Hanneke Cassel Band

Overview

The Hanneke Cassel Band creates a cutting-edge acoustic sound that retains the integrity and spirit of the Scottish tradition.

A driving force in the ever-changing landscape of acoustic music, Hanneke Cassel blends originality with the spirit of Scottish traditional fiddle. Fusing musical roots from the Isle of Skye and Cape Breton Island with Americana stylings, Hanneke’s playing has been described by the Boston Globe as “exuberant and rhythmic, somehow wild and innocent, delivered with captivating melodic clarity and an irresistible playfulness.” Beyond the strings of her fiddle, it is Hanneke’s hugely generous presence and passion that round out her magnetism as a performer on the world stage of fiddle music.

The Hanneke Cassel Band features Jenna Moynihan on 5-string fiddle/vocals and Keith Murphy on guitar/vocals. Jenna Moynihan is regarded as one of the best of the new generation of freestyle fiddlers. Versatile and inventive, her fiddling style draws strongly from the Scottish tradition, but is also influenced by American, Irish, and Swedish styles. Jenna has a duo with cutting edge harpist Màiri Chaimbeul and is a regular fiddler for the Seamus Egan Project. A dedicated teacher, Jenna teaches at various camps and serves as Assistant Professor of Strings at Berklee College of Music.

Newfoundland-born guitarist Keith Murphy is a rhythmic powerhouse on guitar and a traditional singer of rare finesse. A native of Newfoundland, he has lived in New England for many years where he has been an influential presence in the traditional music scene through his work with many respected bands, as a tune writer and as director of the Northern Roots Festival in Brattleboro, VT. He has four solo recordings of traditional songs, the most recent being Bright As Amber (2023).