Andrea Zonn

Andrea Zonn’s playing combines the energy of traditional fiddling and the elegance of classical violin. Her talent has led her to share studios and stages with Trace Adkins, Vince Gill, Lyle Lovett, Ronnie Milsap, Pam Tillis, and James Taylor, in whose band she plays at present. Zonn’s professional career began at eighteen, when she played with banjo legend Tony Trischka while studying violin at Vanderbilt. Zonn has contributed fiddle and background vocals to records by Deana Carter, Kenny Chesney, Neil Diamond, Linda Ronstadt, Lee Ann Womack, and many others. She has released two albums on Compass Records. The latest, Rise, contains duets with Adkins and Gill of her original songs.

From an early age, Andrea Zonn was encouraged to explore her musical passions. The oldest child in a musical family, Zonn began to study the violin at age 5. She started fiddling at age 10, and traveled the contest circuit around the prairies of her native Illinois. At 14 she was accepted as a freshman violin major at the University of Illinois. Two years later, she transferred to Vanderbilt University in Nashville where she won numerous classical violin competitions and was awarded a fellowship to the prestigious Aspen Music Festival. That same year, she won the National Fiddle Championship in Winfield, KS.

Her voice and fiddle have graced recordings by Vince Gill, James Taylor, Linda Ronstadt and Ann Savoy, Keb’ Mo, George Jones, T-Bone Burnett, Neil Diamond, Paul Brady, Amy Grant, Mickey Newbury, Tim O’Brien, Alison Krauss, Sam Bush, Darrell Scott and countless others. Some of the folks she’s toured with include Vince Gill, Lyle Lovett, Tony Trischka, Trisha Yearwood, Alison Brown, Jerry Douglas, and currently, James Taylor. Andrea's debut release, Love Goes On, was met with critical acclaim, including being named one of 2003's Top 10 new artists in the “Country Music Critics’ Poll.”

With an ardent sense of global awareness, Andrea co-produced Hands Across the Water: A Benefit for the Children of the Tsunami. As a response to the Asian tsunami of 2004, the project features collaborations between American folk artists and their Celtic counterparts, including John Prine, Rodney Crowell, Altan, Vince Gill, Lunasa, Cerys Matthews, Jackson Browne and a host of others. All proceeds from record sales are distributed to aid children affected by the devastation.