Enigmatica

Musicians:
Marilynn Mair (director, mandolin)
Isabel Eccles, Fran Rivkin, & Jacque Russom (mandolin)
Catherine Hawkes & Gayle Raposa (mandola)
Eric Christensen (guitar)
Robert Paul Sullivan (mandocello)

Recordings: The Blue House, Enigmatica

Formed in 2000
Currently available for performances and recordings
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Enigmatica is a Boston-based mandolin octet directed by Marilynn Mair. One part chamber orchestra, and one part plucked-string double-quartet, Enigmatica performs music of the Baroque, Brazil, and offbeat contemporary works. The group includes instruments from the mandolin family — mandolin, mandola, and mandocello — and classical guitar. Their repertoire includes music by Bach, Vivaldi, Handel, and Purcell; Villa-Lobos, Jacob do Bandolim, and Pixinguinha; Stravinsky and Shostakovich. Original compositions for mandolin ensemble are rare, but Enigmatica has been proud to present new works written for the ensemble by Pam Marshall, John Goodin, and Adam Larrabee.

Their self-titled debut CD (2004) and The Blue House (2009), have garnered praise throughout the mandolin world for the group’s versatile and colorful sound.  Enigmatica also appears on Nadando em Luz, Leave Something Unexplained and North Star Record’s “New England Yuletide”. Group members perform widely with other plucked string ensembles, most notably, The American Mandolin & Guitar Orchestra.

Enigmatica has presented its unique blend of chamber music in concert series throughout New England, including performances at the New England Conservatory, Blithewold Mansion, the Providence Athenaeum, Roger Williams University, and Providence’s celebrated WaterFire. The group were featured artists at the annual convention of the Classical Mandolin Society of America in Philadelphia, and the Cape Cod Festival of Mandolins.

Press photo of Enigmatica can be downloaded here

“The sound of Enigmatica can be described as sparkling, effervescent, fluid, precise, and joyous. The clarity of line they achieve is breathtaking, completely the equal of any string quartet or chamber ensemble playing today.” – Mandolin Magazine

“Enigmatica wove an illuminated musical tapestry, rich in sound and vision.” – Rick Massie, East Bay Window

    • “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)