Jason Theobald began playing classical violin in third grade through his elementary school orchestra. While majoring in biology at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN, he was introduced to old time fiddle and bluegrass music and began taking lessons with Matt Combs, a veteran of the Grand Ole Opry. He also enrolled in music theory courses at Vanderbilt's Blair School of Music. Discovering a passion for folk music, yet having no experience playing in informal settings, Jason was forced to start from scratch, attending jam sessions at local bars to steadily build up his improv chops and learning to play by ear. Jason finds time to enjoy his pastime playing gigs at a local Irish pub when he is not too busy as a full-time medical student. He is eager to help cut down the learning curve for others who want to branch out.

Jason is a member of Tacoma Narrows, which play regularly at Paddy Reilly's Music Bar. In college, he played with Vanderbilt's string band, the Second Stringers, which opened for the Grammy award-winning Alison Brown Quartet during the annual Appalachian Celebration. As a young boy, he traveled the world learning musicianship with the Phoenix Boys Choir, during which time he sang on multiple tv performances and live recordings, including the Grammy-award winning recording of the debut of Polish composer Krzysztof Penderecki's "Credo" at the Oregon Bach Festival. More recently, Jason has done recording projects with local professional musicians, including Danny Lipsitz of Jazz Band Classic.

Jason Theobald

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