Wow! Registration is open for Fiddle Hell ONLINE, April 3-6, 2025, with 250 sessions
And the next IN-PERSON Fiddle Hell will be in Westford, MA, November 13-16, 2025
Thanks to Joni Lohr for wonderful Fiddle Hell photography!
FIddle Hell ONLINE, April 3-6, 2025
For 15 years in a row, Fiddle Hell Massachusetts was an in-person event. In 2020, we reimagined Fiddle Hell as an online festival and music camp. It was an exciting new way for our music community to reconnect and stay safe during the pandemic. Fiddle Hell Online went live in November, 2020, with video replays for the next 3 months. Although we missed seeing our musical friends face-to-face, and jamming with them in the hallways, we had front-row seats for every virtual session, and were joined by new attendees and artists from around the world! We had such a good time that we ran a second Fiddle Hell Online in April, 2021. And a third FHO in November, 2021. And starting in 2022, we've held FHO every April.
The seventh Fiddle Hell Online will be on April 3-6, 2025. We're now planning 173 live workshops to learn from,30 live concerts to enjoy, and 27 live jam sessions to join on Zoom, for fiddle, mandolin, cello, guitar, banjo, & singing. That's 250 sessions! Other instruments and listeners are welcome, too. Fiddle Hell artists -- experienced & supportive teachers, and wonderful & inspiring players -- will cover Bluegrass, Blues, Cajun, Cape Breton, East European, Electric, Irish, Jazz, Jazz Manouche, Klezmer, Latin, Mexican, New Acoustic, New England, Old-Time Southern, Québécois, Scandinavian, Scottish, and Swing styles. Historical and technical workshops will be on the program in addition to tune and style learning. Workshops and jams are designed for Beginners, Low Intermediates, High Intermediates, and Advanced players, although you can attend or replay any sessions you like.
Fiddle Hell Online's inspiring and incredible sessions are a great value for players and listeners. Attending FHO is not only an amazing experience, it’s a way for you to support and connect with these wonderful teaching and performing artists. Attendees have said that their broad opportunities for learning (tunes, styles, instruments, techniques), gains in musical inspiration, and renewed connections with the community were priceless! Discounts are always provided for seniors and young musicians, and there are further discounts and many giveaways (books, lessons, CDs, a beautiful fiddle, and free workshops) for early bird signups. Scholarships based on financial need are available.
Attendance and participation at FHO are from your laptop, desktop, tablet, or phone. You'll be viewing live sessions (and replays) from a web browser or mobile app, using our convenient event software called "Whova." At face-to-face Fiddle Hell, you had to make a difficult choice of where to go in each time slot; for FHO, you'll be able to replay videos of prior sessions for 3 months (can extend to 6 or 9 months), so you won't miss your favorite artists, workshop topics, jams, and performers. Optionally, you can access the FHO online community once you register, for discussions, messaging, virtual exhibitors, and technical help if you need it.
On behalf of Fiddle Hell and my family, we hope you are doing ok, staying healthy, and playing music. We had a great time jamming, learning, and having fun with you in in 2024, both online and in-person. We'll see you in April, 2025!
Warmly,
Dave Reiner
Details for April 3-6, 2025
Click the links on the left or use the menus suggested
SCHEDULE - or click on menu Schedule to see 250 sessions
ARTISTS & their SESSIONS - or click on menu Artists
REGISTER or DONATE - or click on menu Register = the orange button (registration is open)
HOW TO - or click on menu Info and choose How To at FH
ORDER T-SHIRTS by April 17 HERE for delivery AFTER Fiddle Hell. We have six styles, in various colors.
VIRTUAL EXHIBITORS - More details in Whova for attendees, using Exhibitors menu
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS - or click on menu Info and choose Q&A about FH (includes early bird violin giveaway and also COVID precautions)
GIVEAWAYS - We'll have an amazing lion-head fiddle and more to give away to early bird registrants.
POLICIES - or click on menu Policies to see our Privacy Policy and Agreements for Attendees, Teens & Kids
Please visit the Fiddle Hell Facebook group, Facebook page, Instagram channel, and YouTube channel (with jam videos & instructor previews) by clicking on the links, or on the icons on the top or bottom of this page.
Click HERE to join the Fiddle Hell email list.
Early bird giveaways
If your registered as an early bird for Fiddle Hell Online by March 15th, you are entered to win a beautiful and unique violin! The earlier you registered, the more chances you'll have to win.
It's a rare German (or perhaps Austrian) carved lion-head violin from the 1880s. This has a new ebony fingerboard, pegs and chinrest, bridge and soundpost, and carbon-fiber composite tailpiece with built-in fine tuners. The instrument has been nicely set up - it is responsive and easy to play, with a full, open tone that works for various styles.
Click HERE to hear Dave play some tunes on it!
It does show some minor wear from almost a century and a half of use, but has a nicely figured two-piece back and ribs, and is free of cracks and any structural issues.
A new Bobolock case is included; provide your own bow. The instrument is worth about $1200, but the coolness factor is way off the charts. Srsly!
This violin knows all your tunes, and the lion eats very little, unlike actual lions!
The winner will be announced at the FHO Saturday Night Concert on April 5th. You do not have to be online at that time to win.
