Fiona Stowell is a 19 year old fiddler living in Montpelier, Vermont. She has played music since the ripe old age of 4, and has been performing ever since. She is particularly passionate about Old Time, Cape Breton, and New England fiddle styles, but loves playing a little bit of everything. Fiona is also a singer and Celtic dancer. She has sung all over New England with Village Harmony and Northern Harmony, and has performed on stages with Young Tradition Vermont since 2019, including touring in New York City, Maine, Cape Breton, and Quebec and served as the YTV Youth Commission Leader in 2023, and YTV Touring Group Youth Artist Leader in 2024. For seven years, Fiona was closely mentored by Pete Sutherland, learning hundreds of tunes by ear and receiving his wisdom on musicianship, set composition, and stage presence until the end of his life in 2022. She is committed to carrying forward a fundamental concept from Pete: the importance of being a tradition bearer - not only sharing a tune, but also its history and context, where it came from, and whose playing shaped it. This fall, Fiona will continue her musical education at Berklee College of Music.
Grace Martin Grace Martin is an 19 year old singer-songwriter attending Bates College in Maine. Her love for traditional music came from playing Irish tunes with her dad in the kitchen as a small child. Now, Grace plays a wide variety of music and instruments, including mandolin, guitar, piano, and electric bass and sings with the Bates College a capella group “The Crosstones”. Grace has performed up and down the East Coast and into the Caribbean, at open mics, cafes, festivals, and contradances. She is an alumni of Cordova Bluegrass Camp in Cordova, Alaska, and is now on staff as an instructor teaching singing, mandolin, and guitar. Grace is also a regular artist at Salmon Jam Music Festival every summer and was a member of the Young Tradition Vermont’s Touring Group and Youth Commission. She is so excited to play with Sap Line! Grace can be found on social media platforms at @gracemartinmusic.
Emmett Stowell is a 16 year old musician from Montpelier, Vermont. Emmett has been playing music since he was five years old when he told his mom he wanted to play the “rockstar banjo” and has added piano, guitar, and singing since then. He loves all types of traditional music, but his heart will always be with New England and Appalachian Old Time music as taught to him by his mentor Pete Sutherland. Emmett was lucky enough to spend ten years learning banjo from Pete and four years participating in the Vermont Traditional Arts Apprenticeship program studying New England Contradance Piano with him, too. Emmett can be found performing in a duo with his sister Fiona, as well as with the Young Tradition Vermont Touring Group at Vermont Folklife. Emmett is super excited to be reunited with his friends and bandmates in Sap Line. Find Emmett on social media at @fiona_and_emmett.
Maine musician Owen Kennedy is an award-winning fiddler rooted in the Maine Maritime musical tradition and immersed in his growing passion for Scottish music, splitting time between Maine and Cape Breton. Owen began playing the violin at four years old, taking lessons first with Ellen Gawler and later with Seán Heely. He is the 2022 New England Regional Open Scottish Fiddle Champion, the 2021 Junior US National Scottish Fiddle Champion, and won the 2021 Young Stars of Maine "Glenn Jenks Future in Music" prize. Owen’s debut album "Oh When: Now" was recorded with Owen Marshall and released in 2023. Available on Bandcamp, “Oh When: Now” features tunes from Maine and Maritime Canada all the way to Scotland and the Shetland Islands. Now spending part of each year in Cape Breton, Owen is studying Gaelic language and culture at Beinn Mhàbu, joining in jam sessions, attending square dances, and performing at local events. Owen is super stoked to be part of Sap Line, playing tunes, singing songs, and having a blast with his friends! To keep in touch with Owen, visit www.fiddlerokennedy.com or find him on social media @fiddlerokennedy.