Mike Marshall and Darol Anger
Fiddler/violinist Darol Anger and multi-instrumental virtuoso Mike Marshall are pioneers of the New Acoustic Music movement, which is still bringing folk, jazz, bluegrass and world music influences together in an instrumental acoustic setting. Together as members of the original David Grisman Quintet, The Montreux Band, Psychograss, and their Duo – and individually as members of The Turtle Island String Quartet, The Modern Mandolin Quartet, Edgar Meyer’s Short Trip Home group, The Republic Of Strings, and others– it is fair to say they have influenced more than 3 generations of musicians, setting up the playing field for groups such as Punch Brothers, Aoife O’Donovan, Hawktail, Sierra Hull, and generations of “Jam bands” such as The Infamous Stringdusters and Greensky Bluegass. Darol and Mike have created their own way of speaking – through their instruments. When discussing the Duo’s live performances, people often use phrases like “synergy,” “magical space”, “sounds like 5 people playing”, or “space travelers.” Their connection and shared repertoire goes very deep, developed over 45 years of music-making in a huge variety of music styles and settings. It is very rare what these two have the ability to do in concert: communicating through their instruments that is nothing short of breathtaking.
Representation and Touring Formats
Representation: Exclusive – North America
Touring Formats: Duo
Educational: Workshops on both violin and mandolin
Fiddler Darol Anger has helped drive the evolution of the contemporary string band through his involvement with numerous pathbreaking ensembles such as his Republic Of Strings, the Turtle Island String Quartet, the David Grisman Quintet, Montreux, the Psychograss, The Duo and other ensembles. Today Darol can be heard on the Sim City soundtracks and on NPR’s “Car Talk” theme, along with Earl Scruggs, David Grisman and Tony Rice. In addition to performing all over the world since 1977, he has recorded and produced scores of important recordings, is a MacDowell and UCross Fellow, and has received numerous composers’ residencies and grants. He has been a featured soloist on dozens of recordings and motion picture soundtracks. He is Professor Emeritus at the prestigious Berklee College of Music. He also runs an innovative online Fiddle School with www.ArtistWorks.com.
Darol and Mike have created their own way of speaking – through their instruments,a connection and a shared repertoire that goes very deep, developed over 35 years of music-making in a wide variety of music styles. A Marshall Anger Duo performance is nothing short of breathtaking.
About Mike Marshall
Mike Marshall is one of the most accomplished and versatile mandolinists in the world today. Since 2011, Mike has taught hundreds of mandolinists from around the world through his Mike Marshall School of Mandolin online website at ArtistWorks.com There, students from around the world get access to Mike through a video exchange system and receive direct comments about their playing from Mike personally.
A master of mandolin, guitar, mandocello and violin, Mike is a living compendium of musical styles and has created some of the most adventurous and interesting instrumental music in America today. Mike seamlessly blends his American roots background with a deep understanding of European classical, American Jazz and Pop styles and Brazilian and other world musics.
Mike cut his teeth on traditional American music in Florida and at age 19 he was snatched up by the groundbreaking David Grisman Quintet to tour and record with jazz violin legend Stephane Grappelli. Since then, Mike has produced over 40 of his own recordings on the Sony Classical, Rounder, Sugar Hill, Compass, Windham Hill, and his own Adventure Music label and performed and recorded with Edgar Meyer, Bela Fleck, Chris Thile, Hamilton De Holanda, Darol Anger, Joshua Bell, Mark O’Connor, Vasen and the Turtle Island Quartet.
In 1995, after a trip to Brazil, Mike fell in love Brazilian Choro music and went on spear-head a Renaissance for that style of music here in the U.S. with his group Choro Famoso. The group has released two cds.
Mike is currently the director of the American Music Seminar at the Savannah Music Festival, where each spring he hand-selects 15 of the hottest young acoustic musicians from all over the country to meet for a week-long intensive. In 2015 Mike was presented with the Gathering’s Master Music Maker award for lifetime achievement, and he has just launched his newest venture, the Global Mandolin Retreats, an exquisite mandolin gathering at fabulous locations around the world.
Mike tours and records these days with his wife, German Classical mandolin virtuoso Caterina Lichtenberg. Together these two are bridging their very different mandolin worlds into a cohesive whole while chasing after their two beautiful daughters Josefine and Pauline.
They have three cds on the Adventure music label including one of all Johann Sebastian Bach duets for Mandolin and Mandocello.
In 2003 Mike cofounded the Mandolin Symposium with David Grisman and that seminar ran for 12 years. Other groups that Mike co-founded have been The Montreux Band, The Modern Mandolin Quartet, New Grange, The Big Trio and Psychograss.
About Darol Anger
Fiddler, composer, producer and educator, Darol Anger is at home in a number of musical genres, some of which he helped to invent.
Exceptional among modern fiddlers for his versatility and depth, Anger has helped drive the evolution of the contemporary string band through his involvement with numerous pathbreaking ensembles such as his Republic Of Strings, the Turtle Island String Quartet, the David Grisman Quintet, Montreux, his Duo with Mike Marshall, and others.
He has performed and taught all over the world with musicians such as Dr. Billy Taylor, Bela Fleck, Bill Evans, Edgar Meyer, Bill Frisell, David Grisman, Tony Rice, Tim O’Brien, The Anonymous 4, Marin Alsop and the Cabrillo Orchestra, the Detroit Symphony, Mark O’Connor, and Stephane Grappelli.
Today Darol can be heard on NPR’s “Car Talk” theme every week, along with Earl Scruggs, David Grisman and Tony Rice. He was also the violinist on the phenomenally popular Sim City computer games.
In addition to performing all over the world, he has recorded and produced scores of important recordings since 1977, is a MacDowell and UCross Fellow, and has received numerous composers’ residencies and grants. He has been a featured soloist on dozens of recordings and motion picture soundtracks.
He is an Associate Professor at the Berklee School of music. He recently began an ambitious online Fiddle School at ArtistWorks.com. His website is www.darolanger.com
Mike Marshall and Darol Anger are two of the most in demand clinicians in acoustic music and offer a variety of workshops on both mandolin and fiddle. If you are presenting a performance with Mike and Darol please contact us about also arranging a mandolin and/or fiddle workshop.
Please check back for upcoming tour information.