Christine Delphine Hedden creates a sound that draws upon many wells: traditional, classical, and contemporary. As a performer and a composer, she is exploring the fiddle in a variety of contexts: in free jazz and improvisation, in electronic music, in contemporary classical music, and of course, in the great rivers of tradition. Hailing from the highlands of western Connecticut, Christine began her musical adventures as a violist, staying up late to play in New England slow-jam sessions with her Father. Her compositional pursuits originated from little songs composed in childhood that later became small works written for the instrumentation of family and friends. She has always been in love in Irish traditional music, first encountering the melodies and the rhythms on the kitchen radio, and then in the eclectic repertoire of New England folk music. Christine is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University Class of 2013, holding a B.A. in Music Composition and a B.A. in Viola Performance. She has recently completed an M.M. in Music Composition at the University of Michigan, where she had the opportunity to premiere her thesis, “A Thaisce Riamh: Concerto for Fídíl and Orchestra” alongside Todd Craven and The University Symphony Orchestra. Her Teachers include composers Evan Chambers, Kristin Kuster and Nancy Galbraith; violist David Harding; and fiddlers Marty Somberg and George Keith. Christine is a member of BMI, American Composer’s Forum, Sigma Alpha Iota Music Fraternity for Women Alumni and the Suzuki Association of the Americas.
