Hope Hoffman & Kittlish
Original and New England fiddle music
Short Bio:
A lively & inventive trio presenting Hope Hoffman's original tunes & the traditional music which inspires them.
Hope's musical style, on fiddle, viola and voice, is noted for its evocative beauty and rough-and-tumble playfulness.
Larry Burkett, on guitar, accompanies many traditional fiddle players including Fiddle-iscious and occasionally the Don Roy Trio and Lucien Mathieu.
Hugh McGinness plays cittern, crosstuned guitar and, if we're lucky, jaw harp. He is also one third of the Irish trio Feckless.
Medium Bio:
Hope Hoffman and her band, Kittlish, present her original fiddle and viola tunes, often-comic storytelling about the farming, winterizing and neighborly adventures which inspire them, and a rhythmic and lyrical repertoire of traditional Irish, Scottish, French Canadian, English and Scandinavian music.
Hope's musical style on fiddle, viola and voice is noted for its evocative beauty & rough-and-tumble playfulness, with influences including Maine dance fiddlers and early music. With a lifetime of experience as a writer, actress and dancer, Hope has been a professional musician in New England for several years, and is known for her warm and personable performances from Presque Isle to Manhattan.
Hugh McGinness is a regular performer on cittern, guitar, banjo, jaw harp, etc. He is also one third of the Irish trio Feckless, with George Fowler on fiddle and Susanne Ward on pipes.
Larry Burkett accompanies traditional fiddle players on guitar, including Fiddle-iscious and occasionally the Don Roy Trio.
Long Bio:
Hope Hoffman's New Maine Fiddle Music
Composer and fiddler Hope Hoffman, and her band Kittlish, present original New England-style fiddle tunes, along with the stories and traditional music which inspired their creation.
Hope's collection of fiddle tunes, "Infinite Winter Squash," is influenced by Maine dance music (which draws on Scots-Irish, French and Scandinavian traditions), and her imaginative and narrative approach to composing.
The often-humorous stories behind the tunes highlight the everyday adventures of farmers and neighbors, enjoying, grappling with or musing over farm foods and extreme weather.
Hope Hoffman performs regularly at downtown festivals, restaurants, weddings, and community gatherings. She has a lifetime of experience as a writer, actress and dancer and has worked as a professional musician in New England for several years.
In addition to composing, she gives concerts, fiddles in various combinations for contra dances, and plays solo fiddle for barn dances. She also leads sessions for children's museums and festivals featuring live music, creative movement and folk dance.
Hugh McGinness is a regular performer on cittern, guitar, banjo, jaw harp, etc. He has been playing some kind of music or another for nearly 50 years, and is also one third of the Irish trio Feckless, with George Fowler on fiddle and Susanne Ward on pipes.
Larry Burkett accompanies traditional fiddle players on guitar, including Fiddle-iscious, and occasionally the Don Roy Trio and Lucien Mathieu.
Link to photos and audio at www.kittlish.com.
Hope Hoffman
www.hopehoffman.org
(207) 332-3459
Business address: P.O. Box 171, Bowdoinham, ME 04008