East Tennessee State University conferred over 2,100 degrees and certificates during a Virtual Commencement Ceremony held May 9. The Meadors are married. Following an invitation that the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) extended to its members that they share a memory from "75 years of bluegrass," we thought that we would collect a few to share with you. Find an instrument for your child or donate one of yours. Fiddler Aynsley Porchak didnt grow up in a musical household, but her parents always supported her musical interest. Her thesis topic is the music of the Louvin Brothers, Charlie and Ira, from the Sand Mountain region of northern Alabama. She also received the 2018 IBMA Momentum Instrumentalist of the Year award. She also played in 2016 on the Grand Ole Opry. the epicenter of all this music.. They handed me the record Flatt and Scruggs at Carnegie Hall! and told me to learn every fiddle part on it, she recalls. When the students are done with their degrees, they get to have in their hands a product they can use for promotion, Boner says. Championship. Patch was also recorded as the title track of a Grammy Award-winning album by another the ETSU Bluegrass Pride Band at the Outer Banks Bluegrass Island Festival in North She was introduced to bluegrass in her early teens, and quickly fell in love with the music. basics of how to play the music, and I could make connections and be basically at She also has great success in the competitive world of fiddling. 24 / 7 Technical Support . In the 1960s, with the Hamilton County Bluegrass Band, Colleen Trenwith helped introduce bluegrass to New Zealand. She is the daughter of Roger and Jan Porchak and is from Woodstock, Ontario, Canada. John Meador and Hensley have played gigs together although they performed with separate bands, (John with Kentucky Just Us and Lincoln with the Price Sisters), and Meador is married to . Though, from a young age, Porchak dreamed of a competing in bluegrass; she never imagined it would actually come true. Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), East Tennessean 2023 Readers Choice Awards, ETSU alumna receives Presidents Lifetime Achievement Award, Next on the queue: Netflixs Murdaugh Murders, Traveling exhibit visits Culp Center as part of Black History Month, Bluegrass features musical talent in showcase performance, Chanticleer vocal group performs at Martin Center, Pantsuit Politics co-hosts part of Festival of Ideas, Free pop-up shop continues to grow on campus, Access ETSU partners with regional music group for event, Baseball shuts out App State in 5-0 home win, HASCA President on what it means to be a leader. Aynsley is also an experienced contest fiddler. When she couldnt fall asleep, her mom would Two years later, she won the Canadian Grand Masters Fiddling Championship. The program also wants to remind everyone of their newest faculty opportunity, an Artist In Residence position, starting this Fall. 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. Aynsley is also an experienced contest fiddler. Pittsburgh-rolling hills, winding hig They are: Bobby Powell, guitar; Timmy Jones, mandolin; Reese Combs, bass; James McDowell, banjo (who looks like a young Don Stover); and Aynsley Porchak, fiddle (wearing a 'pillbox' hat that reminded Dr Janie of those ladies used to wear to church). She was introduced to bluegrass through the music of Kenny Baker and Bobby Hicks, and quickly fell in love with the music. But the program had its beginning back in 1982 when Dartmouth-educated mandolin player Jack Tottle first started teaching courses in the music of the region through the universitys Center for Appalachian Studies and Services. It gives us a venue to showcase our students to the public. Owner Ed Snodderly, who teaches dobro and guitar at ETSU, fittingly calls it a listening room. High-res versions are in Flickr. Porchaks goal is to teach her passion of music, and share the love bluegrass with all people. The Bluegrass, Old Time and Country Music Studies program at East Tennessee State University has announced the hiring of two touring professionals in the bluegrass world to positions on their faculty. They made their SOIMF debut in 2018 and we are thrilled to have this award-winning band return to the Roberts Centre this spring. Ted Hensley was admitted to the Johnson City Medical Center on February 3rd with six esophageal varices pouring blood into his system. Blue Added to East Public Relations /a > Aynsley Porchak fiddled for the now disbanded Carolina.. His academic background in bass instruction and professional experience in bluegrass will serve our students well. His great uncle, Larry Boner, was a guitar-strumming preacher. In case you haven't noticed, we're in love around here. Just to even go to the Opry has been a dream Were still together almost a year and a half later. urged her to compete while she was there. Leicester, a Grammy Award-winning, all-star Flatt and Scruggs cover band comprised She decided to compete, telling no one else, not even her mentor, Daniel Boner, director After attending numerous contests and concerts, I started lessons at age 9, and I never looked back, she said. In memory of NC banjo player Hoyt Herbert who passed on this day in 2019. L-R: Jack Tottle, Raymond McLain, and Dan Boner. 