Fiddle around with Springer Mountain Farms Chicken as they present the 48th Annual Grand Master Fiddler Championship on Saturday August 31st and Sunday September 1st, 2019 (Labor Day Weekend) in Nashville at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in the Ford Theater. This competition is a huge deal in the fiddle community, with the best players in the world assembling to be judged by five former champions who listen from behind a curtain to determine the best of the best in a blind contest.
In 2018, three-time runner up Trustin Baker of Missouri claimed the Championship after finishing in second place 2016-2018, so it should be quite a battle to see who takes home the crown this year. The weekend will also feature some special guests as part of the program. On Saturday the 31st, renowned fiddle player and founding member of the Grammy award-winning group Old Crow Medicine Show will be serving as a judge for the Traditional category and will be performing in the afternoon.
On Sunday, the GMFC welcomes back their youngest champion ever, Mark O’Connor, acclaimed as one of the greatest fiddle players of his generation. O’Connor will be honored with the Dr. Perry F. Harris Distinguished Fiddler award for his contributions and support for fiddlers and fiddle music. Mark and his wife Maggie will be performing on Sunday afternoon and will have information about the O'Connor Method, a new American School of String Playing.
The events kick off both days at 9:45 with modern-day western swing music masters "The Farmer and Adele" playing the National Anthem as well as serving as hosts and emcees of the competitions. There will be multiple divisions of the competition from Youth fiddlers all the up to the Master Champion. After the competitions end around 5:00 each day, guests will find themselves right in the middle of the entertainment district of downtown Nashville and Lower Broad where they’ll encounter no shortage of fantastic music and great spots to eat. Make plans now to attend, and your admission is included in your ticket to visit the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.
