About

Gretchen Koehler is a fiddler with an atlas of musical styles at her fingertips. Her left hand has an Irish brogue, her bow arm provides a distinct American Old Time drive while her feet hammer out accompaniment on the floorboards in typical Quebecois style. Gretchen Koehler is a performer who charms audiences with her unique style that fuses the danceability of authentic traditional fiddling with the finesse of a classical violinist. 

Accolades

A fiddler since the age of 5, Gretchen was immersed in the musical melting pot of New England fiddling, where she experienced a rich blend of Old Time, New England Contra, Quebecois, Ottawa Valley, Appalachian, Bluegrass, Cape Breton, Irish, and Scottish traditions. She was inducted into the North American Fiddlers' Hall of Fame as the New York State representative and received a Heritage Award from Traditional Arts in Upstate New York (TAUNY) in recognition of her dedication to preserving the region's musical traditions.

On Stage

She has shared the musical history and stories of her childhood with audiences in the US, Canada, Mexico, and Europe, including in Cremona, Italy -on location- in the home owned by master violinmaker Antonio Stradivari. Early in her career, she was known throughout the Northeastern US for her impeccable contest fiddling. TIME Magazine noted that 10-year-old Gretchen Koehler gave a "driving, foot-stomping performance" to an audience of 25,000 that was "astonishingly good."

Bands

Gretchen regularly performs with folk singer-songwriter Barb Heller and master fiddler Don Woodcock. Her strong musicality allows her to weave her fiddling into a range of styles, an ability that has been highlighted by a decade of performances with jazz pianist Daniel Kelly. Their duo, Koehler & Kelly, combines traditional Irish fiddling with jazz piano. Their music was featured on NPR's Thistle & Shamrock’s show, “Best New Sounds.”

Education

Gretchen studied music at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, and has been a professional violinist with The Orchestra of Northern New York since 1996, often taking center stage as a featured fiddle soloist. She has shared her passion for fiddling with hundreds of students through public school teaching, fiddle clinics across the US, Canada, and Mexico, as well as private instruction in her Potsdam, NY studio.

Discography

Gretchen’s fiddling is featured on over 100 archival LPs of fiddle contest champions from 1975 to 2008, the year she retired from competitive fiddling. She has recorded two band albums, New England Fiddles, and Frog Bridge LIVE, and has been a guest artist on numerous albums across various genres, notably Locrian’s The Crystal World. She has recorded four fiddle albums with her sister, Rebecca, including Parallel Lines - Celtic Fiddles, which highlights Gretchen's dynamic string arrangements. Together with master Old Time fiddler Don Woodcock, they produced the triple fiddle album The Fiddlers Three. Additionally, Gretchen has two albums with jazz pianist Daniel Kelly: The Waxwing and Live From Hill & Hollow. She also created the multimedia show Fiddling With Traditions and has a new album Fiddling With Traditions set for release in Fall 2024.

Composer

Koehler is not only a decorated performer and educator but also a gifted composer, fiddle-tunesmith, and string arranger. In 2000, she and her musical partner Barb Heller were honored with a commission for full orchestra to compose Song of the St. Lawrence, a 10-minute work that premiered with The Orchestra of Northern New York. Her compositional style celebrates both tradition and innovation. Alongside her sister Rebecca, Gretchen has begun curating a vibrant anthology of their finest fiddle tunes from four decades of writing together. This eclectic compilation will feature contest-style, dance tunes, and performance tunes, complete with the harmonies that have become The Koehler Sisters' signature.

Filmmaker

Gretchen has recently honed her skills as a videographer and editor, frequently collaborating with her son, Sylvain Foisy. Together, they have created engaging content that has gained substantial attention on social media. To date, Gretchen has produced 20 music videos, several of which garnered attention from WPBS-TV. Her work was regularly featured on the TV program "Inside the Stories" during the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 seasons.