New England Mandolin Ensemble

Musicians:
August Watters (Director, mandolin, mandola, octave mandolin, mandocello)
Jim Dalton (mandolin, mandocello)
Marilynn Mair (mandolin, mandola, mandocello)
Mitch Nelin (mandocello)

Active: 2004 – 2008
Recordings: Sip A Little New

The New England Mandolin Ensemble is dedicated to revitalizing this traditional American format by exploring new directions as well as old. Its members come from diverse musical backgrounds, from jazz and classical to bluegrass and folk music traditions around the world. All are seasoned performers and teachers who are exploring contemporary paths for mandolin, as well as maintaining meaningful connections to tradition.

NEME founder and director August Watters is a mandolinist and professor of ear training at Boston’s Berklee College of Music. The New England Mandolin Ensemble features some of today’s leading mandolinists, including classical mandolin icon Marilynn Mair (Roger Williams University), multi-stylistic virtuoso Jim Dalton (Boston Conservatory), and mandocello specialist Mitch Nelin.

    • “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)