Curated and hosted by iconic DC impresario and musician Jim Thomson.

Boston-based fiddle player and songwriter Maura Shawn Scanlin is gaining notoriety among the Celtic and Acoustic music scenes across the country. Her playing, hailed for its inventiveness, fluidity, and tone, brings together influences from Ireland, Scotland, and the American South, where she grew up. Touring actively with her duo Rakish and string quartet Rasa String Quartet, Maura has also shared the stage with many cornerstone musicians in the folk music world including Seamus Egan, Maeve Gilchrist, Hanneke Cassel, and Judy Collins. Maura is a 2-time U.S. National Scottish Fiddle Champion, a Glenfiddich Fiddle Champion, and is touring for the first time under her own name, following the release of her debut full-length solo album, released in May 2023. Her band features Conor Hearn on Guitar (Rakish), Adam Hendey on Bouzouki (The Fire), and Julian Pinelli on Fiddle (Peter Rowan Bluegrass Band, The Foreign Landers).

“Ms. Scanlin is an extraordinary fiddler – inventive, fluid, tone a mile deep, and that is just the beginning”

— Kevin Carr, Fiddler magazine

“Scanlin is a boundary-defying virtuoso”
— Noah Shaffer, WBUR

About Jim Thomson: Jim Thomson owns and operates the Washington, DC-based boutique record label Electric Cowbell Records. He currently runs Multiflora Productions out of Washington, DC, an independent live music production agency that specializes in expanding the reach of eclectic traditional and non-traditional artists by creating a time and space where their work is presented in an environment where audiences and artists alike have a meaningful and significant experience together. In 2014 he became the music coordinator for the Capital Fringe Festival and also programmed the “Fringe Music in the Library” series, which offered free live music in the DC Public Libraries through a sponsorship from the DC Public Library Foundation. He has booked several US tours for acclaimed artists such as Sahel Sounds recording artists Mdou Moctar and Les Filles de Illighadad, along with Zedashe from the Republic of Georgia, BCUC from South Africa, and several others. He is a founding member and played drums in: GWAR, Alter-Natives (SST Records), Bio Ritmo, and CSC Funk Band. He currently plays drums in the DC-based punk rock band, Time Is Fire. Jim is currently producing a series of releases for the acclaimed indie salsa orchestra Bio Ritmo’s 30-year anniversary and booking the US debut tour for Sublime Frequencies recording artist Baba Commandant from Burkina Faso.

Beer, wine, and other concessions will be available for purchase!

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