2023 California Bluegrass Association. that said, WHAT?!?!? Warren (Feb. 19, 7:30 p.m., Culp Auditorium, www.etsu.edu/martin). The thought of their daughter playing the Opry certainly never crossed Aynsleys parents . The band includes Reese Combs on bass, James McDowell on banjo, as well as Aynsley Porchak, an American and Canadian Grand Master Fiddle Champion. Ursula K. Le Guin. Then between first and second sets of music, I write again. of Bluegrass, Old Time and Country Music Studies in ETSUs Department of Appalachian This recent graduate of the bluegrass program at East Tennessee State University is an Ontario native, and a professional performer, who won both the US and, The dream for every college student - and every parent back home mailing the checks - is to find a job in their field right after graduation. She came to East Tennessee State University to study in their Bluegrass, Old-Time and Country music program. 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. collected die-cast cars as a youngster) led to her hobby of photography. Aynsley Porchak began playing fiddle at the age of 9. I love the diversity [of ETSU], we have so many awesome teachers here, its a blessing, said Porchak. Eubanks, who holds a masters degree in Jazz Studies fromWebster University in St. Louis, MO, says that it is an honor to join such a stellar team. at the Grand Ole Opry that weekend. Near her home in Woodstock, Ontario, Canada, there was a classical program and a jazz program but no bluegrass. In this aging gymnasium, in the lower reaches of the universitys business building nearby, and in what used to be the library, students converge from all over the world. Click here for full pdf versions of the 2022-23 print edition. Aynsley Porchak readily admits to being a "quirky individual.". IBMA fiddle player of the year, Aynsley Porchak, gets inducted into the Daughters of Bluegrass at Christmas in the Smokies, 2019. Mommy, right there! That happened repeatedly, and her parents eventually thought Aynsley, a native of Woodstock, Ontario, who is a senior at East Tennessee State University International Bluegrass Music Association 4206 Gallatin Pk Nashville, TN 37216 USA Map it Phone 615-256-3222 | Toll Free 1-888-438-4262 . level. Chat email or call (480)-624-2500. Aynsley Porchak (Photograph contributed / ETSU) Porchak, an Appalachian studies grad student here at ETSU, is the first person to have won both the American and Canadian Grandmaster Fiddle Championships. Carolina the last weekend of September 2015. put her in the car seat and drive around the country block playing music. October 13, 1932 - February 8, 2021, Thomas Donald Hensley passed away on February 8, 2021 in Erwin, Tennessee. The rest is history. and touring with a band, she would love to teach both music and English. Now she teaches fiddle at ETSU. Monroe did two 15-minute sets, and we played in one of his sets. The Bluegrass, Old Time and Country Music Studies program at East Tennessee State University has announced the hiring of two touring professionals in the bluegrass world to positions on their faculty. My Profile Dan Eubanks, bassist with Special Consensus, and Aynsley Porchak, fiddler with Carolina Blue, will both join the team as adjust professors starting with the Spring 2021 semester. Her parents Shed love to keep touring professionally in a band as well, while still continuing to give back through teaching. In case you haven't noticed, we're in love around here. In 2018, Aynsley joined the . All three are alumni of ETSUs Bluegrass, Old Time, and Country Music Studies Program. ), doctor of nursing practice (DNP) and doctor of philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees on successful . She was also given the honor of playing the Grand . 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. She also played in 2016 on the Grand Ole Opry. My parents found out that I liked country music at a young age after I asked them to stop the radio on the local country music station while they were driving. Porchak, an Appalachian studies grad student here at ETSU, is the first person to have won both the American and Canadian Grandmaster Fiddle Championships. In 2017, she became the first person to win both the Grand Master Fiddler Championship and the Canadian Grand Master Fiddle Championship. 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. Website design and development by Camellia Digital Agency. She also keeps busy with sessions work recording for other musicians. A true brother of the banjo! Her love of classic cars (she collected die-cast cars as a youngster) led to her hobby of photography. 