Enigmatica – check out the update!

By Marilynn | Published: September 21, 2022

Enigmatica has a new look and has increased from 8 to 9 players, adding a 7-string guitar. Check out the page update here!

 

Posted September 21st, 2022

New CD: Buying – Downloading – Streaming

By Marilynn | Published: September 20, 2022

My new CD, Silver Lining of a Quiet Year, is up on Bandcamp, where you can listen, purchase and download a single track or the entire CD, or order an actual physical CD with all the photos and info. You can also stream it on Spotify. More places to purchase coming soon!

Posted September 20th, 2022

The Complete Mandolinist Vol. 2

By Marilynn | Published: March 25, 2021

Mel Bay has published my 4th book! It’s 288 pages with 100+ scores and 2 dozen essays adding historical perspective. I am so psyched to be able to release this book that combines wisdom from my long careers as a performer and professor of music. It’s available from the Mel Bay website in book and download form. A print-to-order version, a slightly smaller size, is also available on Amazon. Check it out!

More info here!

Posted March 25th, 2021

Virtual performance ~ November 2020

By Marilynn | Published: July 5, 2020

Hi all– Luiz has released a compilation concert video with lots of interesting collaborations, including mine. Free admission!

Access it by clicking this link.

Posted July 5th, 2020

Press

Marilynn joins 2018 Mandolin Mondays

By Marilynn | Published: January 15, 2018

Thanks to Scott Tichenor’s Mandolin Cafe, and David Benedict, creator of the “Mandolin Mondays” series, here’s my solo-mandolin arrangement and performance of Chiquinha Gonzaga’s “Gaucho.”

Posted January 15th, 2018

Bossa magazine article & interview

By Marilynn | Published: November 30, 2017

The October 2017 issue of Bossa Brazilian Music online  focused on Choro music, and included an interview with Marilynn about her involvement with Choro, and an article she wrote, “The French Connection: From Chopin to Choro.” Click the links above to download the articles, or click on the magazine’s title to read the whole issue online.

Posted November 30th, 2017

Need a unique gift for a music lover?

By Marilynn | Published: November 28, 2017

You can now buy all of Marilynn’s CDs and books on Amazon. They are listed by many sellers, including Marilynn’s own company, Uncommon Strings. Amazon ships worldwide so they are the convenient choice if you live outside the USA or Canada.

Click here for the CDs.

Click here for the books.

Posted November 28th, 2017

“Sweet Harmonies from Little”

By Marilynn | Published: January 18, 2017

I’ve come across a great 21-page wonderfully illustrated article on the history of mandolin playing in Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota, written by Amy Kreizer. I thank the Minnesota Historical Society, who hold the copyright, for giving me permission to share it with you HERE. Enjoy!

Posted January 18th, 2017

Of Note

They’re back– Marilynn’s Mel Bay “Mandolin Sessions”

By Marilynn | Published: January 12, 2017

bustommMarilynn wrote 6 articles for Mel Bay’s “Mandolin Session” before the online publication ceased, and though they are not still up on the Mel Bay webpage they were saved by the “Wayback Machine”. Each article is written about one of the exercises from her two method books, and each includes a pdf of the exercise, and an mp3 of Marilynn playing it. All 6 direct links work again, and are listed below– enjoy!

Integrating a Variety of Rhythms

Expressive Tremolo

Read More »

Posted January 12th, 2017

On YouTube with Luiz

By Marilynn | Published: June 5, 2016

mist08luiz16intenseLuiz Simas has posted a video of our duo playing at the Amazing Things Arts Center in Framingham MA. We are performing his cool new composition “Baiao da Siriema”. Check it out!

Posted June 5th, 2016

    • “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)