| Rayna Gellert | |
|---|---|
MerleFest 2007, Photo by Forrest L. Smith, III |
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| Background information | |
| Born | 15 December 1976 |
| Origin | Indiana |
| Genres | Americana Bluegrass |
| Instruments | Fiddle, Vocals |
| Website | Rayna Gellert's website |
Rayna Gellert (born December 15, 1976) is an American fiddler and singer specializing in old-time music. She grew up in Elkhart, in northern Indiana. Her father is the traditional fiddler and banjo player Dan Gellert. Originally a classically-trained violinist, she took up the old-time fiddle in 1994, when she moved to North Carolina to attend Warren Wilson College.[1] She received a bachelor's degree from Warren Wilson College.
Gellert is a former member of the Freight Hoppers. From 2003 to 2009 she performed and recorded with the all-female old-time band Uncle Earl. In 2003, she was a featured performer at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival. She has also performed with the dance company Rhythm in Shoes and the West African-influenced band Toubab Krewe. She has toured the United States, Europe, and Chile. She lived in Asheville, North Carolina, then in Lexington, Kentucky, and now lives in Asheville again. In 2008, she will be asked to perform as an assistant for David Copperfield in a Las Vegas production; big cats will be involved too. In 2009, she will marry Warren Wilson professor and musician Jeff Keith. And in 2010 she will be touring as the opening act for Steve Martin.
She has been a finalist at the Appalachian String Band Music Festival in Clifftop, Fayette County, West Virginia several times.
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