Oliver Scanlon
Fiddler, Mandolinist, Music Teacher, Live Sound Engineer
A soulful fiddler, mandolinist and spellbinding tunesmith, Oliver Scanlon began his journey of musical discovery with a stint in the Vermont Youth Orchestra, picking up the viola when he was nine. Shortly after, he was introduced to his mentor Pete Sutherland and the immense parallel universe of fiddle music! His keen interest in fiddling led him to seek out further learning and performing opportunities through Mark Sustic’s “Fiddleheads” program, and soon he began attending music camps where he studied various styles with Alan Jabbour, Kimberley Fraser, Andrea Beaton, Eric Favreau and other master fiddlers. In 2008, Oliver and a few talented middle school friends formed a group, The Irregulars, a six piece outfit that has played scores of local dances and festivals, and took first prize in the 2011 Young Tradition Vermont talent contest!
Co-founded in 2013 with Pete and Tristan Henderson, Oliver played with Pete’s Posse for hundreds of contradances, concerts and festivals for their nine years as a trio, releasing eight recording projects along the way! That same year he also became the youngest member of Pete’s long running dance band The Clayfoot Strutters. He released his solo album “The Pond Jam” in 2014, as his senior project before graduating high school and joined the Young Tradition Vermont Touring Group where he progressed all the way to an artist leader of the group in 2019. He currently teaches fiddle and mandolin in Syracuse NY and can often be seen on concert and contradance stages with various groups, including his latest groovy dance band Stove Dragon.
Performer
Since graduating high school in 2014, Oliver has played with a number of groups all over the US and abroad, performing various traditional folk styles including New England, Irish, Quebecois, Old Time and Contemporary.
Pete's Posse, Oliver’s longest running group (2013-2022), performed at many weekends and venues including Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, Shetland Folk Festival in the Shetland Islands of Scotland, Old Songs Festival, Young Tradition Vermont Festival, CDSS's American Dance and Music Week at Pinewoods, Dandelion Romp, Fleur de Lis Fling, The Flurry Festival, New Bedford Folk Festival, Youth Dance Weekend, Adarondack Dance Weekend, Harvest Moon Dance Festival, Fila Mae Fall Festival, Dance in the Desert, Contracopia, Ralph Page Dance Legacy Weekend, Peterborough Snowball, Bayou Bedlam, Balance the Bay and more.
One of his latest musical adventures, Stove Dragon (Max Newman, Rose Jackson, Sam Zakon-Anderson and himself) is just beginning to make the rounds in the contradance scene. They have played or are booked to play events like The Old Songs Festival, Contrashock Dance Weekend, Beantown Stomp and more!
Oliver also played with many esteemed members of the traditional music world such as Jeremiah McLane, Eric McDonald, Everest Whitman, Stuart Kenney, Aaron Marcus, Owen Marshal, Jesse Ball, Moira Smiley, Deb Flanders, Yann Falquet, Jane Knoeck, Eileen Kalfass, McKinley James, Dan Faiella, Eileen O’Grady, and Guillaume Sparrow-Pepin among others.
Oliver (left) and Pete Sutherland (right) performing September 2022 at the Highland Center for the Arts in Greensboro, VT
Sylvan with Oliver’s Cat Monroe during a fiddle lesson in Burlington VT
Teacher
Having learned from a number of the best teachers in traditional music, including from his dear mentor Pete Sutherland, Oliver brings over 10 years of teaching experience to private lessons with his students. He has taught all ages, from 8 years old to 70 years young, and all skill levels, from never having played before to advanced students. Having begun his playing career in classical music, he is able to work with folks to better their technique, while focusing on learning the grooves and details that make traditional and contemporary fiddle music styles so unique.
Oliver has taught and continue to teach in group settings at a number of camps and programs, including the Vermont Folklife’s Young Tradition Touring Group and Fiddleheads programs, Northeast Heritage Music Camp, Mountain Arts Gathering, Vermont Folklife’s Trad Camp, and Green Mountain Suzuki Institute.
Live Sound Tech
With 6 QSC speakers and a wireless Mackie DL32r mixing console Oliver has done sound for many events including contradances, indoor and outdoor concerts, and weddings. He has worked on the sound crew for events like Fiddle Hell in Westford MA, Vermont Folklife’s Young Tradition Vermont Festival and Youth Dance Weekend in Vermont as well as smaller concerts and dances such as the Capitol City Grange Contradance, Montpelier Vermont’s Parkapalooza Summer Concert Series, the Queen City Contradance and more.
Sound Setup for Fiddle Hell, November 2023