Ann Marie Calhoun ( Simpson; born May 26, 1979) is an American classically trained

violin The violin, sometimes referred to as a fiddle, is a wooden chordophone, and is the smallest, and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in regular use in the violin family. Smaller violin-type instruments exist, including the violino picc ...

ist who has performed as a bluegrass and rock musician in a number of prominent acts, including Jethro Tull,

Steve Vai Steven Siro Vai ( ; born June 6, 1960) is an American guitarist, songwriter, and producer. A three-time Grammy Award winner and fifteen-time nominee, Vai started his music career in 1978 at the age of eighteen as a Transcription (music), transc ...

Widespread Panic Widespread Panic is an American rock band from Athens, Georgia. The current lineup includes guitarist/singer John Bell (musician), John Bell, bassist Dave Schools, drummer Duane Trucks, percussionist Domingo "Sunny" Ortiz, keyboardist John "JoJ ...

, Dave Matthews Band,

Ringo Starr Sir Richard Starkey (born 7 July 1940), known professionally as Ringo Starr, is an English musician, songwriter and actor who achieved international fame as the drummer for the Beatles. Starr occasionally sang lead vocals with the group, us ...

A.R. Rahman Allah Rakha Rahman (; born A. S. Dileep Kumar; 6 January 1967), also known by the initialism ARR, is an Indian music composer, record producer, singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and philanthropist known for his works in Indian cinema ...

and

Mick Jagger Sir Michael Philip Jagger (born 26 July 1943) is an English musician. He is known as the lead singer and one of the founder members of The Rolling Stones. Jagger has co-written most of the band's songs with lead guitarist Keith Richards; Jagge ...

's SuperHeavy. She has closely collaborated with

Hans Zimmer Hans Florian Zimmer (; born 12 September 1957) is a German film score composer and music producer. He has won two Academy Awards, a BAFTA Award, five Grammy Awards, and has been nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards, Emmy Awards and a Tony ...

on numerous film scores, including ''

Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes () is a Detective fiction, fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a "Private investigator, consulting detective" in his stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with obser ...

'', '' Interstellar'', ''

12 Years a Slave ''Twelve Years a Slave'' is an 1853 memoir and slave narrative by Solomon Northup as told to and written by David Wilson. Northup, a black man who was born free in New York state, details himself being tricked to go to Washington, D.C., whe ...

'', ''

The Lone Ranger The Lone Ranger is a fictional masked former Texas Ranger who fought outlaws in the American Old West with his Native American friend Tonto. The character has been called an enduring icon of American culture. He first appeared in 1933 in a ...

'', '' The Little Prince'', '' Man of Steel'', and '' Captain Phillips''. She is the sister of violinist Mary Simpson.

Early life

Calhoun was born on May 26, 1979 in

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

to a "

hillbilly ''Hillbilly'' is a term historically used for White people who dwell in rural area, rural, mountainous areas in the United States, primarily in the Appalachian region and Ozarks. As people migrated out of the region during the Great Depression, ...

dad", a "documented descendant of

Pocahontas Pocahontas (, ; born Amonute, also known as Matoaka and Rebecca Rolfe; 1596 – March 1617) was a Native American woman belonging to the Powhatan people, notable for her association with the colonial settlement at Jamestown, Virginia. S ...

","Is it a fiddle or a violin?"
'' Orange County Review inSIDEr'', Orange, Virginia, June 7, 2007 who plays

banjo The banjo is a stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame or cavity to form a resonator. The membrane is typically circular, and in modern forms is usually made of plastic, where early membranes were made of animal skin. ...

and a "Chinese mom", who was a classically trained pianist. Her brothers play guitar and her sister, Mary Simpson, is an accomplished bluegrass fiddler.

