THE GRADUATION PORTFOLIO ALBUM

CASTING OFF -- Cecilia Vacanti's solo debut

This album came into being as a hurried substitute for my senior recital at Berklee College of Music after the school closed in March due to the pandemic.  It is a collection of tunes and songs that I would have played live with a number of friends, recorded remotely by myself and my fellow players each in our homes far away from each other.  Showcasing much of what I have learned at Berklee, it is an ending and a beginning, serving as both a culmination of my four years in college and my soft debut into the professional music world.  It's my first solo record, and though it may be homemade and a little rough around the edges, it is still a project that I ended up being proud of.  If anything, it will be a time capsule of my time at Berklee and the crazy rollercoaster ride of the final semester of a wonderful four years.  

BANDS

OLD TOM

and the Lookouts

Old Tom is an Indie-Folk band from Boston, Massachusetts, with Alex Calabrese on guitar and Cecilia Vacanti on fiddle, along with a rotating lineup of musical friends.  Their lyrically driven folk music is accompanied by lush string arrangements, witty and brooding lyrics, soulful melodies, and striking harmonies, with a focus on mental health, hope and inclusivity.

cecefiddle

Kingfisher

cecefiddle

Kingfisher is a Boston-based contra dance band, consisting of Cecilia Vacanti (fiddle) and Jeff Kaufman (piano, synths, mandolin, feet).  They play all around New England and the East coast.  To see where they are playing next, visit their website!

Wandering Laughter

Wandering Laughter is a Boston-based klezmer band that plays traditional Jewish and Eastern European folk music with a modern flair. With Taiward Wider on cello, guitar and vocals, Cecilia Vacanti on fiddle and Alex Lacava on accordion, they draw from folk traditions of a variety of cultures including Russian, Balkan, Hungarian and Polish roots music, as well as some original compositions. 

Wandering Laughter plays "Beth Cohen's Reel" 

GALLERY

BIO

Cecilia Vacanti is a classically trained violinist and violist, and a fiddler.  She grew up in Syracuse, New York, in a musical family.  She began learning to play the violin when she was 7 years old, and in high school she started going to folk festivals and fiddle camps.   

    In 2015, Cecilia spent a year living in Hungary through the Rotary Youth Exchange Program, where she attended the Kodály music conservatory high school, and studied violin with Ittzés Tamás.  

She then went on to Berklee College of Music in Boston, where she majored in violin performance with a focus on American Roots music.  There, she studied a number of genres including folk styles with Darol Anger and Bruce Molsky, jazz with Jason Anick, and world music with Simon Shaheen and Eugene Friessen. 

    Cecilia plays a wide range of styles including contra, old time, celtic, bluegrass, gypsy jazz, rock, pop and world music, and she has performed a number of times in classical symphony orchestras, chamber orchestras, string quartets and solo violin settings.  She plays in several bands in Boston and has a passion for performance and recording collaborations with other artists.  

Photo by Nicole Kwan

WANT LESSONS?

Cecilia teaches violin and viola lessons in Boston!

• All ages, all levels, classical and alternative styles.  

• No travel necessary - Straight to your home

• $35 per half hour

      $70 per hour

CONTACT ME

cvacanti@berklee.edu

857-324-2771