I never thought I would be here.

Throwback to this moment from this time last year, looking down on Grant Park in Chicago from my apartment, sipping a cup of earl gray tea, looking at two sold out weeks of shows at the Cadillac Palace.

I remember how lost I was as a music student, knowing I wanted a future in music that I didn’t see represented in the world. Fast-forward to a joyful and full career that has surpassed even my wildest dreams. It was in moments of reflection like this that I dreamed up a way to share this experience with others.

What if I could help teach the next generation of violinists about what else is out there? Help them find support and love in the wild freedom that fiddle music brings to us?

I am so grateful for this particular moment in Chicago, the creation of Fiddle Club that sprung out of this, and the wild creativity I have watched blossom in my life and that of many others.

Music can be a hard road, but dang it, sometimes it is just so beautiful.