to get wisdom and guidance from a good teacher , even if
“ It ’ s always great
to get wisdom and guidance from a good teacher , even if
you already have a lot of musical knowledge .”
How did these three sisters from Edmonds , Washington , achieve such impressive success ? Hard work and perseverance played a large part . Each of the sisters studied classical violin with private teachers , particularly the late Lawrence Fisher , for over ten years . They were members of the Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestras and various chamber music programs in Seattle . The sisters also underwent formal competitive Irish dance training for many years , studying with Tony Comerford . “ We ’ ve had teachers for some of the other instruments like voice , guitar , bodhran , and more ,” Greta , the eldest sister , shares . “ It ’ s always great to get wisdom and guidance from a good teacher , even if you already have a lot of musical knowledge .” All three sisters sing , play the violin , and do Irish step dancing . In addition , Greta plays guitar , Willow plays mandolin and bodhran , and Solana plays bodhran , djembe , and penny whistle .
The Gothard Sisters started performing professionally at the local farmer ’ s market in Edmonds . The girls would play for tips for five hours on Saturday mornings . Greta remembers , “ It was a really enjoyable way to play music together and get to know many of the vendors .” After that , they played as
a classical violin wedding trio for several years and finally were able to follow their true interest — Celtic music . They became a Celtic band , playing at local fairs and festivals regionally , then nationally , and eventually achieved recognition internationally .
Why did the three of them begin this adventure ? “ It was a bit of an accident , really , and we didn ’ t intend for it to become a career ,” Greta says . “ We liked playing music together , and initially , we started doing performances in order to raise money to travel overseas for the Irish dance world championships .” As they spent time performing together , they became more interested in the concerts and the music
San Juan Islands Tour 2023 Photo credit : Steve Alboucq
Photo credit : Ruth H . Photography , 2021
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