Fiddler and dancer Joanne Garton mixes her pervasive passion for Scottish culture with the drive and rhythms of the New England dance floor. A resident of Montpelier, Vermont for the last 17 years, Joanne plays regularly for contra, English, and Scottish dances around the US and Canada and performs on stage with her duo The Turning Stile with Aaron Marcus.
Off stage, she’s a sought-after teacher of fiddle, music theory, and step dancing for students of all ages. Find her at festivals, camps, and in her backyard chasing all the best (and oldest) Scottish tunes, playing fiddle in the session, teaching a ceilidh dance, and of course, stepping out on the dance floor herself to enjoy the evening.
Regarding her approach to music and performing, she says, “The tunes inspire a journey. Despite my best intentions to track my route, all I can do is go along for the ride. And I’m overjoyed to do that.”
A self-proclaimed “tree geek,” Joanne Garton is the technical assistance coordinator for Vermont Urban & Community Forestry, a role that has her traveling the state to collaborate with municipalities to foster healthy trees. She’s also a fiddler, with a focus on Scottish tunes, and teaches music and dance. Joanne was born in Ottawa, Ontario, raised mainly in a rural area of northeastern Connecticut, and lived for many years in Montreal. She has called Montpelier home since 2008.
