*This project made possible by the New York State Council on the arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. [2026]*

Hello friends!
Below find sheet music, audios, performance notes, and stories about a collection of tunes composed by my sister Becky and yours truly! This project is under construction during 2026, so check back every few weeks for updates!

Enjoy!
~Gretchen

INTRODUCTION • THE KOEHLER COLLECTION

This book began with a simple, practical need: my sister Becky and I often forgot how our own tunes went and would joke that we needed to write a book so we could look ‘em up!

Becky has been composing since she was a teenager. Becky is a swift composer finding herself with a little phrase in her head and searching for a piece of paper (or napkin) to scribble down the idea. She tells me deciding the title for her finished piece is the hard part. I, on the other hand, work in reverse. My inspiration begins with a clear title or image, and then I fret as notes seem to come to me ever-so-slowly.

My little sister was not shy about playing her twisty and intricate tunes. She played them at the high level competitions on the Northeast US & Canadian fiddle circuit. Other fiddlers took notice of her great tunes; several musicians have recorded her work on their own albums. I only wrote a couple tunes back in the day and was hesitant to share. In those early years, I fully embraced my role of arranger, writing lavishly 2 and 3 part harmonies for dozens of tunes. That was where I felt at ease, and never fancied myself a tunesmith.

Both Becky and I were music majors in college, though she took her pre-med studies and continued on to become a dentist, while I became a professional musician and music educator. I was a string arranger for more than twenty-five years when I realized I had not written my own tune in over a decade. To set an example for my students, I began a “tune-a-month” challenge in 2013, and to push myself into sharing, recorded several of them on my albums with pianist Daniel Kelly. Several years later I was commissioned to compose several fiddle tunes for The Orchestra of New York which was a thrill. In 2023 I was honored to receive an Individual Artist Grant from the New York State Council on the Arts and found myself creating a massive composition & film project: Fiddling With Traditions, a new suite of tunes inspired by North Country folk artists. In 2026 I was honored with another Individual Artist Grant from the New York State Council on the Arts as part of “The Fiddlers’ POV” including an online tune bank, arrangements for The North Country Fiddle Orchestra, instructional fiddle worksheets and tune book.

This is a wonderful milestone to now publish The Koehler Collection including seventy-five of our original tunes in three volumes. May you enjoy the stories behind this music and the experience of playing these melodies and harmonies with family and friends.

THE KOEHLER SISTERS • BIO

Growing up in New England, Gretchen and Rebecca Koehler began their career steeped in the Old Time style of fiddling. As they travelled, they became well versed in many American, Canadian and Celtic traditions. Both classically trained violinists, Gretchen & Rebecca have bridged the fiddle and classical worlds, performing as fiddle soloists with orchestras in the US and Europe. Settling in Northern New York State, Gretchen has made it her life's work to pass on the tradition-- for which she was awarded a Heritage Award from Traditional Arts in Upstate New York (TAUNY) and inducted into the New York State Fiddlers' Hall of Fame. In addition to fiddling, Rebecca is also an Irish and Canadian step dancer.

The Koehler Sisters have a "sibling synchronicity" that brings duet fiddling to a new level of beauty and intricacy. Fiddling together for most of their lives, Gretchen & Rebecca's special musical bond was recognized in TIME Magazine and syndicated TV series, "On the Road with Charles Kurault" and "PM Magazine" while they were still in elementary & middle school. By their teens, they had won fiddle championships in nine states and three provinces, including the prestigious Duet Class in Shelburne, Ontario, which was broadcast nationally on CBC Radio. As adults, their musical highlight was bringing traditional fiddling to the historic workshop of 17th century master violin maker Antonio Stradivari in Cremona, Italy.

In addition to performing with her sister, Gretchen plays traditional Irish/New England repertoire with NYC jazz pianist, Daniel Kelly in their duo, Koehler & Kelly and plays old time music with fiddler, Don Woodcock in Northern New York and if often joined by her son Sylvain Foisy on fiddle and step dance. Rebecca has worked as a studio musician with folk singers including Dar Williams (The Honesty Room) and performs with her husband, guitarist Brandt Kronholm in their home in Southern Texas.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I took on the role of transcriber for this collection, handling the layout, graphic design, and chord choices. Rebecca was my trusted note checker, with additional eyes from my fiddle students, The Madstop Fiddlers. Pianist Daniel Kelly and guitarist Brandt Kronholm looked over the chords, and Joel Foisy was on hand to help edit the writing.

We are deeply grateful to Traditional Arts in Upstate New York [TAUNY] for their advocacy for fiddling in the North Country. The Koehler Collection (part of The Fiddlers’ POV project) was supported by the New York State Council on the Arts with funding from the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.

DEDICATION

This collection is dedicated to the next generation of fiddlers. May these tunes move from our hands to yours, as they have through centuries of players before us. We’re part of a long line of musicians, each shaping the tradition through playing, jamming, composing, and arranging. Make it your own and pass it forward.