Music training

Simpson began taking

lessons at the age of three. As she says: "I actually don't remember learning how to play, because I started when I was three. I feel like I've always known." The first hint of her talent came at the age of four when Simpson and her father were watching a

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East ...

game on television. After their marching band played " Hail to the Redskins", he suddenly heard it again, only this time on the violin. "She picked it up through her ears, and it came out through her fingers instantly. I knew she had a

gift A gift or present is an item given to someone (who is not already the owner) without the expectation of payment or anything in return. Although gift-giving might involve an expectation of reciprocity, a gift is intended to be free. In many cou ...

then." Simpson began playing

bluegrass music Bluegrass music is a genre of American roots music that developed in the 1940s in the Appalachian region of the United States. The genre derives its name from the band Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys. Bluegrass has roots in African America ...

with her siblings in the Simpson Family Band. As her father states: "When she was 14, I started taking her to the

fiddle A fiddle is a Bow (music), bowed String instrument, string musical instrument, most often a violin or a bass. It is a colloquial term for the violin, used by players in all genres, including European classical music, classical music. Althou ...

contests, and she won just about every one." Simpson attended Lake Braddock High School in

Burke Burke (; ) is a Normans in Ireland, Norman-Irish surname, deriving from the ancient Anglo-Norman and Hiberno-Norman noble dynasty, the House of Burgh. In Ireland, the descendants of William de Burgh (''circa'' 1160–1206) had the surname'' de B ...

, Virginia, close to Washington, D.C. As a teenager, she was a youth fellow with the

National Symphony Orchestra The National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) is an American symphony orchestra based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1930 by cellist Hans Kindler, its principal performing venue is the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The NSO regularly ...

, a program that took her weekly to the

Kennedy Center The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, commonly known as the Kennedy Center, is the national cultural center of the United States, located on the eastern bank of the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. Opened on September 8, ...

and provided private

lessons A lesson or class is a structured period of time where learning is intended to occur. It involves one or more students (also called pupils or learners in some circumstances) being taught by a teacher or instructor. A lesson may be either one ...

with the National Symphony Orchestra's violinist, William Haroutounian. Simpson attended the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson and contains his The Lawn, Academical Village, a World H ...

where she double- majored in Music and Biology, graduating in the class of 2001.Graves, Lee
"Fiddling with the Stars: Violin Prodigy Rocks with Ringo, Wins Nationwide Grammy Contest"
, ''The McIntire Department of Music Newsletter'', University of Virginia, April 17, 2008 While studying there she shared her bluegrass fiddle talents with Walker's Run in

Charlottesville, Virginia Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city (United States), independent city in Virginia, United States. It is the county seat, seat of government of Albemarle County, Virginia, Albemarle County, which surrounds the ...

. From 2001 to 2003, she was part of the bluegrass fusion ensemble Old School Freight Train. She also takes part in Gary Ruley and Mule Train with other members of Walker's Run. Before dedicating herself completely to her musical career, Simpson taught science and directed the strings program at Woodberry Forest School, in Madison County, Virginia. She is "taking a leave from this school to pursue music."

Career

In 2004, Simpson recorded the violins on the album '' Stand Up'' for the Dave Matthews Band. In 2005 she toured Italy with the North African/American band, Kantara, which performed Arab-

Appalachian music Appalachian music is the music of the region of Appalachia in the Eastern United States. Traditional Appalachian music is derived from various influences, including the ballads, hymns and fiddle music of the British Isles (particularly Scotland), ...

. In 2006 Simpson was invited to tour with the

progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog) is a broad genre of rock music that primarily developed in the United Kingdom through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early-to-mid-1970s. Initially termed " progressive pop", the ...

band, Jethro Tull, as a guest soloist. She admitted: "I had to Google '

Ian Anderson Ian Scott Anderson (born 10 August 1947) is a British musician best known for being the chief vocalist, Flute, flautist, and acoustic guitarist of the British rock band Jethro Tull (band), Jethro Tull. He is a multi-instrumentalist who also p ...

