The Fiddler’s POV: A Listening Guide to Fiddle Styles with Gretchen Koehler

Pack your (imaginary) bags and join fiddler Gretchen Koehler, your musical tour guide, for a journey across the wide world of fiddling. This interactive, multimedia experience goes beyond a typical lecture. With live fiddle playing, video clips, and fun listening challenges along the way, you’ll journey through fiddle traditions from the U.S., Canada, Europe, and beyond -exploring the sounds of each region from the fiddler’s point of view.

En route, you’ll learn to recognize the rhythms, ornamentation, and stylistic nuances that give each tradition its distinct voice. Whether you’re a listener or musician, this guided tour offers a rich sampling of regional and global fiddle styles, all from your seat at the Potsdam Public Library.

About the artist: Gretchen Koehler is a fiddler, performer and educator with an atlas of musical styles at her fingertips. She is a TAUNY Heritage Award recipient, North American Fiddlers Hall of Fame inductee (NY rep.), and a 2026 NYSCA Individual Artist Grant recipient. www.gretchenkoehlermusic.com