Today on the Fischarper blog, we have a non-harpist interviewee! I saw Maggie White play the fiddle & mandolin, sing, & do a little step dancing(!) at a Gettys concert earlier this year. I did a little research & then contacted her to see if she’d do an email interview for the blog…& she did! Be sure to read her impressive bio at the end of the post too!
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1. How did you get started playing fiddle (and mandolin, and singing and step dancing)?
I started playing fiddle when I was 4. My parents put me in the Suzuki method with a local teacher and I loved it. Mandolin came later. My mom gave my dad one for Christmas one year and I started playing it off and on for fun. A little while later, I saw one of my fiddle heroes, Natalie MacMaster, dance and play at the same time, so I started taking Irish step dancing lessons in Nashville, TN.
2. What’s tour life like? Your favorite part of it? Your least favorite?
Tour life is great! I’ve been on bus tours since I was 16. It’s wonderful to see so many new places. I’m also a foodie and love trying new things. Touring allows me to go places and see and taste what I normally wouldn’t be able to. My least favorite part is packing my suitcase. I’ve gotten faster at it over time, but my husband still always packs faster than I do.
3. You’ve worked with quite a few musicians. What is your dream collab that you haven’t yet done?
It really seems to happen in the moment. I don’t have a specific person that I want to collaborate with, but I would love to play music with anyone that I love listening to. One of the amazing things about working with Keith & Kristyn Getty is that they value great artistry so much, and they bring on band members and guest artists that reflect that. So often times it’s when you’re on stage with them that you realize this is a dream come true even if you never had that dream.
4. What was/is it like performing on the Grand Old Opry?
The Grand Ole Opry is an amazing place. It’s fast paced. You’re off stage as soon as you’re on, and there’s no time to tweak sounds. But the atmosphere is so encouraging, and the audience is always thrilled to be there. The backstage and all the people that work there make you feel like a star. Often times you run into a musician backstage that you haven’t seen in years so it always feels a bit like a musician’s reunion.
5. What’s your favorite part of your job?
My favorite part is all the wonderful friendships made along the way. It’s an always growing family of musicians that you can count on, and that means a lot.
And there you have it! Be sure to check out Maggie’s website, the Zach & Maggie website, & watch for that upcoming EP! And don’t forget to follow them on Instagram (@zachandmaggiemusic) & Facebook!
-Barbara
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| —————————————————- Maggie White is a stylistically versatile fiddler who also plays mandolin, sings, and dances. To date, Maggie has opened for Neil Armstrong and has also performed multiple times on the Grand Ole Opry with the likes of Mike Snider, the Nashville Irish Step Dancers, and Keith and Kristyn Getty. She has shared the stage with the legendary Buddy Spicher as well as Leahy, and has won and placed in many prestigious fiddle competitions including the Jr. Jr. division of the National Old Time Fiddle Competition in Weiser, ID and the Georgia State Fiddle Championship. Maggie was also a part of the Young American Bluegrass Idols at the International Bluegrass Music Association Awards Show in Louisville, KY. She has two albums to her name, one a solo album, and the other, a duo album with Buddy Spicher. Before graduating Belmont University in Nashville, TN, she was awarded the Presser Scholarship, and was also a winner of the Classical Performers Concerto Competition. Originally from Kentucky, Maggie now resides in Nashville, TN. In addition to touring the United States and internationally with Keith and Kristyn Getty, she is also pursuing a duo group with her husband Zach. Their first EP will be released by January 2019. |
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Barbara Fischer runs Fischarper, LLC and loves her job as a harpist and private music educator. She enjoys blogging about various aspects of the music field on fischarper.com/blog. For more music resources, check out the Fischarper store. Find out where you can find Barbara on the interwebs here. And you can sign up to receive Fischarper updates by joining the email list.