Featured
I'm so unbelievably excited and grateful to be one of five winners of the 2020 Steve Martin Banjo Prize! There are so many incredible banjo players in the world that I can't believe my name came up for this huge honor. Thanks to everyone who's been supportive of my banjo playing, especially my Mum & Dad, my husband Alex Rubin, and my Mile Twelve bandmates who have all had to listen to a lot of tuning and loud banjo noises over the years.
I’m so pleased to be teaming up with Plant seeds of music for a 10 week banjo class this fall. The class will be focused on playing fiddle tunes on the banjo by learning a tune each week and preparing for two masterclasses with Béla Fleck and Tony Trischka.
More info and sign up here: https://plantseedsofmusic.com/banjoclass42001994
One of my favorite things about bluegrass music is the community. It’s amazing to be able to meet new friends and know that you’ll keep running into them all over the country and even the world. I’m so thankful to have been able to meet and play with some of my favorite banjo players in the world. The likes of Tony Trischka, Alison Brown, Noam Pikelny, Wes Corbett, Greg Liszt and too many more to list. This summer I had the opportunity to attend and assistant teach at Béla Flecks wonderful Blue Ridge Banjo Camp in North Carolina. It’s been so exciting to meet my banjo hero of 15 years and get to hear him play up close, the ultimate inspiration! Here’s a video of us picking a tune at Watermelon Park in Berryville, VA this past September: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0ZsOJeoPD0
I had the great honor recently of sitting down with one of my all time favorite players, the great Tony Trischka to chat and play. The interview was featured in the April additional of the banjo newsletter, you can get your copy here! https://banjonews.com/subscribe.html
Big thanks to GHS Strings for having me as a GHS banjo artist. I've been using these strings for the last few years and love the J.D. Crowe signature studio set!
http://www.ghsstrings.com/catherine-bowness #ghsstrings #ghsartist
I'm excited to be teaching at this years Banjo Summit in Fort Collins, CO on May 11-13. It's a 3-day progressive banjo workshop aimed at teaching banjo players techniques to take them beyond bluegrass and expand their expertise with the instrument. The faculty includes the amazing Jayme Stone, Wesley Corbett, Jake Schepps, Ben Krakauer and Ross Martin. If you're interested in more info please get in touch. The camp website has more info you can check out.
I've been on the road with Mile Twelve for about two months this fall and since it's been a little while, I'd love to fill you in on our travels. I'm now back in Boston and am looking forward to being able to teach more in the upcoming months.
We kicked the fall touring season off back in September playing in Tennessee, Virginia and North Carolina finishing with a week showcasing at the International Bluegrass Music Association. We had a smashingly successful week with great showcase opportunities and the chance to connect with all sorts of people in the bluegrass community. We were also so thankful to have received the 2017 IBMA band Momentum Award.
We then flew back to Boston to get our bags packed for a month long tour of Australia and New Zealand. It was an absolute treat to show the band around New Zealand.