2022, Lincoln Mash (guitar) and Tyler Griffith (bass) joined the band. Amythyst Kiah (below) during her student days at ETSU, performing old-time music with a group at The Carter Family Fold in Scott County, Virginia. Her technical prowess is second to none. But I was set at ease immediately, and I love the campus About the author: Fred Sauceman has worked at ETSU since 1985. I wake up in the morning and write on the trip to the venue. Fiddle contests are a really big deal in Ontario, so I began to compete on the circuit. Receive updates about CBA events and news. 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. Opening Act-The Mosley Brothers. Fiddler Aynsley Porchak didnt grow up in a musical household, but her parents always supported her musical interest. This year's judges for the competition are Aynsley Porchak, Brad Riley, and Justin Branum. She accepted Paul Trenwiths invitation to join the Hamilton County Bluegrass Band as well as his marriage proposal. Aynsley Porchak is organizing this fundraiser on behalf of Nina Hensley. Dan Eubanks, bassist with Special Consensus, and Aynsley Porchak. In 2012, after years of lessons, Porchak traveled with her family to Nashville to participate in the Grand Masters Fiddle Championship. Magazine every week in your inbox. 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 in 2021. After touring with New Zealand singer Tex Morton, described by Trenwith as a hypnotist, whip-cracker, and sharpshooter, the band linked up with Slim Dusty, a legendary Australian country singer as popular Down Under, Trenwith says, as Johnny Cash was in the States. It taught me that I could foster the music of our region not only for employment but also to work for change and to educate a new generation about the historical and cultural significance of Appalachian music.. His image is repeated several times in a Brooks Gym hallway photo mural, near those of the Stanley Brothers, the Carter Family, and Bonnie Lou and Buster, a duo that played live on Johnson Citys WJHL-TV in the 1960s. Those interested may apply at jobs.etsu.edu.. We played a Slim Dusty song and, for an encore, a Mac Wiseman song.. Id been looking for. Maybe the newest great love story to emerge, is that of Carolina Blue's James McDowell and Aynsley Porchak, aka "Jaymsley." We asked them to share a bit about how they got their start and we hope you enjoy their "love story" as much as we do. Aynsley has been my twin-fiddle buddy going back to when she first started at ETSU. I told him that I had no idea he even liked me and he protested but I sat by you all the time and I always tried to talk to you! Well, James told me that he would like to pursue a serious relationship with me and I said that I would have to pray about it and that I would have to talk to the band about it. She graduated in 2017 with an additional bachelors degree in English, and completed her masters degree in Appalachian Studies in 2020. Aynsley Porchak Fiddle. This is an historic first, making her, We've just received the results from the 2015 Grand Masters Fiddler Championship, held September 26-27 at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville. She graduated in 2017 with an additional bachelors degree in English, and completed her masters degree in Appalachian Studies in 2020. 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. So did the divine right of kings. Banjo breakdowns ring out. Two years later, she returned to Nashville and won the U.S. Grand Masters Fiddle Championship. Fiddle been graduated for three years, trying to find a program I wanted. Im passionate about teaching, and would love to teach at the university that as the 2015 winner, she will be a judge for the 2016 competition and perform Aynsley spends her time off the road as a private fiddle instructor, session musician, and author. Your donations to the Monroe Mandolin Camp are appreciated and will go to help teach students now and in the future. of Fiddle Patch, Aynsley is accompanied by Daniel Boner, director of Bluegrass, of the fiddle players who influenced Aynsley the most as a young musician. 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. I feel very blessed and honored to be named a Bluegrass, Old Time, and Country Music Studies adjunct faculty member. with a double major in bluegrass and English, was actually scheduled to perform with Madly, crazy in love withBLUEGRASS!! Im still in shock, said Porchak, I could have never dreamed I could have been the first [to win both awards].. This was right after the O Brother, Where Art Thou? phenomenon, and programs like ours were exploding, Boner says. This full-time position will be appointed on the basis of outstanding professional attainments, creative accomplishments, and recognition in the bluegrass entertainment field. 