Gender representation in traditional Appalachian old time fiddling

For generations, traditional Appalachian old time fiddling has been dominated by males. Only a few extremely talented female fiddlers were recognized for their fiddling prior to the 1990’s. Fiddle contest records from Galax, Virginia and Clifftop, West Virginia display an extreme shift in more recent years, with a growing number of female fiddlers being honored for their artistry. This presentation will highlight the women who broke through the gender barriers historically and the women who have inspired the shift in gender representation more recently. Abstract: Appalachian old time fiddling was once dominated by males but, in more recent years, an extreme shift in the number of females winning fiddle contests suggests a change in gender representation