All rights reserved. cancellation, she headed to Nashville to surprise one of her own students, who was She applied successfully for a Public Performance Scholarship and enrolled. She also played in 2016 on the Grand Ole Opry. they took such an interest in this style of music as to start a degree program for L-R: Jack Tottle, Raymond McLain, and Dan Boner. A true brother of the banjo! Porchak began playing the fiddle at 9-years-old and developed a passion for bluegrass and competition quickly. 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. Looks like this story got lost in the preparations for the World of Bluegrass. Aynsley spends her time off the road as a private fiddle instructor, session musician, and author. Playback options She also keeps busy with sessions work recording for other musicians. Aynsley Porchak. Shortly after winning, she learned that she was the first person ever to win both Canadian and American Grand Masters fiddle championships. Aynsley is also an experienced contest fiddler. Despite busy weekends touring to places like Branson, Missouri; Gettysburg, Pennsylvania; and Nashvilles famed Station Inn, Porchaks academic work continues. She accepted Paul Trenwiths invitation to join the Hamilton County Bluegrass Band as well as his marriage proposal. One year, while she and her parents were in Nashville for the Grand Master contest, Boner joined his first southern gospel group when he was eight, and by the age of 11, he was playing fiddle with the Strings of Gospel. 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? Two years later, she won the Canadian Grand Masters Fiddling Championship. 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. ETSU wasnt the first higher education institution in America to offer a degree in bluegrass and other traditional music. of Fiddle Patch, Aynsley is accompanied by Daniel Boner, director of Bluegrass, High-res versions are in Flickr. and touring with a band, she would love to teach both music and English. Music really does mean a lot to me. Banjo breakdowns ring out. 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. I shocked myself, because I didnt think Id make the top 10, she continued, adding 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. In 2008, ETSU opened its own recording laboratory. More information about bluegrass at ETSU is available online. She is a Now she teaches fiddle at ETSU. She also received the 2018 IBMA Momentum Instrumentalist of the Year award. loves it. Logout. She decided to compete, telling no one else, not even her mentor, Daniel Boner, director Big Stone Gap, Virginia, native Tyler Hughes, a 2015 ETSU alumnus, divides his time among playing in the Empty Bottle String Band, calling square dances throughout the region, and teaching banjo and dance at Mountain Empire Community College in his hometown. I loved the sound of the program, because it incorporated the 3739 Balboa St. #5090San Francisco, CA 94121-2605(844) BLU-GRASS(844-258-4727), CBA EventsCalendarFeature ArchiveBluegrass Breakdown. From a little girl, my teachers always talked about competition, said Porchak. that as the 2015 winner, she will be a judge for the 2016 competition and perform Soon the band was invited to perform on television. She graduated in 2017 with an additional bachelors degree in English, and completed her masters degree in Appalachian Studies in 2020. The thesis is a lyrical analysis of Louvin Brothers songs and how the brothers bridged the gap between the sacred and the secular, Porchak says. 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. They handed me the record Flatt and Scruggs at Carnegie Hall! and told me to learn every fiddle part on it, she recalls. After all, shed already appeared in this Aynsley began playing fiddle at the age of 9. He writes, Ill forever be grateful to the Bluegrass, Old-Time, and Country Music Studies program. Aynsleys parents jazz program, and (there were) lots of classical programs, but nothing like bluegrass Fiddler Aynsley Porchak didnt grow up in a musical household, but her parents always supported her musical interest. Let me start off by saying that the differences in driving from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Euclid, Ohio are almost polar opposites. 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. The three musicians who have directed the Bluegrass, Old-Time, and Country Music Studies Program at ETSU. 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.. Now, there are some 60 students majoring in Bluegrass, Old-Time, and Country Music Studies, along with 35 who are minoring. 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. Take all the opportunities given to hone your craft and really enjoy the opportunities that music has given, said Porchak when asked what advice she has for ETSUs aspiring musicians. Her love of classic cars (she collected die-cast cars as a youngster) led to her hobby of photography. In the 1960s, with the Hamilton County Bluegrass Band, Colleen Trenwith helped introduce bluegrass to New Zealand. She was introduced to bluegrass in her early teens, and quickly fell in love with the music. Its not unusual for students to secure jobs well before graduation. with internationally known, award-winning musicians like Ricky Skaggs and Sam Bush, Music is such a beautiful way to bring people together, and if I can make someone forget about whatever sadness they have going on in their life just for a little while through my playing, I feel like my job is done, she says. Pittsburgh-rolling hills, winding hig They bring the total of such teachers at ETSU Bluegrass to 27, including such instrumental notables as Wyatt Rice, Brandon Green, Hunter Berry, and Thomas Cassell. Below is an exclusive East Tennessean interview with Porchak, in which she describes her time at ETSU and journey as a musician. 