Picking up the cello at age 7, Eric Wright began his musical career as a classically trained musician. By 13, he was teaching group and private lessons in Vermont, while playing in numerous chamber groups and orchestras. He has received numerous awards, as well as being accepted into the Vermont All-State orchestra, New England orchestra, and winner of the Vermont concerto competition.

While he loved classical music, his father’s background in Irish and Old Time American fiddling was what really drew him in. Growing up, he had always accompanied his dad on cello, guitar, or other instruments, and knew that his love for folk music was too powerful to ignore.

From there, Eric moved to Boston and attended the Berklee College of Music where he studied folk styles with Eugene Friesen, Mark Simos, Natalie Haas, and John McGann. He graduated Magna Cum Laude as a Professional Music major, focusing mainly on Film Scoring, Music Synthesis, and Irish Cello Performance. Since college, Eric joined forces with the multi-award winning group, The Fretless, a contemporary traditional fusion group, and has been touring all over Canada, the US, and Europe ever since.

When not on tour with the Fretless, Eric is the Celtic/Old Time cello, guitar, and banjo teacher at many music camps, including the annual Northeastern Suzuki summer camp and the Goderich Celtic College, works as a composer/sound designer for film, and is a dubstep producer for APM publishing in Los Angeles.

Classes:

Cello (Beginner Plus/Intermediate):  In this class, we will dive into fiddle tunes and how to play their melodies on the cello. We will also be learning about the chop, and how you can use in in conjunction with other rhythmic devices to play with fiddlers.

Cello (Intermediate Plus/Advanced):  In this class, we will be learning about advanced chopping techniques, rhythmic improvisation, fills, and chord progressions, as well as playing some advanced Old Time American tunes.

Percussion:  We will explore time signatures in this class. Included in this will be clapping 4 over 3, polyrhythms, changing time according to overlapping accents, and more!