About
Portland Fiddle Camp is a day camp where campers take part in morning and afternoon activities, three daily class periods, jam sessions, and a camp concert. Activities during the week include an outdoor square dance with a live dance band, a resident square dance band with caller Steph Noll, and an end-of-week outdoor concert. All campers receive a Portland Fiddle Camp book of tunes, a t-shirt, and a camp picture, and all campers master at least four tunes during the week taught by seasoned teachers and performers.
• Ages: 6–16 years old
• Schedule: Camp runs Monday through Friday from 10:00am to 3:00pm, with drop-off at 9:45am and pick-up at 3:00pm; the camp concert takes place on Friday from 2:30pm to 3:30pm.
• Price: Teen Camp $360; Teen Camp returning counselors 16 and under $300; Week #1 / Week #2 $360 per week or $670 for 2 weeks; sibling rate $335 per week or $620 for 2 weeks; four 50% scholarships are offered, with 50% off camp fee for one week per student.
Portland Fiddle Camp was founded in 2008 and is described as the only day camp of its kind in the Pacific Northwest. The camp makes fiddle music accessible to kids from beginner to advanced on violin, viola, cello, and guitar, and all tracks welcome these instruments. Campers are grouped into three levels of study according to age, ability level, and interest, and the program offers three tracks: General Track, Major/Minor Track, and Teen Camp Track, with a dedicated viola and cello track during Week #1.
Teen Camp features an optional Teacher Training module for teens interested in becoming Portland Fiddle Camp counselors, and the Teen Camp Counselor track is mandatory for present and future counselors and junior counselors under 16 years old. Teacher Training activities include classroom management sessions, learning how to break down a tune, and real live student teaching. Exactly all Portland Fiddle Camp counselors were once young fiddle campers.
The leadership team includes founder Kate O'Brien, a local teacher and musician, along with Sophie Enloe, who joined Kate in 2013, Kevin Jackson, an esteemed multi-genre cellist, and Gabrielle Macrae, a renowned Oldtime fiddler. Kate and Sophie are both certified Suzuki-trained teachers with 15 years of teaching experience. Track teachers include Kevin and Mirabai for the viola/cello track, Gabrielle and Sophie for Oldtime tracks, Kate for the Ragtime track, Mirabai for Scandinavian and Eastern European tracks, Betsy for the Irish track, and Eli for the Newfoundland track.
The camp’s mission states that it aims to make fiddle music accessible to kids ages 6–16 on violin, viola, cello, and guitar, to support the growth and positive experience of all campers, and to support the continuation of a uniquely American song form with roots in Europe, Africa, and the Caribbean islands, with an emphasis on having fun and maintaining a strong connection to each child’s experience. The program notes that beginner students must have at least one year of private lessons and at least one year of private study to attend, and that note reading is not required but is helpful.
Daily logistics include sign-in and sign-out every day at drop-off and pick-up, and families are asked to label everything campers bring to camp and not to send campers with symptoms such as sniffle, headache, body ache, or fever. The camp states that all staff and campers will regularly wash hands and that they will learn and jam outside as much as possible. Multi-week and sibling discounts are offered, and the camp fee includes a Fiddle Camp song book, t-shirt, and musical memories.
Last updated April 14, 2026.
• Ages: 6–16 years old
• Schedule: Camp runs Monday through Friday from 10:00am to 3:00pm, with drop-off at 9:45am and pick-up at 3:00pm; the camp concert takes place on Friday from 2:30pm to 3:30pm.
• Price: Teen Camp $360; Teen Camp returning counselors 16 and under $300; Week #1 / Week #2 $360 per week or $670 for 2 weeks; sibling rate $335 per week or $620 for 2 weeks; four 50% scholarships are offered, with 50% off camp fee for one week per student.
Portland Fiddle Camp was founded in 2008 and is described as the only day camp of its kind in the Pacific Northwest. The camp makes fiddle music accessible to kids from beginner to advanced on violin, viola, cello, and guitar, and all tracks welcome these instruments. Campers are grouped into three levels of study according to age, ability level, and interest, and the program offers three tracks: General Track, Major/Minor Track, and Teen Camp Track, with a dedicated viola and cello track during Week #1.
Teen Camp features an optional Teacher Training module for teens interested in becoming Portland Fiddle Camp counselors, and the Teen Camp Counselor track is mandatory for present and future counselors and junior counselors under 16 years old. Teacher Training activities include classroom management sessions, learning how to break down a tune, and real live student teaching. Exactly all Portland Fiddle Camp counselors were once young fiddle campers.
The leadership team includes founder Kate O'Brien, a local teacher and musician, along with Sophie Enloe, who joined Kate in 2013, Kevin Jackson, an esteemed multi-genre cellist, and Gabrielle Macrae, a renowned Oldtime fiddler. Kate and Sophie are both certified Suzuki-trained teachers with 15 years of teaching experience. Track teachers include Kevin and Mirabai for the viola/cello track, Gabrielle and Sophie for Oldtime tracks, Kate for the Ragtime track, Mirabai for Scandinavian and Eastern European tracks, Betsy for the Irish track, and Eli for the Newfoundland track.
The camp’s mission states that it aims to make fiddle music accessible to kids ages 6–16 on violin, viola, cello, and guitar, to support the growth and positive experience of all campers, and to support the continuation of a uniquely American song form with roots in Europe, Africa, and the Caribbean islands, with an emphasis on having fun and maintaining a strong connection to each child’s experience. The program notes that beginner students must have at least one year of private lessons and at least one year of private study to attend, and that note reading is not required but is helpful.
Daily logistics include sign-in and sign-out every day at drop-off and pick-up, and families are asked to label everything campers bring to camp and not to send campers with symptoms such as sniffle, headache, body ache, or fever. The camp states that all staff and campers will regularly wash hands and that they will learn and jam outside as much as possible. Multi-week and sibling discounts are offered, and the camp fee includes a Fiddle Camp song book, t-shirt, and musical memories.
Last updated April 14, 2026.
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