Rayna Gellert

rdf:langString Rayna Gellert

rdf:langString Rayna Gellert

rdf:langString Rayna Gellert

rdf:langString solo_singer

rdf:langString MerleFest 2007, Photo by Forrest L. Smith, III

rdf:langString Rayna Gellert (born December 15, 1975) is an American fiddler, acoustic guitarist, singer, and songwriter specializing in old-time music. She grew up in Elkhart, in northern Indiana, formerly lived in Asheville, North Carolina, and is currently based in Nashville, Tennessee. Her father is the traditional fiddler, banjo player, and singer Dan Gellert. Originally a classically trained violinist, she took up the old-time fiddle in 1994, when she moved to North Carolina to attend Warren Wilson College. She received a bachelor's degree from Warren Wilson College. Gellert is a former member of the Freight Hoppers. From 2003 to 2009 she performed and recorded with the all-female old-time band Uncle Earl. In 2003, she was a featured performer at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival. She has also performed with the dance company Rhythm in Shoes, the West African-influenced band , Abigail Washburn, and Scott Miller. She has toured throughout the United States, Europe, and Chile. She has been a finalist at the Appalachian String Band Music Festival in Clifftop, Fayette County, West Virginia several times.