Scott Sumner – Umapine, OR

Scott Sumner is originally from Weiser, Idaho and was introduced to fiddle music by his grandpa and his aunt and uncle, who would come to the National Oldtime Fiddlers Contest every year. Scott has been attending the contest in Weiser since 1965 – only missing a few years while he was working in Nashville.

Music has always been Scott’s passion. As a teenager, his dream was to play acoustic music rooted in American tradition such as Texas Style Fiddle, Jazz, Swing, Country, Bluegrass and Folk. Scott has studied music at South Plains College in Levelland, Texas in addition to studying jazz with Dave Balakrishnan in Northern California. His aspirations of a career in music ultimately lead him to Nashville, Tennessee. Scott enjoyed the opportunity to play on the stage of the Grand Ole’ Opry numerous times while touring as the bandleader for Tom T. Hall.

Scott returned to Idaho in 2000, and taught fiddle privately in the area as well as orchestra at Kuna Middle School and several elementary schools. Scott has his degree in music from Boise State University and is a certified music teacher in the states of Idaho and Washington. Scott is the Director of Music for the school district in Dayton, WA.
Scott has judged numerous contests including the National Oldtime Fiddlers Contest in Weiser.

PHILOSOPHY:
What I will be looking for in twin fiddling is creative harmony with synchronized phrasing, dynamics and articulations. Intonation and tempo go without saying, and I’m not partial to any genre – good is good. I want to hear something that makes me want to hoot and holler.