Are you ready to join talented Michigan-based musician Laurel Premo on a musical exploration? In this workshop, you will learn about style, common polyrhythms, bow patterns, tune forms, alternate tunings, and other shared musical qualities found in old-time music through exposure to a few Midwestern and Southeastern style American traditional fiddle tunes. All instruments are welcome and included; the workshop will be taught on the fiddle.
Instructor Biography
Laurel Premo, a Michigan-based artist, is known for her rhythmically deep and rapt delivery of roots music on fiddle, guitar, banjo, and vocals. She has been touring since 2009 and is internationally known for her duo Red Tail Ring. Laurel’s solo performances focus on traditional and new fiddle music, revealing a bloom of underlying harmonic drones, minimalist repetition, and rich polyrhythms, fully leaning into the archaic melodies and in-between intonations that connect folk sounds to the mystic and unknown. She holds a BFA from the Performing Arts Technology Dept. of the University of Michigan School of Music; she has also studied traditional music and dance at both the Sibelius Academy of Music in Helsinki, Finland, and the University College of Southeast Norway in Telemark. Mentors who have helped shape Laurel’s lens in folk arts include her parents, Bette & Dean Premo (fiddle, guitar, and traditional song), Joel Mabus (clawhammer banjo), Arto Järvelä (fiddle), and Ånon Egeland (fiddle). Alongside several continuing music projects, Laurel is active in organizing community events that connect people with folk art and dance.