Biography

Effervescent and engaging, Boston-based fiddler Hanneke Cassel is a performer, teacher and composer whose style fuses influences from the Isle of Skye and Cape Breton Island with Americana grooves and musical innovations. Described by the Boston Globe as “exuberant and rhythmic, somehow wild and innocent, delivered with captivating melodic clarity and an irresistible playfulness," Hanneke has a cutting-edge acoustic sound that retains the integrity and spirit of the Scottish tradition.A native of Port Orford, Oregon, Hanneke started out as a Texas-style fiddler and went on to win the U.S. National Scottish Fiddle Championship. This title awarded her the opportunity to study with Scottish fiddle master Alasdair Fraser and introduced her to fiddle camps and the folk community -- both of which continue to play an integral role in her life. Hanneke teaches regularly at Fraser's Valley of the Moon and Sierra Fiddle Camps, Silk Road’s Global Musician Workshop, the Mike Block String Camp, and Harald Haugaard’s International Fiddle School. She holds a Bachelors in Violin Performance from the Berklee College of Music and has returned there as guest clinician in their American Roots Department. Hanneke has performed across North America, Europe, Australia and Asia. She has been featured at the Celtic Connections Festival, Celtic Colours, Boston WGBH’s Christmas Celtic Sojourn, the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival, and the National Celtic Festival in Australia.