Ashley Broder's Profile

At the age of eight Ashley came home from school after seeing a demonstration of musical instruments and announced that she wanted to take violin lessons. After a year of conventional training with the local violin teacher, Ashley began studying with Charl Ann Gastineau who smartly combined classical and fiddle music into her regime. With foresight that ultimately proved to be a pivotal milestone, Charl Ann encouraged Ashley to simultaneously learn mandolin.

For the next several years Ashley competed in local, state, and national fiddle and mandolin competitions, winning the Western Open Master Picker Championship in 2003 and 2004.

After high school, Ashley went on to major in music at Moorpark College where she studied 'cello with Stephen Custer of the L.A. Philharmonic and violin with Diane Gilbert. During this time she kindled a growing interest in classical composition, all the while teaching violin and mandolin privately and in class settings. In 2005 and 2007 she served on the faculty of the Mandolin Symposium in Santa Cruz, CA. She also assisted Mike Marshall in the preparation of his mandolin method books.

That same year Ashley met Celtic violinist Jamie Laval and spent the ensuing six months forging a new duo style, rendering the traditional Celtic music of Ireland, Scotland, Brittany, and Québec with hints of classical refinement and ethnic music from around the world. The pair now tours together full-time throughout the U.S., Canada and Scotland.

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