Brittany Haas (born 1987) is an American

fiddle A fiddle is a bowed string musical instrument, most often a violin. It is a colloquial term for the violin, used by players in all genres, including classical music. Although in many cases violins and fiddles are essentially synonymous, th ...

player, who also sings and plays the

banjo The banjo is a stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame or cavity to form a resonator. The membrane is typically circular, and usually made of plastic, or occasionally animal skin. Early forms of the instrument were fashi ...

. She is a member of the

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

-based alternative bluegrass band

Crooked Still Crooked Still is an American band consisting of vocalist Aoife O'Donovan, banjo player Gregory Liszt, bassist Corey DiMario, cellist Tristan Clarridge and fiddler Brittany Haas. They are known for their high energy, technical skill, unusual i ...

, which is currently on hiatus. She is a regular performer on

Live From Here ''Live from Here'', formerly known as ''A Prairie Home Companion with Chris Thile'', is an American variety radio show known for its musical guests, tongue-in-cheek radio drama, and relaxed humor. Hosted by Chris Thile, it aired live on Saturda ...

. She tours with the ''Haas Marshall Walsh'' and ''Haas Kowert Tice'' trios, and participates in many international fiddlecamps, including the Ossipee Valley Music Festival. As of 2018, she is a member of Hawktail, which includes Kowert and Tice, as well as mandolinist Dominick Leslie.

Early life

Haas grew up in Menlo Park California. At the age of eight, her violin teacher gave her some bluegrass sheet music to practice sight reading. For the next five years she took both classical violin and bluegrass fiddle lessons. When she heard

Bruce Molsky Bruce C. Molsky (born 1955, New York City) is an American fiddler, banjo player, guitarist, and singer. He primarily performs old-time music of the Appalachian region. Early years As a young man, Molsky first became interested in blues music, but ...

she recalls “I was like, ‘That’s what I want to do.’ ” . At 13 years of age, she switched to the fiddle as her primary instrument.

Career timeline

*In 2001, when Haas was 14, she toured with

Darol Anger Darol Anger is an American violinist and founding member of The David Grisman Quintet. Career Darol Anger entered popular music at the age of 21 as a founding member of The David Grisman Quintet. Anger played fiddle to David Grisman's mandol ...

's Republic of Strings. *In 2004, she released her debut, self-titled solo album (produced by Anger on Ook). It included guest musicians

, Todd Sickafoose, Mike Marshall, and her sister, cellist

Natalie Haas Natalie may refer to: People * Natalie (given name) * Natalie (singer) (born 1979), Mexican-American R&B singer/songwriter * Shahan Natalie (1884–1983), Armenian writer and principal organizer of Operation Nemesis Music Albums * ''Nata ...

. *2005-2009 while at Princeton joined the “chamber grass” band

, with whom she has made four recordings and toured the world. *Haas graduated from

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...

in 2009 with a degree in Evolutionary Biology and a minor in Music Performance. She was a member of the

Princeton University Band The Princeton University Band serves as the marching band and pep band of Princeton University. Like most other Ivy League bands, it is a scramble band. To members and fans, it is often known as the PUB (pronounced ''Pea You Bee'') or simply The B ...

. *Haas,

Sierra Hull Sierra Dawn Hull (born September 27, 1991) is an American bluegrass singer-songwriter, mandolinist, and guitarist. Hull was signed to Rounder Records at the age of 13 and released her debut vocal album, ''Secrets'', in 2008 at the age of 16. ...

(mandolin),

Alison Brown Alison Brown (born August 7, 1962) is an American banjo player, guitarist, composer, and producer. She has won and has been nominated for several Grammy awards and is often compared to another banjo prodigy, Béla Fleck, for her unique style o ...

(banjo),

Todd Phillips Todd Phillips (né Bunzl, born December 20, 1970) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. He began his career in 1993 and directed films in the 2000s such as ''Road Trip (film), Road Trip'', ''Old School (film), Old School'', ...

(bass), Andy Hall (Dobro), Matt Wingate (guitar) were members of the Porchlight Band, the house band for the bluegrass documentary ''Porchlight Sessions'' (cira 2011). *In 2015 she and Lauren Rioux recorded a video together on the Roots Channel and often join other groups. *Haas went on tour as part of the band

Dave Rawlings Machine David Todd Rawlings (born December 31, 1969) is an American guitarist, singer, and record producer. He is known for his partnership with singer and songwriter Gillian Welch. He and Welch were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Son ...

, in support of their album Nashville Obsolete. Haas appeared on multiple tracks as a guest performer. The tour started in November 2015 and continued through April 2016.Nashville Obsolete Tour Dates Announced
/ref> *From 2003 - current, Haas performs with the Haas Kowert Tice trio, with

Paul Kowert Paul Kowert (born July 18, 1986) is an American bassist and composer. His styles include classical, bluegrass, and progressive bluegrass. He is a member of the progressive acoustic quintet Punch Brothers and a founding member of Hawktail, an aco ...

on bass and

Jordan Tice Jordan Tice (born April 9, 1987) is an American guitarist and vocalist based in Nashville, Tennessee. He is known for his solo work in the progressive bluegrass and Americana genres, and through collaborative projects such as Hawktail, which feat ...

on guitar. The group was renamed Hawktail with the addition of Dominick Leslie on mandolin. *Haas appeared on the

David Rawlings David Todd Rawlings (born December 31, 1969) is an American guitarist, singer, and record producer. He is known for his partnership with singer and songwriter Gillian Welch. He and Welch were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Son ...

' Band Acony Records release ''Poor David's Almanack''. * In 2020, she won the Instrumentalist of the Year award at the

Americana Music Honors & Awards The Americana Music Honors & Awards is the marquee event for the Americana Music Association. Beginning in 2002, the Americana Music Association honors distinguished members of the music community. Six member-voted awards and several Lifetime Ac ...

. * in 2021, she was selected as Artist in Residence at East Tennessee State University.

Discography

Solo

*''Brittany Haas'' (2004)

With
Crooked Still Crooked Still is an American band consisting of vocalist Aoife O'Donovan, banjo player Gregory Liszt, bassist Corey DiMario, cellist Tristan Clarridge and fiddler Brittany Haas. They are known for their high energy, technical skill, unusual i ...

*'' Hop High''(2004) *'' Still Crooked'' (2008) *'' Crooked Still Lives (2009) *'' Some Strange Country'' (2010)

With The Fundies

*''The Fundies - EP'' (2012)

With Hass Kowert Tice Trio

*''You Got This'' (2014)

With Dave Rawlings Machine

*''Nashville Obsolete'' (2015)

With Hawktail

* ''Unless'' (2018) * ''Formations'' (2020) * Place Of Growth (2022)

References

External links

*
Porchlight Sessions

Nashvillescene.com

Mainstreettakoma.org

Video by Empty Sea Productions 1:31:10
{{DEFAULTSORT:Haas, Brittany 1987 births Living people American bluegrass fiddlers Crooked Still members The Fundies members