​Drawing upon folk traditions and cutting-edge playing,

the Gilbert Town Fiddlers are a group of high school students from around Gilbert, Arizona, who love to perform for audiences of all ages. Founded in August 2012, their synergy of youthfulness and enthusiasm lends itself to a variety of genres, but especially folk music like Old-Time, Bluegrass, Irish, and Scottish fiddling–and even some pop tunes, too! As part of their unique sound, the students in Gilbert Town Fiddlers develop the creative, collaborative skills necessary to make all of their own arrangements for performance, making them (to their knowledge) the only high school fiddle group in the country where the students themselves create their own music.

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As an organization, the Gilbert Town Fiddlers are also committed to creating educational opportunities for musicians of all ages to learn about folk music. Each year since its creation, the Gilbert Town Fiddlers have partnered with the Arizona Chapter of the American String Teachers Association to produce Fiddle Fest, a one-day event for string players around the state to explore fiddling styles. In addition to leading workshops for their peers in their own schools, Gilbert Town Fiddlers students even designed, implemented, and taught their own Virtual Fiddle Camp for young string players during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Performance highlights of previous seasons include: performing and presenting at the American String Teachers Association National Conference in Albuquerque, opening for Celtic-powerhouse Gaelic Storm in both Phoenix (Crescent Ballroom) and Tucson (The Rialto), performing at the world-renowned Musical Instrument Museum, appearing yearly at the Town of Gilbert’s Global Village Festival, and embarking their annual Elementary & Junior High School Tours, in which they hop in a van and perform for 700+ students in one day! 

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In addition to creating spaces for other students to learn about folk music, the organization is committed to bringing in top musicians from around the country to work with Gilbert Town Fiddlers students, giving them opportunities to learn directly from some of the most influential music-makers and music-thinkers in a variety of styles.

Past guest clinicians with the Gilbert Town Fiddlers include: 
​Dr. Joy Adams (Half Pelican)
Mike Block (New England Conservatory)
Colin Cotter (MAC)
Adrianna Ciccone (Canadian Folk Music Award)
Denis Dufresne (CCMA Fiddle Player of the Year, Barrage)
Hawktail (Brittany Haas, Paul Kowert, Jordan Tice, Dominick Leslie)
Ross Holmes (Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Cadillac Sky, Mumford & Sons)
Hidayat Honari (Guitarist, National Broadway Tours)
Sten Isak (Guitarist/Singer with Yale’s Professors of Bluegrass)
Sheila Maguire (All-Ireland Fiddle Champ, Lord of the Dance)
Katie McNally (Renowned Celtic Fiddler)
Tricia Park (Professor of Violin, University of Chicago)
Enion Pelta-Tiller (Taarka)
Neil Pearlman (Pianist & Host of Trad Cafe)
Daniel Pentecost (The Tartan Terrors, Barrage)
Brad Phillips (Fiddler, Mandolinist, Guitarist, & Vocalist)
Andy Reiner (Half Pelican)
Lauren Rioux (Jam With Lauren, Darol Anger & The Republic of Strings)
Matt Rolland (Run Boy Run, Arizona State Old-Time Fiddle Champ)
Mike Rolland (Arizona State Old-Time Fiddle Champ)
​Tracy Silverman (Belmont University)
The Sound Accord
Kiana Weber (Gaelic Storm, Barrage)

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Advisory Board

Bill Bitter // Director of Orchestras, Highland High School 
Veronica Pinski // Owner, BillPro Medical Billing Solutions & GTF Parent
Andy Shirk // Owner, True Roots Development
David Wahls // Director of Development, Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering, Arizona State University
Lincoln Wright // Lawyer, Udall Shumway Law Firm & Music Director, Hale Centre Theatre