String Department Hall of Fame

		Carrie Rodriguez Starting off in Austin, Texas and absorbing the influences of an opera-obsessed mom and folk-singing dad, Carrie Rodriguez's guitar, mandolin, and fiddle playing and singing have been molded around these sounds. She started on the Suzuki Method at age five, after hearing "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" in a classroom. She enrolled at Oberlin Conservatory, and soon after was invited to sit in with Lyle Lovett. She transferred to Berklee College of Music, where she became roommates with Casey Driessen and learned her first fiddle tune. She made three duet records with Chip Taylor, who helped her with her debut album, Seven Angels on a Bicycle. Her next album featured cowriters Gary Louris (Jayhawks), Dan Wilson (Semisonic), Jim Boquist (Son Volt), and Mary Gauthier. Rodriguez sat in and toured with Lucinda Williams, who sang back-up on the track "Mask of Moses." Rodriquez's work can be heard on carrierodriguez.com.
		Casey Dreissen His father started Casey Dreissen playing bluegrass at age 6 in Chicago, and he evolved into many styles, including jazz, rock, funk, pop, and country. His playing reflects a deep sense of rhythm and groove, no matter what the scenario. Now in Nashville he currently plays with Tim O'Brien and his own group, Wisechild, with Luke Bulla. He has performed with many groups and renowned artists, including Steve Earle, Nickel Creek, John Mayer, Darol Anger, Yonder Mountain String Band, Judith Edelman, Alison Brown, Robbie Fulks, John Cowan and Scott Nygard. He teaches at Mark O'Connor's Fiddle Camps, Bluegrass Week at Augusta Heritage, and the Haapavesi Music Camp in Finland. He graduated with a music production and engineering degree from Berklee College of Music. Dreissen's material can be heard at caseydriessen.com.
		Evan Price Growing up in Detroit, folk, bluegrass, and traditional jazz were Evan Price's musical beginnings, but he also studied the classical repertoire. He has performed with several masters of fiddle lore, namely, Stephane Grappelli, Johnny Frigo, Mark O'Connor, Buddy Spicher, Vassar Clements, and Claude "Fiddler" Williams, along with pop icons Jimmy Paige and Robert Plante (Led Zeppelin) and comedian Steven Wright. He has won several fiddle competitions, including the U.S. Scottish Fiddling Championship, the Kentucky State Fiddle Championship, and Canadian Novelty Fiddling Championship. After studying at Berklee College of Music with Matt Glaser, Price currently performs with group Turtle Island String Quartet and can be found online at connollyandco.com.
		Hanneke Cassel In 1997 Hanneke Cassel earned the title U.S. National Scottish Fiddle Champion. She earned a bachelor's degree from Berklee College of Music for violin performance and has since performed and taught all over the U.S., Scotland, Sweden, China, France, New Zealand, England, and Austria. She has played with the Cathie Ryan band and is a member of the Boston-based Childsplay and Halali. She has also played guest appearances with Cherish the Ladies, Alasdair Fraser, Matt Glaser and the Wayfaring Strangers, Ensemble Galilei, Aine Minogue, and Joey McIntyre of New Kids on the Block. She has opened for Judy Collins at Symphony Hall, Mountain Stage, the Plaza Hotel, Lincoln Center, Boston Hatch Shell, and the Kennedy Center. Cassel can be booked at hannekecassel.com.
		Hiro Goto Performances with John Williams, Tony Bennett, Brian McKnight, Lil' Wayne, Mark O'Connor, the Turtle Island String Quartet, and Stevie Wonder have highlighted Hiro Goto's abilities. He has received a Berklee College of Music scholarship award and now has many sponsorships and awards, including those from D'Addario Strings, the Henry Mancini Institute, the Civic Symphony of Boston, Banana Republic, and the International Association of Jazz Education. Currently Goto is using his training from Berklee to pursue several aspects of the contemporary music industry, including arranging, audio engineering, composition, and live sound engineering. He is truly fulfilling some of the many possibilities that Berklee has to offer. Goto can be found at a collective website with musicians Ryan and April Tucker, tuckermix.com.
		Lindsay Mac Born in Iowa, Lindsay Mac was classically trained starting at age 6 in church choir; piano and cello started shortly after. She attended Interlochen's summer music festival and enrolledat Dartmouth University. She then moved to London where she began her studies at the Royal College of Music. Berklee College of Music was her next calling. She has played on several radio broadcasts, including WERS and WUMB in Boston, WFUV in New York, and XM satellite radio. These broadcasts are a great testament to Lindsay's songwriting capability, as well as her singing and playing the cello. In 2009 she was voted as one of the Artist's You Need to Know by WFUV, and "Stop Thinking" was named #2 in Music Connection's top 25 New Music Critiques of 2008. Lindsay Mac can be found at myspace.com/lindsaymacmusic and lindsaymac.com.