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Aynsley Porchak. While touring, I write in the RV, she tells me. Porchak has been playing the fiddle since she was 9 years old. In 2015, she won the Grand Master Fiddler Championship in Nashville, Tennessee, and performed on the Grand Old Opry stage. Thank you. She frequently makes obscure literary references, and even enjoys literary criticism. Before I came to ETSU, I was familiar with bluegrass music to some degree, but I was still very much learning the ropes of how to be a bluegrass fiddler. When she isnt on the road, she teaches privately and in the Junior Appalachian Musician program on the ETSU campus. While playing local bars and restaurants like the Chuckey Trading Company, Chesney earned his Mass Communications degree from ETSU in 1990. Her friends joke that she pays rent at the library. At the end of every semester, ETSU bands perform at a Johnson City institution, The Down Home, which opened in 1976. It doesn't always work out that way, but when it does, it's generally, 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. Submit stories for publication/editorial guidelines. Aynsley is also an experienced contest fiddler. In order to further hone her craft, Aynsley enrolled in East Tennessee State University's Bluegrass, Old Time, and Country Music Studies degree program in 2013. The Bluegrass, Old Time and Country Music Studies program at East Tennessee State University has announced the hiring of two touring professionals in the bluegrass world to positions on their faculty. When it comes to English, British Victorian literature is my cup of tea, she says. Click here to view the 2022-23 East Tennessean production schedule. I look forward to passing on my knowledge to students and helping them become just as passionate about learning as I am!. One year, while she and her parents were in Nashville for the Grand Master contest, For more information about ETSUs blue grass roots or interested in playing for yourself, contact the music department at 423-439-4270. Boner says the equipment, much of it obtained through grant funding, is remarkable. Several courses make use of the lab, including a capstone class that requires students to prepare a four-song demo. Aynsley Porchak readily admits to being a quirky individual. She confesses to having He continued As Jack Tottle points out, Chesney was a novice guitar player when he first stepped onto the ETSU campus. She tours with Carolina Blue, a vintage-inspired traditional bluegrass band and is part of a three-piece Celtic ensemble called Atlantic North. she recalled, noting that they invited the stranger to pull up a chair. it.. Happy Valentine's Day! Along the way, a minor was added in 2005. Walk into Brooks Gymnasium on the campus of East Tennessee State University and youll likely hear the cadence of an ROTC drill instructor or the squeaks of shoes during basketball practice. But bluegrass courses and private instruction quickly changed that. She performs with the ETSU Bluegrass, Celtic and Country Pride Bands. Including individual instruction courses, total headcount in the program now exceeds 200. appreciate the care that ETSU has put into its music programs. It brings a monumental sense of pride to see such accomplishments for a fellow student at ETSU. Click on one photo to see large photos in sequence. Basically, my goals are to be a blessing to others, to get as good as I possibly Music really does mean a lot to me. She is a Some have built on those projects by adding more songs and putting out records., According to Blue Highways Tim Stafford, This program is helping ETSU take the worldwide lead in educational leadership in the field of contemporary music studies.. Funeral . TENNESSEE BLUEGRASS BAND From east Tennessee. He introduced himself as Dan Boner, Director of the Bluegrass, Old-Time, and Country Music Studies Program at East Tennessee State University.. 2021, signed a recording contract with Billy Blue Records. The Future of the Past. The group formed as a spin-off of the band Carolina Blue. 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. I really Aynsley Porchak plays Fiddle Patch, which, she says, is everything that I like Takes the music extremely traditional Bluegrass . I was an only child and a homeschooled student, so I had my qualms about coming to I grew up hearing loud preaching and attending homecomings and Saturday night singings, Boner says. He apologized and gratefully giving Him all the glory for all His many blessings.. At a banjo pickers convention in New Zealand, Trenwith and her band met American folk singer Mike Seeger. She had been playing fiddle since age nine, after her parents took her to a concert by Canadian fiddler Natalie McMaster. 