Artist: Maura Shawn Scanlin
Hometown: Boone, North Carolina
Latest Album: Rule of Three (released July 22, 2026)
What other art forms – literature, film, dance, painting, etc. – inform your music?
I love to read and I love visual art. I think storytelling is at the heart of folk music and I see a lot of overlap between written/oral storytelling and music. I find inspiration in folk art styles that are passed down by hands-on apprenticeship, and see some similarity in the aural way of music-learning present in traditional music. I’ve been reading a bunch over the past couple of years, absorbing all sorts of writing – memoirs, short stories, books on learning and teaching, classics, mythology, political writing, history. It’s all connected in some way to finding inspiration and context for the music I create, even if it’s not easily traceable. I’ve also been reminded recently of how much I love author-narrated audio books. There’s something musical in hearing the lilt of an author reading their own writing that I find quite moving.
If you had to write a mission statement for your career, what would it be?
Maybe it would be something like, “Try to contribute beauty through the creation of new music, while learning from and honoring tradition and community.” I really value the musical community I am a part of; it’s far-flung, but often creates a sense of belonging wherever I travel, through a shared musical or artistic language. There is so much to learn from all the music and art that has already been made. I hope I can maintain a sense of wonder while learning from others in the arts community, allowing myself to play and create new music that draws from the deep well of the tradition, but does not feel shackled to it.
Genre is dead (long live genre!), but how would you describe the genres and styles your music inhabits?
I think I have two main musical homelands that sometimes remain separate, and sometimes intertwine. I grew up learning Celtic fiddle music alongside western classical music. The classical side of things has led me to complete my B.M. and M.M. in Classical Violin Performance, and to perform in a string quartet called Rasa String Quartet. The Celtic side of things led me to find the thriving Celtic music scene in Boston, and led me to make music and perform with my duo Rakish, and various other projects. The styles of music I perform with each group are becoming more and more fluid as various collaborations take place, and these days my Celtic and classical worlds often mingle, which can be really fulfilling. All the sub-genres of both western classical and folk music that I have ever been exposed to are surely present to some extent in my music, though I may not be aware of their presence.
My journey into and love for traditional Irish music is what led me to creating this new album Rule of Three; I was searching for a space to explore the more traditional Irish side of things and was able to do that with John [Doyle] and Duncan [Wickel] on the album.
If you didn’t work in music, what would you do instead?
I really love food, cooking, and bringing friends and community together in various forms around food. If I didn’t work in music, I might want to work in food! I love the creative nature of cooking and baking, and the ability to nourish myself and others with locally grown and seasonal foods.
What is a genre, album, artist, musician, or song that you adore that would surprise people?
I do really enjoy pop country sometimes, especially on long drives. Artists like Tyler Hubbard, Zach Top, Lainey Wilson. It’s fun music, what can I say! Not everyone will agree — and that’s ok!
Photo Credit: Dan Jentzen