' when he first contacted me." Anderson later said of Simpson: "Unlike many of her fiddlin' friends from the classical world, Ann Marie has cultivated considerable improvisational abilities but still retains her

music theory Music theory is the study of theoretical frameworks for understanding the practices and possibilities of music. ''The Oxford Companion to Music'' describes three interrelated uses of the term "music theory": The first is the "Elements of music, ...

and the ability to play set parts and

orchestration Orchestration is the study or practice of writing music for an orchestra (or, more loosely, for any musical ensemble, such as a concert band) or of adapting music composed for another medium for an orchestra. Also called "instrumentation", orch ...

s." In 2007, Simpson became a member of

's band, String Theories. The band began a world tour in June 2007. Simpson received a gold sales award for her participation in Vai's "Where the Wild Things Are" DVD. Her performance with Vai on "Now We Run", was nominated for a Grammy Award in the category of "Best Instrumental Rock Group Performance". Vai commented about her performance at that event: "She should have been the one who had a full performance on the show, because she would have stunned people." At the

50th Grammy Awards The 50th Annual Grammy Awards took place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, on February 10, 2008. It honored musical achievement of 2007 in which albums were released between October 1, 2006, through September 30, 2007. The primary ceremonie ...

on February 10, 2008, Simpson was the winner of the "My Grammy Moment" contest, and played live with the

Foo Fighters The Foo Fighters are an American Rock music, rock band formed in Seattle in 1994. Initially founded as a one-man project by former Nirvana (band), Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl, the band comprises vocalist/guitarist Grohl, bassist Nate Mendel, gu ...

during the broadcast. In late February 2008, she recorded with

The Hooters The Hooters is an American rock music, rock band, which was founded in Philadelphia in 1980. They combine elements of rock, reggae, ska, and folk music. The Hooters first gained major commercial success in the United States in the mid-1980s du ...

and played as a special guest with the band the Disco Biscuits. Later that year, Simpson performed multiple times as a special guest with the bands

Switchfoot Switchfoot is an American rock music, rock band from San Diego, California. The band's members are Jon Foreman (lead vocals, guitar), Tim Foreman (bass guitar, backing vocals), Chad Butler (drum kit, drums, percussion), and Jerome Fontamillas (g ...

and

, and then performed with

on ''

Larry King Live ''Larry King Live'' is an American television talk show broadcast by CNN from June 3, 1985 to December 16, 2010. Hosted by Larry King, it was the network's most watched and longest-running program, with over one million viewers nightly. Ma ...

'', ''

The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson ''The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Scottish actor and comedian Craig Ferguson. This was the third iteration of the The Late Late Show (American talk show), ''Late Late Show'' franchise, airi ...

'', and at the

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

House of Blues House of Blues is an American chain of live music concert halls and restaurants. It was founded by Isaac Tigrett, the co-founder of Hard Rock Cafe, and Dan Aykroyd, co-star of the 1980 film ''The Blues Brothers (film), The Blues Brothers''. The ...

. 2009 saw Simpson perform with the "First Lady of France", Carla Bruni, along with

Josh Groban Joshua Winslow Groban (born February 27, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. His first four solo albums have been certified multi-platinum, and he was charted in 2007 as the number-one best selling artist in the United States, ...

and

Aretha Franklin Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Honored as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Soul", she was twice named by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine as the Roll ...

, at

Radio City Music Hall Radio City Music Hall (also known as Radio City) is an entertainment venue and Theater (structure), theater at 1260 Sixth Avenue (Manhattan), Avenue of the Americas, within Rockefeller Center, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York C ...

to celebrate

Mandela Day Nelson Mandela International Day (or Mandela Day) is an annual list of minor secular observances#July, international day in honour of Nelson Mandela, celebrated each year on 18 July, Mandela's birthday. The day was officially declared by the ...

. Simpson appeared several times with

Bon Jovi Bon Jovi is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Sayreville, New Jersey in 1983. The band consists of singer Jon Bon Jovi, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, guitarists John Shanks and Phil X, percussionist Everett Bradley ...

, including a Christmas performance at the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...

for President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

. Simpson has toured as a featured soloist with

Yanni Yiannis Chryssomallis (; born November 14, 1954), known professionally as Yanni ( ), is a Greek composer, keyboardist, pianist, and music producer. Yanni continues to use the musical shorthand that he developed as a child, blending jazz, clas ...

Ann Marie Calhoun appearing with Ian Anderson Sao Paolo BRAZIL April 2007

On January 13, 2010, she performed for

with Ben Harper and the Relentless7 on ''

The Daily Show ''The Daily Show'' is an American late-night talk show, late-night talk and news satire television program. It airs each Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central in the United States, with extended episodes released shortly after on Paramount+ ...