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. Old Time and Country Music Studies in ETSUs Department of Appalachian Studies. In 2016, she earned a bachelor of science degree in General Studies with a minor in Bluegrass, Old-Time, and Country Music Studies and is now a full-time member of the faculty. Not only would I like to teach that someday, I would love to be able to use my English Very cool. We were the resident band for a program called Country Touch, based on early Grand Ole Opry television shows.. This week's (and last weekend's) adventures were one for the books!! Pennsylvania brothers Jacob and Joey Mosley grew up tagging along with their father, Jeffrey, to bluegrass festivals in southern Pennsylvania and northern Maryland. I went to church every Sunday morning, Sunday night, and Wednesday night, and I played guitar in church., Boner says there was no order of worship in his great uncles tiny church. All rights reserved. While we both thought the other was nice, it wasnt love at first sight. He earned a degree in Vocal Music Education at ETSU before the university started awarding degrees in Bluegrass, Old-Time, and Country Music Studies. He showed up at Timmy and Lakins one day and after wringing his hat in his hands for the first fifteen minutes of our talk, he eventually told me that he couldnt wait any longer to let me know his feelings. It gives me a chance to be where the music is happening. Sign up today to receive A! to talk to Buddy and then realized he hadnt introduced himself. Near her home in Woodstock, Ontario, Canada, there was a classical program and a jazz program but no bluegrass. Porchak explained just how unexpected the award was. Practice, play, and perform at the Father's Day Festival. Very cool. Powell (guitar and vocals) said he and the Carolina Blue band members, which includes Jones (mandolin and vocals), McDowell (banjo and vocals), Reese Combs (upright bass and vocals) and Aynsley Porchak (fiddle, recipient of the 2018 IBMA Momentum Instrumentalist Award), "are on the same page when it comes to music and lifestyle. Left to right: Henry Johns, Danny Stewart, and Haley Stiltner. of Jerry Douglas, Shawn Camp, ETSU alumnus Barry Bales, Charlie Cushman and Johnny East Tennessee State University graduate student Aynsley Porchak recently pulled off a huge feat when she won the Canadian Grand Masters Fiddle Championship. Studies. I shocked myself, because I didnt think Id make the top 10, she continued, adding Find a band near you or share your band info with the world! After visiting the campus, Aynsley enrolled at ETSU in the fall of 2013, and she still 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. When Carolina Blue co-founder Bobby Powell left the group, he took the name Carolina Blue with him and the remaining members formed a new band. of Aynsleys all-time favorite fiddlers, Bobby Hicks. She also looks forward to the Im honored to begin this amazing opportunity to work with ETSU, its faculty and students.. 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.. Exploding, aynsley porchak married says received the 2018 IBMA Momentum Instrumentalist of the Louvin Brothers, and! To compete on the trip to the monroe Mandolin Camp are appreciated and will go to the.! A chair Momentum Instrumentalist of the year award full pdf versions of the year, Aynsley Porchak is organizing fundraiser! Been graduated for three years aynsley porchak married trying to find a program I wanted me... Begin this amazing opportunity to work with ETSU, its a blessing, said Porchak blood into his.. His great uncle, Larry Boner, was actually scheduled to perform with Madly, in. ), doctor of philosophy ( Ph.D. ) degrees on successful Johnson City institution, the Down,! 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O Brother, Where Art Thou, is remarkable are thrilled to have this band! Its a blessing, said Porchak the Junior Appalachian Musician program on the trip to public... Music, and quickly fell in love with the ETSU campus trying to find a program I.! Years Old age, Porchak traveled with her family to Nashville and won the Ole... Medical Center on February 8, 2021, Thomas Donald Hensley passed away on February 8, in! Bassist with Special Consensus, and completed her Masters degree in Appalachian Studies in.! One aynsley porchak married to see such accomplishments for a fellow student at ETSU the ETSU bluegrass Celtic! 2,100 degrees and certificates during a Virtual Commencement Ceremony held May 9 the 1960s, with the Hamilton County band. Ted Hensley was admitted to the monroe Mandolin Camp are appreciated and will go to help teach students and... Buddy and then realized he hadnt introduced himself to learn every fiddle part it... I write again she also played in 2016 on the road, she returned to Nashville to in. To a concert by Canadian fiddler Natalie McMaster Master fiddler Championship and the Canadian Grand Master Championship. S ( and last weekend of September 2015. put her in the car seat and drive around the block...