Other monthly early bird giveaways, matched to your musical interests, are books, CDs, strings, Fiddler magazines, and online lessons.
For 20 years, the Fiddle Hell Massachusetts Festival has been a yearly gathering of fiddlers, cellists, mandolin/guitar/banjo players, and singers to meet, jam, learn, listen, and have fun. It's both friendly and diverse, crossing all ages and including many traditional musical styles. To keep ourselves safe during the pandemic, we re-imagined Fiddle Hell as an online festival and music camp. We have enjoyed six Fiddle Hell Onlines, with a seventh planned for April 3-6, 2025. Typically, there are about 10% beginners, 30% low intermediates, 35% high intermediates, and 25% advanced players, with many workshop and jam session choices at each level.
The invention of the late, great fiddler Dale Hopkins from Missouri, "Fiddle Hell" events have occurred in fun locations worldwide. Prior Fiddle Hells have been held in the US, the UK, the Netherlands, and Germany. Dale used the term "Fiddle Hell" to refer to the unique sound of many fiddlers playing a tune together. While Dale's two Fiddle Hell gatherings involved performances for the public as well as some informal sharing of tunes and techniques, Dave Reiner extended the concept to make the Fiddle Hell Massachusetts Festival more of a hands-on festival for all ages, with hundreds of scheduled workshops and jam sessions led by a wonderful group of experienced and supportive teaching artists, as well as many amazing concerts. The Fiddle Hell Massachusetts Festival and Fiddle Hell Online are now run by the Fiddle Hell Massachusetts LLC.
In 2019, we had 800+ musicians as attendees at the fifteenth Fiddle Hell Massachusetts, held at the Westford Regency Inn & Conference Center in Westford, MA. Participants came from as far away as Scotland, Germany, Canada, California, Alabama, Michigan, Texas and Florida, and from as near as Westford, MA, itself. They played and learned in many styles - New England, Irish, Scottish, Cape Breton, Southern Old-TIme, Bluegrass, French Canadian, Jazz, Swing, Scandinavian, Klezmer, Blues, Electric, World, and more. Many tunes were taught, along with the stylistic details of the different traditions. In-depth workshops on techniques covered jamming, learning by ear, backing up singers, music theory, bowing patterns, improvisation, looping, and much more. Informal hallway jams in 9 "jam spots" were active through most of the day and night. For attendees, instructors, and staff, 2019 was a Fiddle Hell to remember!
In November, 2020, we held our first Fiddle Hell Online, with over 800 attendees. Without physical space limitations, we increased the number of concerts to 35, along with 35 jams and 170 workshops. While there were no hallway jams or in-person hugs with musical friends, attendees really appreciated "front-row" seats for all sessions, and the ability to replay all sessions (and even slow them down) for the next 3 months. We were excited to offer many more workshops that provided opportunities to learn about the contributions and roles of people of color in the origins and evolution of the instruments, tunes, and styles we play. In April, 2021, we held our second Fiddle Hell Online, with over 900 attendees. In November, 2021, the third FHO had over 800 attendees. In April, 2022, the fourth FHO was held, with lots of new instructors and sessions. In April, 2023, the fifth FHO was held and was fun for all, followed by the 6th FHO in Aprll, 2024. And the 7th FHO is coming up on April 3-6, 2025, with 3 months (can be extended to 6 months) of replays!
We re-started Fiddle Hell in-person in November, 2022, in Westford, MA, and enjoyed it again in November of 2023 and 2024. Each time, more than 500 happy musicans gathered for concerts, workshops, and jams (guided and informal). Many tunes flew by, and it was great to be together in person. And it's returning November 13-16, 2025!
Our plan is to hold FH online every April, and in person every November. Mark your calendar:
Fiddle Hell Online, April 3-6, 2025
Fiddle Hell In-Person, Westford, MA, Nov 13-16, 2025
Fiddle Hell Online and the Fiddle Hell Massachusetts Festival are run by the Fiddle Hell Massachusetts LLC. Our events are loosely sponsored online by the Fiddle and Alternative Strings Forum and the Fiddle Hangout. At these websites, you'll find discussions, event listings, and other resources; you can join for free and read about past and future Fiddle Hell meetings.
Our long-time sponsors, D'Addario and CodaBow, have resumed giveaways at the in-person Fiddle Hells. You can read more about other sponsors in the Virtual Exhibits once you're registered.
We're working closely with Maine Fiddle Camp, Ashokan Camps, Northeast Heritage Music Camp, Creative Strings Workshop, Groton Hill Music Center, Strings Without Boundaries, Music Camps North, New England Folk Festival (NEFFA), Fiddleheads, Janie's Jumpstart Camps, Acadia Trad Camp, Boston States Fiddle Camp, Baltimore Old-Time Jam, Camp Calvin, Royal Scottish Country Dance Society (RCSDS), Alasdair Fraser's Camps, Groton Hill Music Center, The Music Emporium, Blue Ridge Fiddle Camp, the David Surette Mandolin Festival, New Directions Cello Festival, Rob Flax Summer Strings Retreat, Say Sister! Festival, and Rustic Roots Camp on cross-promotion and best practices for online teaching.
Thanks to Jenna Moynihan, frequent Fiddle Hell teaching artist, for the photo!
