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 29th, 2013

SummerKeys, 2013 ~ a musical idyll

Mandolin & Guitar Ensemble Week 2013 at SummerKeys, will be held from July 8-12. Early registration has been brisk, so sign up soon to reserve your spot. Information on “Mandolin in Ensemble Week,” with Marilynn and Ralph Costanza, and “Guitar in Ensemble Week,” with Robert N. Martel, is available here. This is the only mandolin & guitar summer workshop Read More »

Posted January 29th, 2013

Inspiration from Rio

mm_bandolim2Marilynn has started work on a new recording of Brazilian music to be released in 2013. The CD features 6 of her new “hybrid choro,” written in Rio in 2012. The tunes draw inspiration from the sources of Marilynn’s musical styles– classical, jazz, and Choro, and end up in a place that only she could get to. Imagine a bossa nova based on Beethoven’s 5th Symphony, or a Brazilian take on George Gershwin’s “Summertime”. Read More »

Posted January 29th, 2013

Marilynn online

DSC00735Want to see Marilynn playing with Agua no Feijao in the studio in Rio? Hear Marilynn answer questions from her students on her life as a mandolinist? Or see her playing live in a roda in Rio? Fun to see what’s out there…

Posted January 29th, 2013

Of Note

Chorinho é declarado Patrimônio Cultural Carioca

Choro is declared an official part of the Cultural Heritage of Rio de Janeiro – Jornal do Brasil
Posted May 5th, 2012

Ask Marilynn

From the mailbox:

Sometimes a letter arrives that says so much about Marilynn’s work:
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. Read More »

Posted January 6th, 2012

Recent reviews for Brazilian Choro book

The Mandolin Journal, magazine of the Classical Mandolin Society of America, has published a 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. And  Fernando Duarte’s webpage Bandolim.net writes: Read More »

Posted September 12th, 2011

Two reviews 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
  • “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)