SHAUNCEY ALI

BIOGRAPHY

Shauncey Ali is a multi-instrumentalist, educator, composer, author and entrepreneur who blazes a creative path in the acoustic music world.  A classically-trained violist turned self-taught fiddler, Shauncey's voice is rooted in traditional Americana and Celtic fiddle styles. The result is a unique sound that has been described as "...precise, thoughtful and unexpected."

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Shauncey has performed, recorded and taught in the U.S., Canada, Italy, Spain and Scotland.  His most recent projects include the Katie McNally Trio ("the new face of Scottish fiddling in the US" - Living Tradition) and MadFiddle, a youth fiddle program that has become an anomaly in the music education world.  In addition to his position as creator/director of MadFiddle, Shauncey appears as an artist at string camps, workshops and schools, and teaches in-person and online.

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

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As a 3rd grader, Shauncey began playing viola in the school strings program.  After years of classical instruction, he attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he played in the symphony by day and in clubs by night.  In 2011, Shauncey appeared with Peter Gabriel and the New Blood Orchestra to headline Summerfest, one of the world's largest music festivals.  In 2014 he placed first at the RockyGrass instrument contest and was featured in Fiddler Magazine in 2017.   

Past and ongoing collaborations also include artists such as The Old Tin Can String Band, SweetGrass and Chicken Wire Empire (bluegrass), The BriarPickers (old-time), Blake Thomas and Hayward Williams (singer-songwriter), Buffalo Gospel (country/Americana), WheelHouse, Kadence and Fever Marlene (rock), Gaines and Wagoner (jazz/Americana) and Graminy (class-grass).

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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. 

Song of the Year (2016)

Song for Kacy

Madison Area Music Association

Album of the Year (2016)

Dance of the Plants, Graminy

Madison Area Music Association

Song of the Year (2014)

March of the Cranes

Madison Area Music Association

DISCOGRAPHY