TU's McAvinue '11 feted as 2017 fiddler of the year in Music City

By Reiko Gallo '18 on October 21, 2017

After studying under the direction of pianist Tim Murphy, trumpeter David Ballou and violinist Dr. Jeffrey Howard, Patrick McAvinue graduated from TU in 2011 with a degree in jazz/commercial performance with the dream of making it big.

He's well on his way.

Baltimore Style Magazine calls the Hereford, Maryland, native “one of the most in-demand players on the local music scene — and beyond...his talents are audibly virtuosic.”

Now residing in Nashville, Tennessee, McAvinue is performing, recording and teaching music with an evolving career, an armload of honors and a well-thumbed passport.

Most recently, he received the 2017 International Bluegrass Music Association’s (IBMA) Fiddler of the Year award two years after being awarded IBMA’s Momentum Instrumentalist of the Year. He also served as a Strathmore Performing Arts Center's 2016-17 artist in residence.

Touring with multi-Grammy nominated group Dailey & Vincent, McAvinue found his roots in Baltimore-based quartet Charm City Junction. He has performed on some of the most storied stages in the United States and at venues around the world — Carnegie Hall; The Kennedy Center; The Grand Ole Opry; The Birchmere; The Country Rendez-Vous Festival in Craponne, France; The U.S. Embassy in Quito, Ecuador; Die Dreikönigskirche in Dresden, Germany; and The Koppernik Theatre in Prague, Czech Republic; and the Norsk Country Treff in Breim, Norway.

But McAvinue knows how valuable the solid grounding he received at TU has been for his career.

“I wanted to go to TU to broaden my horizon and open my career possibilities,” McAvinue explained. “My time at Towson taught me how to effectively practice on my own, become a broader musician and how to plan for a successful music career.

“Ever since I started my career in music, I’ve been fortunate to be surrounded by good people,” McAvinue expressed. “My greatest accomplishment is working with and learning from the best in the music industry. In the end, their friendship and mutual respect is my reward.”