The Grand Master Fiddler Championship has announced that their 52nd annual competition will be held this year at Belmont University’s McAfee Concert Hall in Nashville, TN, September 2-3.
This long-running contest is considered as the mac daddy of fiddle competitions, and contestants travel from all over North America to enter each year. Past winners read like a who’s who of modern fiddling, with names like Mark O’Connor appearing multiple times, along with Texas Shorty, Jimmy Mattingly, Randy Howard, Danita Gardner, Daniel Carwile, Tristan Claridge, Aynsley Porchak, Alex Hargreaves, Maddie Denton, and Trustin Baker and many others.
Prizes are awarded in four categories: Traditional, Youth, Accompanist, and Open. Thousands of dollars of cash prizes are on the line, along with the prestige of being the Grand Master Fiddler. The event is free and open to the public, and there is no registration fee, though pre-registration is required to compete.
Also presented during this weekend will be the Dr. Perry F. Harris Distinguished Fiddler Award, and the Charlie Bush Traditional Fiddler Performance Award for 2023.
On hand to perform while the judges tally up their scores will be Mike Snider on Saturday and Mark & Maggie O’Connor on Sunday. All are invited to join all the fiddlers, and their accompanists, on September 2-3 at Belmont.
Released in conjunction with this announcement is the new single and music video from Mark & Maggie, Spice of Life.
Full details on the 2023 Grand Master Fiddler Championship can be found online.
