From left: Owen Kennedy, Benjamin Rosenthal, and Joshua Rosenthal make up the fiddling trio Fiddlocity². The boys competed in the East Benton Fiddlers Convention and Contest on Sunday, July 30, with Joshua winning first place, Benjamin taking second, and Owen third. (Maia Zewert photo)
A trio of fiddlers from Damariscotta and Winthrop took top prizes at the 44th annual East Benton Fiddlers Convention and Contest on Sunday, July 30.
Joshua Rosenthal, 12, of Damariscotta; Joshua’s brother, Benjamin, 8; and Owen Kennedy, 11, of Winthrop; placed first, second, and third, respectively, in the junior division of the competition. This was the first competition the three fiddlers had competed in as individuals.
“It was a lot of fun to compete with all the other people because it’s full of suspense,” Joshua said.
Together, the three youths make up the group Fiddlocity², which plays folk music with a variety of influences, including Irish, Scottish, and French-Canadian.
Kennedy and the Rosenthals first met almost four years ago at the Pineland Suzuki School, a school for young violinists, violists, and cellists in Sidney; however, each of the boys began playing the violin when they were quite young.
Joshua began playing violin when he was 5 years old, and has since picked up the cello, the mandolin, and the viola.
Joshua said his first violin instructor introduced him to fiddling.
“I’m still doing classical violin, but I also really like to do the fiddling,” Joshua said.
Joshua’s love of the instrument encouraged his brother, Benjamin, to give it a try. Benjamin started learning to play the violin at age 3.
Owen began playing the violin when he was 4 years old. His mother and sister played the instrument as well. Owen also plays the bodhran, which is an Irish drum.
All three of the boys are students of Betsy Kobayashi and Ellen Gawler at the Pineland Suzuki School. Joshua and Benjamin also study with Kaity Newell, who has been teaching fiddle for more than 30 years.
Newell, of Damariscotta, founded Maine Fiddle Camp in 1994 with her husband, Carter Newell. She also teaches strings at Great Salt Bay Community School in Damariscotta and is a classroom music teacher at the Center for Teaching and Learning in Edgecomb.
In addition to watching the Rosenthal brothers compete and place in Sunday’s competition, Newell also watched her 16-year-old daughter, Helen, who she also teaches, take first place in the adult division of the contest.
“They all played so well, it was very fun to watch,” Newell said. “I love my work, and I’m so happy that the kids are doing so well.”
Each of the members of Fiddlocity² say they would like to continue their music education and learn how to play different instruments, including bass guitar, acoustic guitar, and, in Benjamin’s case, the banjo.
All three of the boys gave similar advice for aspiring musicians to consider.
“Practice, practice, practice, and listen to a lot of music,” Owen said.
Fiddlocity² is scheduled to perform at a variety of upcoming events, including the Monmouth Fair, the Gardiner Art Walk, and the American Folk Festival in Bangor later this month.
For more information about Fiddlocity² and a schedule of upcoming events, go to fiddlocity2.com.