'' to promote Starr's new album, '' Y Not''. She again played with them, with the addition of

Joan Osborne Joan Elizabeth Osborne (born July 8, 1962) is an American singer, songwriter, and interpreter of music, having recorded and performed in various popular American musical genres including rock, pop, soul, R&B, blues, and country. She is best kn ...

, on January 14, 2010, for a performance at the

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art, colloquially referred to as the Met, is an Encyclopedic museum, encyclopedic art museum in New York City. By floor area, it is the List of largest museums, third-largest museum in the world and the List of larg ...

, in New York City (which was recorded for the 2010 PBS show, '' Live from the Artists Den''). Simpson collaborated with

, as a featured soloist and contributing writer on the film score for the 2009 film ''

'', directed by

Guy Ritchie Guy Stuart Ritchie (born 10 September 1968) is an English film director, producer and screenwriter known primarily for British comedy gangster films and large-scale action-adventure films. Ritchie left school at the age of 15, and worked in e ...

. The score was nominated for the 2010

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

for Best Score. She also collaborated with Damian Marley to score the documentary ''Bouncing Cats'', a film that follows one man's efforts to use dance to empower youth in war-torn Uganda. She worked with Dave Stewart (her manager), and co-wrote the theme song for the charity,

Stand Up to Cancer Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) is a charitable organization that was established as a division of the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF). In 2022, SU2C was separately incorporated and was recognized by the IRS as a Section 501(c)(3) public charit ...

. Simpson orchestrated and conducted an arrangement of "I'll Take It All" for

Joss Stone Joscelyn Eve Stoker (born 11 April 1987), known professionally as Joss Stone, is an English singer, songwriter and actress. She rose to prominence in late 2003 with her multi-platinum debut album, ''The Soul Sessions'', which made the 2004 Merc ...

to be used with

Activision Activision Publishing, Inc. is an American video game publisher based in Santa Monica, California. It serves as the publishing business for its parent company, Activision Blizzard, and consists of several subsidiary studios. Activision is one o ...

's James Bond series games. On May 17, 2010, she premiered as the lead actress, music composer, and official spokesperson for Tim Kring's '' Conspiracy For Good'' (also known as "''SPIRA''"). In 2011, Simpson played with the rock supergroup SuperHeavy with

, Dave Stewart,

A. R. Rahman Allah Rakha Rahman (; born A. S. Dileep Kumar; 6 January 1967), also known by the initialism ARR, is an Indian music composer, record producer, singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and philanthropist known for his works in Indian cinem ...

, and Damian Marley on their debut studio album, '' Superheavy'', and accompanied

Stevie Nicks Stephanie Lynn Nicks (born May 26, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter, known for her work with the band Fleetwood Mac and as a solo artist. After starting her career as a duo with her then-boyfriend Lindsey Buckingham, releasing the album ...

' on the album, "'' In Your Dreams''". Simpson performed again with Rahman on

MTV Unplugged ''MTV Unplugged'' is an American television series on MTV. It showcases recorded live performances of popular music artists playing acoustic instrument, acoustic or "unplugged" variations of songs. The show aired regularly from 1989 to 1999. F ...

, and appeared with

Pharrell Williams Pharrell Lanscilo Williams (; born April 5, 1973), also known mononymously as Pharrell, is an American musician, singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer, and fashion designer. He first became known as one half of the music production duo ...

A. R. Rahman Allah Rakha Rahman (; born A. S. Dileep Kumar; 6 January 1967), also known by the initialism ARR, is an Indian music composer, record producer, singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and philanthropist known for his works in Indian cinem ...

and Sheila E. at the 84th Annual Academy Awards in 2012. Simpson recorded on

' 2014 album, '' 24 Karat Gold: Songs from the Vault''.

Personal Life

She was previously married to Brian Calhoun from 2002–2013. In 2016 she married

Incubus An Incubus () is a demon, male demon in human form in folklore that seeks to have Sexuality in Christian demonology, sexual intercourse with sleeping women; the corresponding spirit in female form is called a succubus. Parallels exist in many c ...

guitarist Mike Einziger, with whom she has twin daughters, Talulah and Penelope, born in 2017.

