BIO

“The bow drives across the strings, thick and throaty, creating a pulsing sound that feels more of muscle than tendon...a compositional sophistication that is cinematic, transporting, and tantalizingly modern”, wrote The Boston Globe. Ryan McKasson has gained a reputation as a performer, composer, collaborator, and teacher. In 1996 he was the youngest to win the National Scottish Fiddle Championship. In 1997 he was awarded a Merit Scholarship for Viola Performance from the University of Southern California where he studied with Donald McInnes.

In 2004 Ryan and his sister, Cali, formed a band, The McKassons, that eventually included Ryan’s wife, Brooke, and her brother, Matt Jerrell. The McKassons released two critically acclaimed albums, Tall Tales (2004) and Tripping Maggie (2006). Since 2002 he has also been fiddler for a renowned contra dance band, The Syncopaths. They have just released their second album, Five Gears.

Ryan has recorded with Hanneke Cassel on her albums Silver and For Reasons Unseen, and with Alasdair Fraser and Natalie Haas on their newly released album Highlander’s Farewell.

Teaching

Boston Harbor Scottish Fiddling School
Southern Hemisphere International School of Scottish Fiddle (SHISSF), New Zealand
Valley of the Moon Scottish Fiddling School
Festival of American Fiddle Tunes

Concert Halls:

Kennedy Center - Millennium Stage, DC
Ford Amphitheater, LA
Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY
National Gallery, DC

Folk Venues:

Club Passim, Boston
Freight and Salvage, San Fransisco
The Tractor, Seattle
McCabe's Guitar Shop, LA