Hanneke Cassel Band, MadFiddle

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Kelly Lorenz

Hanneke Cassel Band, from left: Jenna Moynihan, Hanneke Cassel, Keith Murphy.

Hanneke Cassel Band, from left: Jenna Moynihan, Hanneke Cassel, Keith Murphy.

A master of the Scottish fiddle, Hanneke Cassel brings her own modern style to the form through new compositions and creative reinventions of traditional material. Her band includes two other modern instrumental masters: five-string fiddler Jenna Moynihan (who has toured with Seamus Egan and Milk Carton Kids) and guitarist Keith Murphy (founder of Nightingale and a part of the long-running Boston collective Childsplay). Together the trio’s interplay sounds telepathic at times on recordings such as the 2023 album Infinite Brightness. With MadFiddle.

$25 ($22 adv.).

media release:  Effervescent and engaging, Boston-based fiddler Hanneke Cassel’s fiddle music fuses influences from the Isle of Skye and Cape Breton with Americana grooves and musical innovations.  She has performed and traveled across North America, Europe, Australia and Asia. Hanneke’s music is a blend of the contemporary and traditional, described by the Boston Globe as “exuberant and rhythmic, somehow wild and innocent, delivered with captivating melodic clarity and an irresistible playfulness.”

The Hanneke Cassel Band features Jenna Moynihan on 5-string fiddle and Keith Murphy on guitar/vocals. Jenna Moynihan is regarded as one of the best of the new generation of freestyle fiddlers. Versatile and inventive, her fiddling style draws strongly from the Scottish tradition, but is influenced by American, Irish, and Swedish styles. She has performed as a soloist with The Boston Pops, has appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and CBS Sunday Morning, and has toured with The Milk Carton Kids and the Old Blind Dogs. An assistant professor at Berklee College of Music, Jenna performs as part of a duo with harpist Màiri Chaimbeul and is the regular fiddler for the Seamus Egan Project.

Newfoundland-born guitarist Keith Murphy is a rhythmic powerhouse on guitar and a traditional singer of rare finesse. A native of Newfoundland, he has lived in New England for many years where he has been an influential presence in the traditional music scene through his work with many respected bands, as a tune writer and as director of the Northern Roots Festival in Brattleboro, VT. He has four solo recordings of traditional songs, the most recent being Bright as Amber (2023).

Together, the Hanneke Cassel Band creates a cutting-edge acoustic sound that retains the integrity and spirit of the Scottish tradition.

MadFiddle, a youth ensemble directed by Shauncey Ali, explores folk music from around the world and defines a new standard in youth music education. Their performances -- which feature both great playing and a fun spirit— broaden the scope of culturally-based music appreciation and share the idea that folk music extends beyond the bounds of age and ability.