ABBY NEWTON

Abby Newton is well known for her groundbreaking work in the revival of the cello in American and Scottish traditional music. She first brought her cello into the folk music scene in the mid-1970s as a member of the Putnam String County Band performing with Jay Ungar, Lyn Hardy, and John Cohen of the New Lost City Ramblers, making it the first modern string band with a cello. Abby's partnership with Scottish singer Jean Redpath introduced her to the music of the British Isles. They toured the US and Scotland and made 16 albums together. At the same time, she began an active recording career. She has produced and performed on over a hundred folk recordings, including CDs with Jay Ungar and Molly Mason, Priscilla Herdman, Al Petteway, Bonnie Rideout, and a video with Kate and Anna McGarrigle. In 1997, Abby's first solo recording of new and traditional Scottish and Irish music, Crossing to Scotland, brought the cello front and center. After releasing this CD, she formed a band, "Celtic Crossing", which performed the traditional music of Scotland, Ireland, and New England. Her second recording, Castles, Kirks, and Caves, includes 18th-century Scottish traditional and Baroque music recorded on location in the ancient spaces of Scotland. The trio, "Ferintosh", emerged from those recording sessions. This ensemble features Abby on cello, David Greenberg on fiddle, and Kim Robertson on Celtic harp. Their first CD Ferintosh showcased the dramatic range of color that characterizes their sound. In 2000, Abby was featured by Fiona Richie on NPR's The Thistle and Shamrock. The interview and musical selections focused on her influence within the folk cello revival. She has also made several appearances on A Prairie Home Companion. Widely respected as an instructor, Abby conducts numerous workshops every year on folk cello technique in both the United States and Scotland. In 1999, she published Crossing to Scotland, a collection of Celtic music for cello, with Mel Bay Publications.