About
“I can’t imagine a fiddler who can play a wider range of traditional styles in a more credible and expert way than Tatiana Hargreaves—everything from Eastern Kentucky old-time to Tex Logan-style bluegrass to smooth-and-silky Texas style that sounds straight out of Weiser, and beyond.”
Over the past decade, Tatiana Hargreaves has been on the forefront of an up and coming generation of old time, bluegrass and new acoustic musicians. From placing first at the Clifftop Appalachian Fiddle Contest, to her bluegrass fiddling on Laurie Lewis’ GRAMMY-nominated album The Hazel And Alice Sessions, Hargreaves shows a musical fluency that flows between old time and bluegrass worlds with ease. She has toured with musicians such as Dave Rawlings, Gillian Welch, Laurie Lewis, Darol Anger, Bruce Molsky and Jake Blount. She currently tours with banjo extraordinaire Allison de Groot and teaches bluegrass fiddle at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill.
Tatiana’s duo with Allison de Groot has been described as a “can’t-miss pair in 2019,” by Paste Magazine, and their rendition of Alice Gerrard’s song “Beaufort County Jail” was included in Rolling Stone Country’s “10 Best Country and Americana Songs to Hear.” Their album on Free Dirt Records is a powerful opening statement and “dives deep into the old-time style and comes up with something wonderfully fresh” (Vinyl District). De Groot & Hargreaves create a sound that is adventurous, masterful, and original, as they expand on the eccentricities of old songs, while never losing sight of what makes them endure. The duo not only showcases impressive musicianship, but reflects on which voices we seek to hear as we explore the expansive, diverse canon of American roots music. Their self-titled album released in 2019 was nominated for IBMA Liner Notes of the Year. You can order the album HERE.
Tatiana’s band “Hard Drive” features Sonya Badigian, Aaron Tacke and Nokosee Fields and incorporates a combination of old-time, bluegrass and Texas fiddle repertoire. From brother duets to raging fiddle tunes, Hard Drive brings a sense of deep intuition and silliness to the world that encompasses old-time, country, and bluegrass. The Bluegrass Situation described the band as “a delightful subversion of our expectations of what traditional bluegrass is supposed to be.” See more about Hard Drive on the Projects page or purchase the album on Bandcamp.
“Tatiana Hargreaves is a versatile, powerful, and deep musician. Not “just” a damn good fiddler. These days, it’s rare to find a combination of great technique and something worthwhile to say. The Hoss has it all. ”
As an educator, Tatiana draws upon her performing experience as well as her academic background to combine history with musical technique and stylistic commentary, engaging her students with more than just the tunes. She currently teaches bluegrass fiddle at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and has taught at music camps such as Augusta Heritage Center’s old-time week, The Swanannoa Gathering and the Rockygrass Academy. She has also presented about the history of old-time and bluegrass music at academic institutions such as Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina and El Institute Superior del Arte (ISA) in Havana, Cuba. To learn more about Tatiana's teaching or to schedule a lesson, visit her teaching page.
“A wonderful and talented presence on the old-time and bluegrass music scene, Tatiana brings to all of her music (besides amazing chops) a true curiosity, an understanding and appreciation for the breadth and depth of the well from which she draws—and the possibilities of who knows what might be. A fine young player and singer—and friend. ”
In 2012 and 2013, Tatiana participated in the prestigious Acoustic Music Seminar at the Savannah Music Festival, collaborating with other young musicians to explore contemporary approaches to traditional music. Here she met bassist Ethan Jodziewicz (Sierra Hull), with whom she recorded an EP in 2015.
In the winter of 2015 Hargreaves also participated in the Dosti Music Project, a State Department funded program that brought together musicians from Pakistan, India and the US for a month of musical diplomacy and collaboration. With Dosti, Hargreaves held a residency at the Atlantic Center for the Arts and performed at venues such as Snug Harbor in New Orleans, LA and SXSW in Austin, TX.
In 2016, Hargreaves spent three months in Havana, Cuba studying the history of Cuban violin music under the tutelage of Cary Diez at the Fundación Alejo Carpentier as a part of the Hampshire in Havana program.
Tatiana graduated from Hampshire College in 2017 with a BA degree in music and a Five College Ethnomusicology certificate. Her Division III thesis “That One Time at Fiddle Camp…: The Emergence of the Fiddle Camp Phenomenon and its Influence on Contemporary American Fiddle Music," explores the history of fiddle camps and the social and musical components that make up fiddle camp culture.
Hargreaves moved to Durham, North Carolina in 2017 and has been spending time digitizing photos for Alice Gerrard, and contributed to the documentary You Gave Me A Song: A Film About Alice Gerrard.
Tatiana plays a John Sullivan 5-string fiddle and a Jonathan Cooper 4-string fiddle and uses D’Addario strings.
“Her tone is rich and thick like that of the late Chubby Anthony and just as smooth.”