Canadian & US National Fiddle Champion
SHANE'S BIO
"Shane offers up death-defying, acrobatic fiddle precision, soaring through tunes from his beloved Ontario with impeccable clarity."
- Claire Lynch, Multiple Grammy Nominee
A Canadian and US National fiddle champion, Shane Cook is a multi-instrumentalist who captivates audiences with technically thrilling and adventurous performances. While Shane enjoys playing and arranging everything from traditional Irish and Scottish music to Pop and Bluegrass, Shane has distinguished himself as a master of the Canadian old-time fiddle tradition.
At 24, Shane retired from competitive fiddling as one of Canada's most highly awarded fiddlers. He is a three-time Canadian Open National Champion, a three-time Canadian Grand Masters Champion, a Grand North American Champion, and is the only foreign fiddler to win the US Grand National Championship, a feat he accomplished at just 17 years of age.
Shane is in high demand among a variety of ensembles and collaborations that have seen him tour extensively in Canada, the US, the UK, Ireland, France, Germany, Mexico, China, Singapore and Taiwan.
Shane’s new band, Shane Cook & The Woodchippers, delivers performances that are an exciting mix of dynamic musicianship, high energy and engaging stage presence. Shane Cook & The Woodchippers rely on their deep foundation in the traditional music, song and dance of Ontario for the core of their sound, yet also draw on styles as broad as folk, Celtic, roots, bluegrass and swing. Their superbly crafted compositions and arrangements are a modern, exhilarating approach to fiddle tunes, song and dance. Without fail, their Ottawa Valley style step dancing always electrifies.
Joining Shane as The Woodchippers are: Joe Phillips (Jayme Stone’s Folklife) on double bass, viola da gamba, guitar and vocals, Emily Flack (Leahy) on piano, vocals and dance and Kyle Waymouth (5-time Canadian National Step Dance Champion) on guitar, tenor banjo, and dance.
On Be Here for a While, the debut album from Shane Cook & The Woodchippers, Shane leads a joyous and diverse musical journey through fresh, original fiddle tunes and songs. Shane Cook & The Woodchippers first premiered the music of Be Here for a While with The International Symphony Orchestra and has since toured the album across Canada and the US in 2022. The band and album are 2022 Canadian Folk Music Award nominees for Instrumental Group of the Year and Traditional Album of the Year.
Shane is also proud to be a member of the PBS hit show Bowfire - a showcase featuring some of the leading names in modern violin playing. He is also a member of The Brian Pickell Band - a collection of Canadian virtuosos of traditional music, and The StepCrew - a dance and music tour de force.
The result of Shane’s collaboration with long-time friend, Jake Charron (The East Pointers) is their album, Head to Head. Grammy-nominee and leading Irish-American musician Liz Carroll describes the 2014 project: “You can't get much better than this - Shane cranking it out on the fiddle with his innovative, hot-smooth playing, and Jake, alternating between guitar and piano, creating the perfect groove. Superb musicians, beautiful tunes, powerful music!"
Another collaboration, with Nova Scotia’s Troy MacGillivray, earned a 2007 East Coast Music Award for Roots/Traditional Album of the Year by a Group/Duo for their duo project, When Here Meets There.
Shane has four solo recordings to his credit. His fourth solo release, a self-titled project, is a collection of the most important and influential tunes in his own Canadian old-time fiddle repertoire that the London Free Press describes as "Relaxed, sprightly…and brilliantly played."
Shane teaches both privately and at several annual fiddle camps, sharing his deep understanding of Canadian fiddle. He is a graduate of Western University and resides in London, Ontario with his wife and son.
Past Performances Include:
Musical Director of Canadian Powerhouse; The Opera House, Branson, MO
The Governor General’s Awards; National Arts Centre, Ottawa, ON
The World Fair; Hanover, Germany
Soloist with the Canada Pops Orchestra; Hummingbird Centre, Toronto, ON
Soloist with International Symphony Orchestra; Sarnia, ON & Port Huron, MI
Soloist with Stratford Symphony Orchestra; Stratford, ON
The Nashville Network Studio, Nashville, TN
Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN
Ontario tour with Wayne Newton
Bands of America; Chicago, IL
Festivals:
Home County Folk Festival, London, ON
Canterbury Folk Festival, Ingersoll, ON
Celine Celtic Festival, Saline, MI
Goderich Celtic Festival, Goderich, ON
The Maritime Fiddle Festival, Dartmouth, NS
Festival Mémoire et Racines, Jolliette, QC
Stewart Park Music Festival, Perth, ON
Winnipeg Folk Festival, Winnipeg, MB
Ottawa Folk Festival, Ottawa, ON
Stratford Summer Music Festival, Stratford, ON
Mariposa Folk Festival, Orillia, ON
Shetland Folk Festival, Lerwick, Scotland
Hebridean Folk Festival, Stornoway, Scotland
NAFCo, Derry, Northern Ireland
Baltimore Fiddle Fair, Baltimore, Ireland
Skerries Traditional Music Weekend, Dublin, Ireland
Warwick Folk Festival, Warwick, England
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Awards of Note:
Seven Canadian Titles:
3-time Canadian Open National Champion
2-time Canadian Duet Champion with Kyle Cook
3-time Canadian Jr. Champion
US Grand National Champion
3-time Canadian Grand Masters Champion
Grand North American Champion
3-time Ontario Open Champion
3-time Pembroke Open Champion
Maritime Grand Champion
Gordon Jeffery Scholarship
World Scholarship Tour Scholarship
CBC Galaxie Rising Star Award
Young Tradition Bearer Award:
Goderich Celtic Roots Festival
Two Canadian Folk Music Award Nominations
ECMA for Roots/Traditional Album
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Educational:
Mark O’Connor Fiddle Camps: Nashville, TN; Johnson City, TN; New York, NY
Berklee College Summer String Program, Boston, MA
Colorado Roots Music Camp, Pikes Peak, CO
Leahy Music Camp, Lakefield, ON
Hockley Valley Music Camp, Hockley Valley, ON
Peach Bottom Farm Fiddle & Strings Camp, Independence, VA
Canadian Grand Masters Fiddle Camp, Ottawa, ON
Fiddles on the Tobique, Plaster Rock, NB
Maritime Fiddle Festival, Dartmouth, NS
Montana Fiddle Camp, Great Falls, MT
Calvin Vollrath Fiddle Camp, St Paul, AB
AlgomaTrad, St Joseph’s Island, ON
Valley of the Moon, California