Park Foundation Music App

Home > Artists

Colleen Trenwith

New Zealand bluegrass fiddler and teacher. Born 1946, passed away in Hamilton, NZ, 24 January, 2021. Trenwith originally trained as a classical violinist, but switched to the bluegrass style upon joining the group that would become the Hamilton County Bluegrass Band in the late 1960s. The group as a whole worked to emulate the classic bluegrass style of such groups as Flatt and Scruggs, but Trenwith in particular was a Kenny Baker aficionado who became acclaimed for her ability to perform in Baker’s style. Trenwith went to east Tennessee in 2007 with the intent of studying in ETSU’s Bluegrass, Old Time, and Country Music Studies program, but soon also became an instructor there. She eventually taught a wide range of courses within the Appalachian Studies department, including fiddle instruction, bluegrass and country student bands, artistic seminars, and American Roots Music, before retiring in May, 2020. She earned an undergraduate degree from the university in 2015, which she then followed with a graduate certificate in Appalachian Studies in 2019.