Drunken Fiddles presents:
Summer Strings Retreat: The Complete Fiddler
September 11th, 12th, 13th 2026
Kansas City, MO
Early Bird Rate thru August 10th
Adults 21+ Fiddle, Viola, Cello
Full Retreat Experience
For this event, we took inspiration from what makes our international retreats so magical: unique spaces, LOTS of playing time, connection, community, and fun!
You’ll learn a complete set of skills that will take you far beyond thinking about just WHAT to play, but how to develop your capabilities as a musician: listening, chords, theory, jamming etiquette, rhythmic accompaniment, learning by ear, and making music with other people.
And even more, we’ve built in numerous ways to connect as a community: two locations, meals together, evening jam sessions, and a fun place to stay with other attendees should you choose.
Sign-Up
A Weekend Full of Music!
This is our most immersive Drunken Fiddles Strings Retreat yet.
More music.
More connection.
More jamming.
More community.
Our home base will be the beautiful Greenwood Social Hall, while a nearby Drunken Fiddles House will serve as our unofficial gathering place after class. Reserve a room there if you'd like, or simply join us each evening for relaxed evening jam sessions, conversations, and music that continues long after the workshops end.
On Saturday evening, we'll gather around the table for a catered dinner—a chance to slow down, connect, and enjoy the company of fellow musicians who share your love of fiddle music.
We'll also enjoy a special concert featuring Grace Broadhead, whose beautiful Celtic music offers inspiration, artistry, and another window into the many voices of the fiddle.
Then, on Sunday, we'll finish the weekend in unforgettable fashion by performing together at Greenwood Social Hall as part of a very special community celebration. It's the perfect way to put everything you've learned into practice and experience the joy of making music together.
Come spend a weekend where strangers become friends, tunes become memories, and you'll leave with the confidence to keep the music going long after the retreat ends.
Schedule
(subject to shift a little)
Friday,
September 11th
4:00-5:00 Check In and Welcome Happy Hour (We will have finger foods and beverages)
5:00-5:50 Workshop with Grace Broadhead
6:00-6:50 Workshop with Elana James
7:00-7:45 Celtic Concert with Grace (and Pizza!)
8:00-9:30 Evening Jam w/ Laurel Morgan and Sascha Groschang
Saturday,
September 12th
10:00-11:00 Doors open for coffee and bagels
10:00-10:30 Morning reset with Calvin Arsenia
10:30-11:00 Casual jam with Laurel
11:00-12:30 Workshop with Sascha and Laurel
12:30-2:00 Lunch Together
2:00-3:30 Workshop with Elana OR Laurel (Pick One)
3:30-4:15 Happy Hour & Jam
4:30-5:30 Workshop with Shane Borth
6:00-7:30 Dinner
8:00-9:30 Evening Jam
Sunday,
September 13th
10:00-11:00 Doors open for coffee and donuts
10:00-10:30 Morning reset with Calvin Arsenia
10:30-11:00 Casual jam with Laurel
11:00-12:30 Workshop with Laurel and Sascha plus Group Photo
12:30-2:00 Lunch
2:00-3:30
Pick one: Advanced Workshop with Elana OR Workshop with Laurel (Pick One)
6:00 Group Performance at Greenwood Social Hall
Stay at the Drunken Fiddles House
Need a place to stay? Reserve a room at the spacious house where classes and jams will be held.
Learn MoreInstructors
Laurel Morgan, Founder of Drunken Fiddles
Laurel is the founder of Drunken Fiddles and has a passion for teaching adults to enjoy playing music together in a relaxed group setting. Laurel is currently a member of the Wires String Duo where she enjoys composing music inspired by different styles and fiddle traditions. She loves playing with rock and folk bands and has enjoyed her performances with the Eagles, Disturbed, Amy Grant, Sarah McLachlan, and Evanescence to name a few.
You can listen to her music on all the digital platforms. Just look up Of Tree, The Wires, or In the Pines.
Sascha Groschang, (The Wires & St. Petersburg String Quartet)
Sascha Groschang, cellist, has performed extensively across Europe, Asia, North and South America. She has appeared at Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall numerous times, and gave her solo debut recital at Carnegie Hall in 2009. She has been a soloist and lecturer at the Thailand International Composition Festival, performed for the King of Malaysia with the Kuala Lumpur International Festival Orchestra, and traveled all across China on two tours with the Mantovani Pops Orchestra. She has shared the stage with artists such as Yo-Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman, The Eagles, Vince Gill, the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Michael Bublé, Peter Gabriel, Josh Groban, Sarah Mclachlan, Idina Menzel, Amy Grant and her recording credits include NBC, Atlantic, and Rhino Records.
