The 51st Annual Grand Master Fiddler Championship was held on Saturday September 3rd and Sunday September 4th, 2022 (Labor Day Weekend), in Nashville, Tennessee, at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in the Ford Theater.  Contestants from all over the world will competed for the Champion titles in Youth, Traditional, and Open categories.

2022 RESULTS ARE IN! Click here

2022 Livestream for Both days Click here

The Grand Master Fiddler Championship Inc. is organized as a Tennessee nonprofit and U.S. IRS 501(c)(3) charitable corporation, formed to educate about and perpetuate fiddling as an art form and cultural treasure. The corporation's primary focus is holding the annual Grand Master Fiddler Championship competition - an event that has started many young musicians on their way to a career in music. As a 501(c)(3) entity, all donations are tax deductible, and we welcome your support to promote and educate about fiddling. Fund-raising efforts are being planned in order to expand the competition, enhance our educational efforts, and to further the awareness of fiddling around the globe.

Fiddling laid the foundation of the WSM Grand Ole Opry and remains important to country and bluegrass music today. For a quarter-century, the contest was sponsored by WSM, the Grand Ole Opry, the Country Music Association, and later by Gaylord Entertainment.  When financially able, the GMFC makes donations to such charities as the Grand Ole Opry Trust Fund and the Bluegrass Trust Fund which benefit musicians in need.  We do this in honor of the contributions of the pioneers to country, bluegrass and traditional music. Many of these pioneers such as Roy Acuff, Porter Wagoner, "Uncle Jimmy" Thompson, Bill Monroe, Howdy Forrester and Tommy Jackson played the fiddle or were very involved with fiddling. We have also donated fiddles/violins to the W. O. Smith Community Music School in Nashville.

Please tell all your fiddle music friends, websites, discussion lists and other music sites about this web page! Let us hear from you and we will add you to the GMFC email list.



2022 Dr. Perry F. Harris Distinguished Fiddler Award Recipient

Fred Carpenter

Fred Carpenter was born and raised in Maine, where he started classical violin lessons at the age of 7. At 17, he switched to playing fiddle. After spending a few years listening to and learning tunes by Kenny Baker, Vassar Clements, Byron Berline and so many more, Fred started to find his way into the music itself. He soon traveled to several fiddle contests around the country, including the Grand Masters in Nashville, The World Series of Fiddling in Texas, (where he placed 4th), and the National Champion division at Weiser, Idaho, (where he placed 7th).

In 1980, Fred moved from Maine to California to join the Tony Rice Unit, touring and recording for the next three years. While in California, Fred served as an apprentice for four years at Loveland Violin Shop, where he learned the proper methods of set up, repair, and bow work. Fred left California in 1985, played fiddle for two years with the Dillard‘s, and moved to Nashville in 1987. Over the next four years Fred toured with several artists including, Emmylou Harris, Ronnie Milsap, Suzy Bogguss, Paul Overstreet, George Strait, and for 20 years now, Kathy Mattea.

Fred is the founder of The Violin Shop, established in 1988, and now a home base for fiddler players everywhere.   You can find Fred at the shop several days a week, but these days, he’s enjoying more time on the road playing his fiddle!

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