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Published on Sep-25-2018 8:00am
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Sixteen years ago I first met Andrew Collins in Toronto through the Mandolin Cafe's list of teachers. He was still in his early twenties and bursting with enthusiasm for the instrument and the music. One of the first things Andrew did was hand me his gorgeous Heiden F5 and say, "Try this." Since then I've seen a remarkably talented young musician grow into a masterful performer and a beautiful composer.
Andrew established himself locally as the mandolin player for the popular bluegrass band the Foggy Hogtown Boys, and on a larger stage he made a name for himself composing and playing for the new-acoustic group Creaking Tree String Quartet. He made numerous recordings with both bands, as well as doing solo projects and working as a sideman for Annie Lou. He also opened his own recording studio and often teaches at Kaufman Kamp, Nimble Fingers, and elsewhere.
In more recent days Andrew has been leading his own eclectic group, the Andrew Collins Trio, for which he plays mandolin, mandocello, fiddle, composes and sings. The Trio has twice won Instrumental Group of the Year at the Canadian Folk Music Awards. They tour frequently and have also been appearing at Merlefest and other festivals. Not long ago the
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