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. Aynsley spends her time off the road as a private fiddle instructor, session musician, and author. Click here to view the 2022-23 East Tennessean production schedule. Aynsley Porchak plays Fiddle Patch, which, she says, is everything that I like concert later this month when the Bluegrass Pride Band will open for The Earls of Aynsley Porchak wins Canadian Grand Masters. Were still together almost a year and a half later. Including individual instruction courses, total headcount in the program now exceeds 200. I feel God has blessed me with the ability to play, and so I want to give back to others through my fiddling, whether that means teaching fiddle lessons, performing on stage and making people smile, or just simply talking to an audience member after a show. at the Grand Ole Opry that weekend. Im passionate about teaching, and would love to teach at the university 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. He could play all the instruments and showed me a lot on the fiddle, such as rhythmic bowing styles.. Aynsley Porchak, a Grand Master Fiddle Champion and ETSU student majoring in Bluegrass, Old Time, Country and Celtic Music as well as English, made her Grand Ole Opry performance debut on Sept. 3, 2016. in my area. This fund has been established to assist the Hensley family of Flag Pond, Tennessee in their husband's and father's medical bills. She tours with Carolina Blue, a vintage-inspired traditional bluegrass band and is part of a three-piece Celtic ensemble called Atlantic North. 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. Music took over my life, remembers Colleen Trenwith, now a member of the ETSU faculty. The future holds many possibilities for Aynsley. Aynsley Porchak began playing fiddle at the age of 9. August 28, 2017 | by John Lawless. For example, some textbooks are Aynsley Porchak and Lincoln Hensley went to school together through the East Tennessee State University Bluegrass, Old Time, and Country Music Studies program. I've never been more excited about . When the students are done with their degrees, they get to have in their hands a product they can use for promotion, Boner says. They select their own material, arrange it, and record it. October 13, 1932 - February 8, 2021, Thomas Donald Hensley passed away on February 8, 2021 in Erwin, Tennessee. 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. Playing via Spotify Playing via YouTube. East Tennessee State University All Rights Reserved. to grow, give back, and be the best I can. 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! After all, we've got some of the best bands in the business making plans to be with us next month and what's not to love about that! collected die-cast cars as a youngster) led to her hobby of photography. seafood place and this man came up to our table, saying, Excuse me, I hope you . Opening Act-The Mosley Brothers. didnt listen to country music, and her mom thought it unusual that every time she When it comes to English, British Victorian literature is my cup of tea, she says. The Future of the Past. For more information about ETSUs blue grass roots or interested in playing for yourself, contact the music department at 423-439-4270. He was like a one-man bluegrass band. On most any good-weather day, under shade trees and atop brick walls, student-led jam sessions provide free entertainment on the Johnson City campus. I love the diversity [of ETSU], we have so many awesome teachers here, its a blessing, said Porchak. Aynsley was taken to see influential Cape Breton fiddler Natalie McMaster. We live in capitalism. They are here to take part in an academic program like no other: Bluegrass, Old-Time, and Country Music Studies. Your donations to the Monroe Mandolin Camp are appreciated and will go to help teach students now and in the future. We were the resident band for a program called Country Touch, based on early Grand Ole Opry television shows.. The year that film came out, 2000, ETSU alumnus Kenny Chesney had already released a Greatest Hits album, on his way to country music superstardom. The program also wants to remind everyone of their newest faculty opportunity, an Artist In Residence position, starting this Fall. I took it on as a technical exercise.. 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. 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. She plays in the ETSU ~ Carry On is a free, 30-minute YouTube Live program that explores traditional music and the people who make it presented by the Northeast Ohio Musical Heritage Assn. "We met for the first time when I auditioned for Carolina Blue in December two years ago. My Profile Aynsley, a native of Woodstock, Ontario, who is a senior at East Tennessee State University Her parents Supporting and inspiring the next generation to play and enjoy music. Contact Us. Most importantly, I put God above all, At the end of every semester, ETSU bands perform at a Johnson City institution, The Down Home, which opened in 1976. From her carseat, she demanded that her mother stop dialing the radio when station BX 93 in London, Ontario, aired songs by country artists Garth Brooks, Alan Jackson, and George Strait, whose sidemen played the fiddle. Formed in 2020 by Aynsley Porchak (fiddle), Lincoln Hensley (banjo), John Meador (guitar), Gracie Meador (bass) and Tim Laughlin (mandolin). She also played in 2016 on the Grand Ole Opry. about bluegrass. Originally a western swing tune for the steel guitar called The Very cool. She is the first person to win both competitions. Practice, play, and perform at the Father's Day Festival. In 2017, she became the first person to win both the Grand Master Fiddler Championship and the Canadian Grand Master Fiddle Championship. The Meadors are married. She speaks highly of the teachers and the program. While playing local bars and restaurants like the Chuckey Trading Company, Chesney earned his Mass Communications degree from ETSU in 1990. Bluegrass Pride and Celtic Pride bands, and has had opportunities to share the stage In order to further hone her craft, Aynsley enrolled in East Tennessee State Universitys Bluegrass, Old Time, and Country Music Studies degree program in 2013. of mine, and the idea of playing there it hasnt sunk in yet.. Below is an exclusive East Tennessean interview with Porchak, in which describes... 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