Welcome to Marilynn’s webpage!

For more than three decades Marilynn Mair has played music across the globe, recorded over a dozen solo CDs, published two method books, written countless columns, and taught as a Professor of Music at Roger Williams University. She has dedicated herself to establishing the mandolin as an instrument of importance, for her lifetime and the future. Learn from her journey here. para portugues… Read More »

Posted January 7th, 2012

Of Note

What’s she doing down there?

You can follow Marilynn’s start to the new year in Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro on her blog Celebrating a Year where you will find daily posts with photos and reflections on her experiences, musical and otherwise. You can visit by clicking the link above, or subscribe, as the blog has been going for 3 years and will continue even after her South American idyll ends.

Posted January 7th, 2012

Of Note

Roda @ Forte Copacabana

Marilynn is presently in Rio for the month of January and will be playing at a number of rodas during her stay. The Forte Copacabana rodas are January 8 and 22 @ 5:30 and run for two hours. More Information. There are also rodas @ Praca Sao Salvador, Bip Bip, and other locations. Email for other venues and times if you too are in Rio this month.

Posted January 6th, 2012

Of Note

Announcing SummerKeys, July 9-13, 2012

The dates for SummerKeys 2012 have been set. The week will convene from July 9-13, 2012 in Lubec, Maine. For more information, download the flyer here. Registration information for Mandolin in Ensemble Week 2012, with Marilynn and Ralph Costanza, and Guitar in Ensemble Week 2012, with Robert N. Martel, is available on the newly redesigned SummerKeys website. The week includes a daily private lesson on your instrument (mandolin family or guitar), daily rehearsals in the all-school ensemble, the American Mandolin & Guitar Orchestra, and Read More »

Posted January 6th, 2012

Ask Marilynn

From the mailbox:

From time to time a letter arrives that says so much about Marilynn’s work. Here’s one from Jan. 6, 2012:
Dear Marilynn,
I last communicated with you some time ago when I was seeking advice on acquiring a passable(or any) tremolo. This was after collating your on-line advice from the internet and any hard copy that I could get. My studies were interrupted after only a few months when necessity prevailed and I had to take a job abroad. Since then you have published your book on mandolin and I was pleased to re-commense studies Read More »

Posted January 6th, 2012

Of Note

New review for Brazilian Choro book

The Mandolin Journal, magazine of the Classical Mandolin Society of America, has published a new review of Marilynn and Paulo Sa’s method book for Brazilian Choro, that concludes: “For those of us in North America who have no access to this music in its native environment it provides the next best thing to being there…. Highly recommended. Exactly what was intended!
Buy it now at Amazon.

Posted September 12th, 2011

Of Note

New review for “The Complete Mandolinist”

The Mandolin Journal, magazine of the Classical Mandolin Society of America, just published a glowing review of “The Complete Mandolinist,” Marilynn’s mandolin method. An excerpt– “This well thought out book reflects the depth and scope of Ms Mair’s training and artistry and is the product of a lifetime of experience with the classical mandolin…. sure to become the standard in the US. Bravo!”
Buy it now at Amazon.

Posted April 13th, 2011

Of Note

Brazilian review of the new Choro Book

Fernando Duarte’s webpage Bandolim.net has posted a review of the new Choro book. “Mais do que um método de bandolim, o trabalho é um guia para quem quer conhecer o sotaque e as especificidades do choro.” [More than a method for bandolim, the work is a guide for those who want to learn the (Brazilian) accent and characteristics of Choro]. Interested? Read more…

Posted January 31st, 2011

New review for Meu Bandolim…

The latest issue of Mandolin Magazine has a great review for Meu Bandolim, praising its  “varied approaches to… choro music– some lightning quick and others languid and sultry, but all popping and simmering with energy and passion… the pulsing embodiment of life as music in all its glory. Highly recommended.” (Hermon Joyner, Mandolin Magazine). Add that to, “to my ears, one of her finest recordings.” (John Goodin, The Mandolin Journal) and you have more reasons to check out what Marilynn has been doing in Rio for the past 5 years, right here!

Posted November 5th, 2010

A New Look

Longtime readers will notice our page has a new format. Thanks to Alex & Brinsley, of BAD Design, who updated the site adding several new features:
- “Ask Marilynn” archives questions from readers with Marilynn’s answers and a space for your comments & follow-up questions.
- “Of Note” features news items to read and comment on. Read More »

Posted October 1st, 2010 | 3 Comments
  • “Smudging the lines between folk and classical is an intrepid endeavor… Mair’s a superb mandolin player who has brought the instrument to unexpected places…”

    - Jim Macnie, The Providence Phoenix (USA)

    “Marilynn Mair has always had the keen ability to balance classical mandolin traditions and repertoire, while constantly breaking new musical ground…a superb and versatile mandolinist and composer.”

    - – Butch Baldassari, Mandolin Magazine (USA)

    “Mair travels by mandolin to Brazil and brilliance… her commitment to the music shines through.”

    - Rick Massimo, The Providence Journal

    “Stepping back to the 18th-century masterworks gave her the opportunity to highlight her technique with a fresh light… her playing is thoughtful, vibrant and a delight to listen to.”

    – Terence Pender, Mandolin Quarterly (USA)

    “She’s a fabulous player with a wonderfully clear and lyrical sound.”

    – The Ottawa Citizen (Canada)

    “Mair displays an exceptionally gifted approach to this music, using her formidable mandolin technique with grace and sensitivity… It’s the next best thing to a trip to Rio.”

    – David McCarty, Mandolin Magazine (USA)

    “Marilynn Mair performs Brazilian mandolin music… she plays the mandolin as an instrument for all occasions.”
    – Vaughn Watson, The Providence Journal (USA)

    Bring a talented ensemble of gifted musicians together playing some of the great concertos and chamber music pieces of the 1700s, present the extraordinary classical mandolinist Marilynn Mair front and center, and you have a rare combination of the right musicians performing the right music at the right time.

    – David McCarty, Mandolin Magazine (USA)

    “Marilynn Mair é uma bandolinista americana de formação erudita”

    – Paulo Eduardo Neves, Agenda do Samba Choro (Brasil)

    “Mair is unstoppable… capable of evoking any landscape, past or present, you’d care to conjure.”

    – Mike Caito, Providence Phoenix (USA)

    Marilynn Mair on mandolin…touches the deepest and most engaging reaches of the ancient and passionate ‘Latin soul’.

    - Carlos Agudelo, Billboard Magazine

    “A lovely concert! We estimate your spell-bound and enthusiastic audience at close to 1800 people…”

    - Lincoln Center Out-Of-Doors (USA)

    “The final repeat of the melody transmitted a strong feeling of peace and tenderness that escaped no one in the audience. It is this sensitivity and subtleness that characterized the overall performance.”

    - Brian Hodel, Guitar Review (USA)

    “A brilliant concert from beginning to end…The performance was extraordinary.”
    – La Rioja (Spain)

    “A sparkling concert… absolutely brilliant!”

    – Guitar Magazine (England)

    “Marilynn Mair acquits herself very well indeed, a most accomplished player, able to deal with the many intricacies the repertoire demands of her.”

    - Chris Kilvington, Classical Guitar (England)

    “Marilynn Mair lives up to her reputation as an excellent mandolinist, with clear tone, a beautiful tremolo, and creative expressiveness.”

    – Zupfmusik Magazin (Germany)