Sascha is the cellist and co-composer of the alternative string duo, "The Wires", which explores a variety of non-traditional string techniques and styles through original compositions. The Wires have released three full length albums and their music is published by Mel Bay International. They have their own online school and in-person retreats in the US and Europe, also entitled Drunken Fiddles, which focuses on teaching beginning fiddle styles to adult learners. In addition, for two years, they were co-hosts and curators of the weekly show Sound Currents on 91.9 Classical KC, exploring contemporary music from all over the world.
In addition, Sascha is principal cellist of NewEar Contemporary Chamber Ensemble, KC’s professional new music ensemble, dedicated to playing the works of living composers. In 2022, she joined the St. Petersburg String Quartet. Their accolades include a Grammy nomination, "Best Record" honors in both Stereo Review and Gramophone, a five-year residency at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, and hundreds of concerts on many of North America, Europe and Asia's most prestigious series and festivals. Since joining, the quartet has played concerts in Ecuador, Peru, Israel, Estonia, Germany, France, Kazakhstan, and the United States. In 2023, she also joined the Fountain City String Quartet, which performs across the midwest with classical and pop-crossover Candlelight Concerts.
Elana James, Western Swing Fiddler (Hot Club of Cowtown)
James is a founding member, along with Whit Smith, of the hot jazz and Western swing trio Hot Club of Cowtown. The Hot Club of Cowtown was formed after Whit and Elana met through an ad Elana placed in the music section of the Village Voice in 1994 while she was working as an editorial intern at Harper’s Magazine. Playing with Whit at night and on weekends, by the fall of that year James had became the managing editor of Tricycle: The Buddhist Review and had every intention of living a normal life before music eventually edged out everything else. By 1997, Elana and Whit had moved to San Diego where they spent a year playing putting together a repertoire and playing for tips in Balboa Park, the Ocean Beach Farmers Market, and at local coffee houses and cafes. They moved to Austin in 1998, joined up with bassist Jake Erwin in 2000, and all three have been touring and recording as the Hot Club of Cowtown ever since.
Grace Broadhead
Grace Broadhead is a Nashville-based fiddler from Sandia Park, New Mexico, who’s racked up an impressive list of awards, including the “Fiddler of London Diaspora Award”. She’s performed with Sharon Shannon, Gaelic Storm, and others, blending raw tradition with her own unique sound.
You can watch her winning performance at the Fiddler of London competition on YouTube. She also performs with the Irish group the Southwest Ramblers.
Shane Borth
Shane Borth is best known as the violinist and Music Director of Quixotic, a performing arts company based in Kansas City, MO. He has won two Emmy Awards and has been nominated for a Grammy in collaboration with Gone Gone Beyond. Shane has worked with The Human Experience aka David Block for many years and has been featured on many songs by him. Shane currently is playing with EKHO Duo, a violinist and cellist performing their own renditions of classical and popular songs.
Testimonials from our last retreat...
"Wow! This was mind expanding..."
"Phenomenal--Great pacing, excellent instruction!"
"The group was very welcoming, and I enjoyed meeting others. It was a good diversion from the crazy world."
Locations
1750 Belleview Ave, 2nd Floor
Kansas City, MO 64108
The Summer Strings Retreat will be located at Greenwood Social Hall. Plenty of street parking is available.
Please note that the entrance involves walking up one flight of stairs.
Our second location is just a 7 minute car ride away. The Drunken Fiddles House is located at:
819 Southwest Boulevard, Kansas City, KS 66103, United States
Participant Requirements
This is an adults only, age 21+, retreat. (No exceptions).
All participants should play either the violin/fiddle, viola or cello and have at least a year of playing experience. We will not cover the basics in this retreat so you will want to know your way around the strings and fingerboard in first position.
If you feel rusty we recommend signing up for a month of Fiddle Life Online School (just $29) where you can get guided lesson content to work on at home on your own.
You do not need to know how to read music! Also, you do not need to know how to play by ear. We just want you to know how to hold your instrument and how to play some basic tunes or music before you sign up.
Frequently Asked Questions
I live outside of Kansas City. Can I still attend?
Can I get a refund if I decide not to attend?
What level will the retreat be taught at?
I'm not in Drunken Fiddles. Can I still attend?
Can I bring my child?
I don't read music, is this for me?
Is it ok to book a room at the house even though I live in KC?
Go from "Zero to Jamming."
This retreat explores the complete constellation of skills that make someone a well-rounded fiddler.
Meet New People
Our vibe at Drunken Fiddles is welcoming, encouraging, and inclusive. We have a folksy, community feel to our classes.
Acquire New skills
- Build confidence in jam sessions
- Listen deeply and learn music by ear
- Share and pass along tunes with other musicians
- Sing melodies to strengthen your musical instincts
- Add chords and accompaniment
- Explore comping and rhythmic back up
- Understand how all of these skills connect into real musical fluency
Enrollment Fee
$495
Early bird rate $495 thru August 10th
Regular Rate $550 after August 10th
