Bruce Sagan is a respected player and teacher of traditional
Scandinavian fiddle music. He has visited Scandinavia numerous
times to work with fiddlers and collect material. He was awarded the
Zorn Diploma in Bronze on the basis of his playing before a jury of
some of Sweden's best fiddlers. This honor has been accorded to very
few non-Swedes.
Bruce's first album, Spelstundarna, has won critical acclaim on both sides of the Atlantic. In a review of his second CD, With Friends, the premier Swedish folkmusic magazine Spelmannen said that he played "som en inföding," i.e., "like a native." This is high praise in a country where it is often felt that you should only play tunes from your own village. Bruce has participated in a variety of folk music and dance camps and workshops. He has been music director for Nordic Fiddles and Feet (NFF) and the Stockton Folk Dance Camp. He has taught fiddle and nyckelharpa at NFF, Mendocino, and Northern Week at Ashokan. His classes are always received and he has been given teaching awards in his professional life as a mathematician. Bruce has been playing nyckelharpa since the early 80s and has studied with some of the foremost players from Sweden including Leif Alpsjö, Peter Hedlund, and Olov Johanson. Twice he was asked to showcase the instrument at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington DC. Recently, Bruce performed in New York City with the well-known harpsichordist, Elaine Comparone, playing a mix of Baroque and folk tunes. The combined sound of the two "harps" is wild! photos provided by the artist
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