Recordings

, '' 12 Years a Slave – Original Motion Picture Score'' (solo violin), 2013. *

, '' Man of Steel – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack'' (solo violin), 2013. *

Pearl Jam Pearl Jam is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. One of the key bands in the grunge, grunge movement of the early 1990s, Pearl Jam has outsold and outlasted many of its contemporaries from the early 1990s, ...

, '' Lightning Bolt'' (string arrangements) 2013. *Dave Stewart, ''The Blackbird Diaries'' (violin), 2011. *

, '' If Not Now, When?'' (violin), 2011. *

, '' In Your Dreams'' (violin, string arrangements), 2011. * Damian Marley and

Nas Nas (born 1973) is the stage name of American rapper Nasir Jones. Nas, NaS, or NAS may also refer to: Aviation * Nasair, a low-cost airline carrier and subsidiary based in Eritrea * National Air Services, an airline in Saudi Arabia ** Nas Air (S ...

, ''Distant Relatives'' (violin), 2010. *

, '' Y Not'' (violin), 2010. *

Robbie Robertson Jaime Royal Robertson (July 5, 1943 – August 9, 2023) was a Canadian musician of Indigenous and Jewish ancestry. He was the lead guitarist for Bob Dylan's backing band in the mid-late 1960s and early-mid 1970s. Robertson was also the ...

, ''How To Become Clairvoyant Violin'', 2010. * Vusi Mahlasela, ''Say Africa'' (violin), 2010. *

, "Marilyn Monroe" (violin), 2014. *

, '' Where the Wild Things Are'' (violin), 2009. *Joan Osborne, '' Little Wild One'' (violin), 2008. *The Hooters, '' Both Sides Live'' (violin, vocals), 2008. * Dave Stewart, ''Dave Stewart Songbook, Vol.1'' (violin), 2008. *Jethro Tull, '' The Best of Acoustic Jethro Tull'' (violin), 2007. *Various Artists, ''The Eclectic Bluegrass Collection'' (fiddle), 2006. * Gary Ruley and Mule Train, ''Live at the Troubadour, Volume I''(fiddle), 2005. * Gary Ruley and Mule Train, ''Live at the Troubadour, Volume II'' (fiddle), 2005. * Dave Matthews Band, '' Stand Up'' (violin),

RCA RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded in 1919 as the Radio Corporation of America. It was initially a patent pool, patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Westinghou ...

, ASIN: B00082ZSP2, 2005. * Old School Freight Train, ''Pickin' on Wilco: Casino Side'' (fiddle), 2004. * Old School Freight Train, ''Old School Freight Train'' (fiddle), 2002. *Gary Ruley, '' Gary Ruley and Mule Train'' (fiddle), 2002.

Articles, reviews, interviews, etc.

* Assar, Vijith
"FACETIME – Jethro lull: Local gal all over the place"
''The Hook'', April 26, 2007. * Barnes, Lindsay
"FACETIME – Calhoun's coup: Local violinist shines at the Grammys"
''The Hook'', February 2, 2008. * Calhoun, Ann Marie
"Last Look: Starving Artist"
''University of Virginia Arts and Science Magazine'', February 17, 2006.
Fiddler's Grove Ole Time Fiddler's Contest
1999 winners.

, ''Let It Rock'', October 2006. * St. George, Donna

''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'', February 14, 2008
Connecther Special Performance by Anne Marie Simpson and Michael Einziger
Girls Impact the World Film Festival Awards, Harvard University, June 1, 2015.

References

External links

* Ann Marie Calhounat

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Calhoun, Ann Marie Living people American musicians of Chinese descent American fiddlers Bluegrass musicians from Virginia Grammy Award winners Musicians from Virginia American music educators American women music educators University of Virginia alumni American rock violinists American women violinists 1979 births 20th-century American classical violinists 21st-century American classical violinists 20th-century American women musicians 20th-century American musicians 21st-century American women musicians People from Gordonsville, Virginia