PRESS KIT PAGE
(need photo, too)About Lisa Beth Schneider (“Fiddlisa”)
(Press kit link?)BEGINNING ROOTS
Originally from San Antonio, Lisa grew up spending weekends travelling to fairs and festivals all over the state with her Dad, Harry Schneider, a well-known Texas caricature artist. As a kid, she was exposed to every kind of music Texas had to offer while she was running around craft booths and carnivals.
She began playing the violin in her school orchestra and studied privately with symphony stalwart, Doris Norton and later with the incomparable local jazz violinist, Sebastian Campesi. While in high school, she also played on and off with Cantiga (Celtic/Medieval/World Music band) at the Texas Renaissance Festival with the great Malcolm Smith.
MUSICAL MEANDERINGS
Once in college at UT Austin, she started exploring as many different ways to play the violin as possible (including Mariachi, bluegrass, folk, rock, singer-songwriter, and jazz) thus beginning a long and winding path through a myriad of musical influences that has brought her to where she is today.
Lisa has had a lot of fun playing with a diversity of Austin bands (link) over the years, but she’s wound up specializing in a wide range of ethnic/international folk music (including Mexican, Scandinavian, Balkan, Greek, Middle Eastern, Klezmer/Eastern European Jewish, Hungarian, Romanian, etc...) and other types of American fiddle music. With Eastern European roots, a grandmother who was an avid folk dancer, and a degree in international studies, maybe that was just her destiny.
In addition to performing, Lisa has also dabbled in composing, film scoring, recording, and accompanying several theatrical endeavors around town. She also recently released her debut solo CD, "Milkwood Thistle Promenade," which features seven original and two traditional pieces representing some of her favorite musical genres.
CURRENT ADVENTURES
Lisa primarily makes her living teaching adult beginners how to play the violin/fiddle, but also performs for weddings, parties, and around town with various bands including her own (Fiddlisa & Friends, Kolorash, Chicken on the Wheels) with her husband, bass player, Eric Vormelker.
To date, Lisa has studied with some of the best fiddle players in the world including Alicia Svigals, Bruce Sagan, Sebastian Campesi, Bruce Molsky, Andrea Hoag, Deborah Strauss, Christos Govetas, Mark O'Connor, Matt Glaser, Liz Carroll, Texas Shorty, Hankus Netsky, Merlin Shepherd, Erik Hokkanen, Viseli Balazs, David Greeley.
SHORT BIO:
LISA BETH SCHNEIDER (“FIDDLISA”)
Austin-based fiddle player/violinist, Lisa Beth Schneider (“Fiddlisa”), is a seasoned, soulful, eclectic performer and insightful private teacher. She has always fancied herself a bit of a Renaissance woman with broad interests and endless curiosity about the world around her, but the one constant in her life has been music. Her current emphasis is international ethnic folk music…the beautiful, accessible, and sometimes haunting music of and for the people. She adroitly embraces old world melodies and spins them through her own web of personality and experiences.
If it's not fun, why do it?