Mariel Vandersteel

Originally from Northern California, Mariel Vandersteel is a musician, arts administrator, and graphic designer currently residing in Boston, Massachusetts. Her curiosity of things made and cared for with the human hands runs deep: traditional folk music, hand woven textiles, a thoughtfully prepared meal.

After graduating from Berklee College of Music with a degree in Violin Performance, Mariel moved to Norway to study the hardingfele at Høgskolen Telemark in Rauland. Soon after, she released Hickory: a instrumental album of Old-Time, Scandinavian and original fiddle tunes. A member of Laura Cortese & the Dance Cards for over six years, the band was selected twice by the U.S. State Department to act as cultural ambassadors throughout Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, India, Bangladesh, Ukraine, Montenegro, Greece and Estonia.

Mariel has performed nationally and internationally with Laura Cortese & the Dance Cards, Blue Moose and the Unbuttoned Zippers, The Three Irish Tenors, Emma Beaton, Annalivia, Putnam Smith. Passionate about passing on musical traditions, Mariel has taught at various fiddle camps across the country, including: Alasdair Fraser’s Sierra Fiddle Camp (CA), Cordova Camp (AK), Miles of Music Camp (NH), Earful of Fiddle (MI), Fiddle Hell (MA) and has been a guest lecturer and performer on the hardingfele at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts Musical Instrument Collection. She was a participant in the Savannah Music Festival’s first Acoustic Music Seminar working with artists Zakir Hussein, Edgar Meyer, Mike Marshall, Tony Trischka, and Chris Thile.