		Mads Tolling Internationally renowned violinist, violist, and composer, Mads Tolling is currently a member of the Turtle Island String Quartet. He was violist for the group from 2003 to 2007 and now plays as first violin. He maintains an active touring and recording schedule while composing and teaching master classes. He regularly tours as a jazz player with Stanley Clarke and his band. In 2006, Turtle Island won a Grammy for best crossover album, 4+four, and in 2008 the quartet won a second Grammy for A Love Supreme: The Legacy of John Coltrane. He has received many awards and recognitions for his playing, including Denmark's Sankt Annae award for musical excellence, grants from Queen Margaret and the Sonning Foundation, and Berklee's Elvin Jones Award. He has performed with Paquito D'Rivera, Kenny Barron, Joe Lovano, Stefon Harris, the Assad Brothers, and Leo Kottke. Tolling can be found at madstolling.com and myspace.com/madstolling.
		Maeve Gilchrist Born in Edinburgh, Scotland and surrounded by traditional music from an early age, Maeve Gilchrist began playing piano at seven and picked up the clarsach (Celtic harp) a couple years later. She began listening to her father's records of Ravi Shankar, Joni Mitchell, and Ray Charles and quickly became interested in genres of world music. With the help of the Donald Dewar Award, she was able to begin studies at Berklee College of Music as a voice principal. During her time here she was awarded a full scholarship, the Outstanding Performer of the Year 2004 Award, and the Norm Nate Scholarship. She has recorded/performed with Meshell Ndegeocello, Jamey Haddad, Terri Lyne Carrington, and Esperanza Spalding. Check out Gilchrist's beautiful website at maevegilchristmusic.com.
		Natalie Stovall Playing the violin since she was four, Natalie Stovall lives for the show. Opryland Kid's Show was her first professional performance at the age of ten. She mostly focuses on country-style sounds, but the creativity she employs with her music exhibits multiple genres from blues to rock 'n' roll. A fun-loving and carefree spirit, Stovall is getting incredible joy from her life.
		Nate Leath Between his production work and performances with band Old School Freight Train, Nate Leath is using his experiences from Berklee College of Music to the fullest. So far, Nate's production company has worked with Keppie Coutts and the Boston Boys, a group of Berklee musicians that play bluegrass and folk music. Nate Leath can be found at nateleath.com. Nate is second from left in the picture.
		Roxanne Young Starting at age three, both violin and fiddle styles have encapsulated Roxanne Young's playing when she started professionally touring at age nine. She has worked with Cirque de Soleil, Steve Tyler of Aerosmith, Diane Reeves, and Alanis Morrisette, and has performed at Carnegie Hall with Brian Blade, Charlie Haden, Michael Brecker, and Kenny Baron. She dedicated five years to the creation/evolution of the international touring sensation Barrage. She then came to Berklee College of Music to study with Matt Glaser and has since settled in Calgary, where she founded the Calgary Contemporary School of Music. Young's music, press, concert dates and more can be found at roxyoung.ca.
		Rushad Eggleston A brilliant improviser of fiddle styles on the cello, Rushad Eggleston was the first string student to receive a full scholarship to Berklee College of Music. Eggleston is a true musician; he appreciates a multitude of genres and is able to play and sing many of them. He's also a songwriter and poet. He was a member of the Grammy-nominated group Fiddler's Four with Michael Doucet, Darol Anger, and Bruce Molsky, and he still performs regularly with his own group Tornado Rider. Eggleston can be found at rushadeggleston.com.
		Sarah Wilfong A Chicago native who began her classical studies at age three and first worked as a professional Irish fiddler at 12, Sarah Wilfong studied jazz at Berklee and pursued her longstanding interest in bluegrass. She is a diverse player with experience in several genres, and she can be reached online at sarahwilfong.com.
		Tomoko Omura Born in Shizuoka, Japan, Tomoko Omura started playing violin at the age of four. She fell in love with the sounds of jazz and rock and began her studies at Berklee College of Music with Matt Glaser, Mimi Rabson, Rob Thomas, Sandy Kott, and Eugene Friesen. She has since studied with many other Berklee musicians, including Ed Tomassi, Hal Crook, Greg Hopkins, and David Fiuczynski. She can be heard at several venues around the Boston area, including the Wang Theater, the Agganis Arena, and the Matthews Arena, as well as many other locations around the U.S. and Japan. Currently Omura performs with the Guy Mendilow Band, Underground Jazz String Quartet, and L'Una Trio. In May of 2008, she produced and recorded her first album, which contains seven original jazz compositions. Omura can be found online at tomokoomura.com.

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