SHAUNCEY ALI

Shauncey Ali is an instrumentalist, composer, educator and author who blazes a creative path in the acoustic music world.  He has won the coveted RockyGrass fiddle competition, performed with Peter Gabriel, been featured in Fiddler Magazine and earned acclaim as a performer, writer and instructor - work that has taken him across the U.S., Canada, Italy, Spain and Scotland.   

 

His voice draws from the deep wells of Celtic and Americana fiddle traditions, a love for improvisation, extensive experience in classical orbits and sensibilities influenced by pop, rock and Scandinavian music.  The result is a unique sound that has been described as "...precise, thoughtful and unexpected."

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Shauncey's most recent project, the Shauncey Ali Quartet, is a modern-acoustic ensemble that weaves the fabric of traditional fiddle music into a tapestry of contemporary compositions.  The outfit delivers a chamber-style interplay, crafting evocative melodies and arrangements that feel timeless, adventurous and refreshingly new. 

 

He is also an original member of the Katie McNally Trio, who released their second full-length album in 2020, and class-grass ensemble Graminy, who released four recordings of original music from 2010-2018.

 

Shauncey is the creator and director of MadFiddle, a youth development program that has become an anomaly in the music education world.  MadFiddle has nurtured hundreds of aspiring fiddlers since 2012, with graduates attending the Berklee College of Music, Oberlin Conservatory of Music, Belmont University, UW-Madison and many more.  In addition to his work with MadFiddle, Shauncey appears as an artist at string camps, workshops and schools.

 

Ali's release,  Backcountry Ramble: A Collection of Original Fiddle Tunes is a tune book and companion cd featuring all original compositions.  His most recent publication, MadFiddle Vol. 1: Fiddle Tunes & Folk Songs, is an instructional tune/songbook that showcases selections from the curriculum he developed for MadFiddle.   

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Shauncey is the creator of Strapsey, offering a decorative line of instrument case straps for stringed instruments.  Strapsey supports some of the most inspiring musicians and prominent music dealers in the country. 

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As a 3rd grader, Shauncey began playing viola in the school strings program.  He attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison on a full viola scholarship, where he played in the symphony by day and in rock bands by night.  Since then he has collaborated with bands ranging from bluegrass and old-time to singer-songwriter to class-grass to rock and jazz/Americana. ​