as passionate about learning as I am!. But bluegrass courses and private instruction quickly changed that. Aynsley Porchak. In addition to playing fiddle professionally Two years later, she won the Canadian Grand Masters Fiddling Championship. Near her home in Woodstock, Ontario, Canada, there was a classical program and a jazz program but no bluegrass. As a girl in Wellington, New Zealand, she would gather with her family around the piano while her father, Gordon Bain, played old songs like Its a Long Way to Tipperary. When she was eight, she started taking classical violin lessons. At a banjo pickers convention in New Zealand, Trenwith and her band met American folk singer Mike Seeger. After all, shed already appeared in this appreciate the care that ETSU has put into its music programs. Carolina the last weekend of September 2015. While playing local bars and restaurants like the Chuckey Trading Company, Chesney earned his Mass Communications degree from ETSU in 1990. 16 years old, I went to Weiser, Idaho, for the National Old Time Fiddlers Contest, Named simply The Tennessee Bluegrass Band, this quintet features some of the brightest lights among our music's youth, What happens when you take all the super talented and artistic musicians in the world, and shut them all in for a year with next to no live performance opportunities? She was introduced to bluegrass through the music of Kenny Baker and Bobby Hicks, and quickly fell in love with the music. After this amazing achievement, Porchak plans to focus on earning her graduate degree. Aynsley Porchak and Lincoln Hensley went to school together through the East Tennessee State University Bluegrass, Old Time, and Country Music Studies program. a passion for boots. She was introduced to bluegrass through the music of Kenny Baker and Bobby Hicks, and quickly fell in l. In addition to these adjunct hires, a broad search is currently underway for the Artist in Residence in Bluegrass, Old-Time, and Country Music Studies. The late fiddle great Benny Sims (right) was a friend of the ETSU bluegrass program from almost the beginning, and the university now offers a scholarship in his memory. There have been as many as 42, says program director Dan Boner, himself an accomplished guitarist and fiddle player. Playback options Aynsleys parents Im passionate about teaching, and would love to teach at the university His great uncle, Larry Boner, was a guitar-strumming preacher. Ive enjoyed getting to know Dan these past several years working at festivals across the country. After visiting the campus, Aynsley enrolled at ETSU in the fall of 2013, and she still She also has great success in the competitive world of fiddling. As a student at East Tennessee State University, I am very aware of the soundscape that surrounds my place in the Bluegrass, Old Time, and Country Music Studies program. Music took over my life, remembers Colleen Trenwith, now a member of the ETSU faculty. Two years later, she returned to Nashville and won the U.S. Grand Masters Fiddle Championship. Aynsley has been my twin-fiddle buddy going back to when she first started at ETSU. Aynsley is also an experienced contest fiddler. August 28, 2017 | by John Lawless. Lessons, links, and essays to help you enjoy playing and practicing even more. Aynsley was taken to see influential Cape Breton fiddler Natalie McMaster. In 2016, she earned a bachelor of science degree in General Studies with a minor in Bluegrass, Old-Time, and Country Music Studies and is now a full-time member of the faculty. put her in the car seat and drive around the country block playing music. Happy Valentine's Day! Aynsley managed to secure a couple of lessons with legendary session fiddler Buddy There must be an immense sense of pride to win for both her home town in Canada and her college community here in Johnson City. Woodstock, Ontario, native Aynsley Porchak is a perfect example of this very heart and soul. Bluegrass, Old-Time, and Roots Music 304 Brooks Memorial Hall | PO Box 70435 Johnson City, TN 37614 (Get Directions) Phone: 423-439-7072; Department of Appalachian Studies. But it was good ear training, listening to what people were singing and trying to match it on guitar.. Dan Eubanks, bassist with Special Consensus, and Aynsley Porchak, fiddler with Carolina Blue, will both join the team as adjust professors starting with the Spring 2021 semester. She also looks forward to the 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. Receive updates about CBA events and news. Aynsley Porchak wins Canadian Grand Masters. The Meadors are married. of Bluegrass, Old Time and Country Music Studies in ETSUs Department of Appalachian 2023 California Bluegrass Association. As Johnson City lies at the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, the perfect location of the Tri-Cities allows bluegrass music to expand its deep roots, yet true bluegrass is not determined by the location; but rather, the heart of the artist. The band includes Reese Combs on bass, James McDowell on banjo, as well as Aynsley Porchak, an American and Canadian Grand Master Fiddle Champion. the music. Aynsley is also an experienced contest fiddler. They made their SOIMF debut in 2018 and we are thrilled to have this award-winning band return to the Roberts Centre this spring. Bluegrass Pride and Celtic Pride bands, and has had opportunities to share the stage huge NBA fan. been graduated for three years, trying to find a program I wanted. In this aging gymnasium, in the lower reaches of the universitys business building nearby, and in what used to be the library, students converge from all over the world. Studies. Her thesis topic is the music of the Louvin Brothers, Charlie and Ira, from the Sand Mountain region of northern Alabama. it.. Website design and development by Camellia Digital Agency. Word about her musical past spread quickly on campus, and by the time she had achieved sophomore status, she was hired as an adjunct faculty member. She also received the 2018 IBMA Momentum Instrumentalist of the Year award. the epicenter of all this music.. She was Blessed to win the Grand Master Fiddler Championship in 2015 in Nashville, Tennessee, and in 2017, she also became the Canadian Grand Master Fiddle Champion, making her the first person to win both competitions. Now, there are some 60 students majoring in Bluegrass, Old-Time, and Country Music Studies, along with 35 who are minoring. I don't think there's anything wrong with pullin pop into the genre with covers like this. She speaks highly of the teachers and the program. Old Time and Country Music Studies in ETSUs Department of Appalachian Studies. ETSU musicians meet the late Bill Monroe, backstage (above) at the Paramount Center for the Performing Arts in Bristol, Tennessee, in September of 1995. Sign up today to receive A! . Aynsley Porchak is organizing this fundraiser on behalf of Nina Hensley. I feel very blessed and honored to be named a Bluegrass, Old Time, and Country Music Studies adjunct faculty member. When she moved to Hamilton, in the middle of the North Island of New Zealand, she made friends with musicians who had just discovered the music of The Beverly Hillbillies television show. ), doctor of nursing practice (DNP) and doctor of philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees on successful . Top Aynsley Porchak Quotes. I was an only child and a homeschooled student, so I had my qualms about coming to Still, though, Trenwith felt she needed more knowledge. For example, some textbooks are She was Blessed to win the Grand Master Fiddler Championship in 2015 in Nashville, Tennessee, and in 2017, she also became the Canadian Grand Master Fiddle Champion, making her the first person to win both competitions. basics of how to play the music, and I could make connections and be basically at After all, we've got some of th. Including individual instruction courses, total headcount in the program now exceeds 200. Porchak finished her bachelor of arts degree with a double major in Bluegrass, Old-Time, and Country Music Studies and English and immediately began work on a master of arts in Appalachian Studies. jazz program, and (there were) lots of classical programs, but nothing like bluegrass She is a I loved the sound of the program, because it incorporated the 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. Soon the band was invited to perform on television. Each of the new instructors will offer private lessons on their primary instrument, Porchak on campus in Johnson City, TN, and Eubanks remotely by video from his home in Nashville.

Survivor Andrew Savage Wife Stephanie, Articles A