BIOGRAPHY

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Passionate. Creative. Captivating. Karrnnel is, without a doubt, one of Canada's most accomplished and innovative fiddlers and musicians as a recording artist, performer, teacher, and composer. This Juno award winner and 3-time nominee is changing the face of fiddle music.

In 2024, Karrnnel was busy performing worldwide with tours booked across Canada, the US and Europe. In addition to this busy touring schedule, he continued his process of writing music that is distinctly his voice and that which transforms the ideals of what the fiddle can do. With three albums in the works for 2025, this is the year that Karrnnel is set to truly ink his mark in the music world.

Karrnnel has been honing his skills on the fiddle for over thirty years and has garnered numerous awards, nominations and high acclaim. A wildly dynamic live performer, he is consistently invited to showcase and perform on the provincial, national and international stage. Known for his distinct style and exceptional technique, Karrnnel is highly regarded for his unique approach in breaking new ground in the traditional fiddle world.

Karrnnel has established himself as one of the country's most original and decorated musicians. He is the most successful competition fiddle player in Saskatchewan’s history, is multi-nominated and a winner at the Western Canadian Music awards and the Canadian Folk Music Awards - including a nomination for Solo Instrumentalist of the Year - and was nominated for Instrumental Song of the Year at the 2012 International Independent Music Awards.

Since the age of 4, he grew up playing in a family band with his two sisters (Kimberly and Kanndece on fiddle) and his father (Orest on accordion) traveling all across North America as The Sawitsky Family Fiddlers. From there, Karrnnel has gone on to develop a successful and critically acclaimed performance and recording career which includes performances all across North America and Europe and the release of 9 award nominated/winning albums since 2009.

In late 2011, Karrnnel and three musical friends formed a new band called The Fretless and in 2017 they won the JUNO Award for Instrumental Album of the Year for their 3rd album Bird’s Nest. 2019 saw them get a Juno nomination in the same category for their 4th album, Live from the Artfarm. In 2021, their guest singer album, Open House, was nominated for Contemporary Roots Album of the Year at the Juno Awards.

Karrnnel is one of the most active and authentic composers of fiddle music around the world. He has composed over 300 songs to date, and in 2010, he began the process of writing full orchestrations for his original music (an exercise he continues today). Karrnnel is also very active on the education/teaching side of music sharing his musical gift at various music camps, workshops and school workshops across Canada. These school workshops focus on sharing the traditions of old time music and dance with kids from kindergarten to grade 12 and since 2009, Karrnnel has performed these school workshops to over 10,000 kids all across North America.

Karrnnel has also developed a music program for schools/teachers that focuses on music education based around creation. Regardless of the tools available at a school (i.e. instruments) and musical abilities of students, everyone can make creative decisions to assist in the creation of new music. This program provides a framework and associated music-making toolbox to encourage these creative decisions, big and small. From there, the concepts of musical co-creation and collaboration (with a professional musician) are introduced to assist in the final molding of the new creative work. The end result is a professionally recorded, mixed, and mastered demo recording of a new song created by students.

Karrnnel has also been an active member on the industry side of the music sector serving as a board member with Folk Music Canada (FMC), Canada’s national non-profit Folk music organization, since 2010. Through extensive Folk music sector meetings and consultations, a merger of FMC with Folk Music Ontario was formally proposed in 2019. In 2020, Karrnnel moved into the Executive Director role with FMC to assist in this merger process and maintain the work of this national non-profit. In 2024, this merger will be complete and Karrnnel will be serving on the board of the newly named merged organization, Folk Canada.

Whether he is teaching, performing, writing, collaborating, arranging, or recording, Karrnnel consistently amazes audiences with his passion and expertise of the music he plays and is a force for artistic creation through education and advocacy.

DISCOGRAPHY

Crazy Old Man - 2018
SKMB - 2018
101 (single) - 2012
Karrnnel (self-titled) - 2009

Fretless albums:
Glasswing - 2024
Open House - 2021
Live From The Art Farm - 2018
Bird’s Nest (JUNO winner) - 2016
The Fretless (self titled) - 2014
Waterbound - 2012

Fiddle and Banjo Albums:
Tunes from the North, Songs from the South - 2015
Fiddle and Banjo - 2010