Biography

Originally from Goshen, Indiana, Ethan Setiawan tried out numerous instruments before finding his way to the mandolin, making a name for himself when he won both the National Mandolin Championship in Winfield, Kansas, and the Rockygrass Mandolin Championship in Lyons, Colorado. Years later, Setiawan has become a leading voice of the mandolin, his path wending its way through traditional bluegrass, to Bach partitas, and free jazz. He performs regularly with his progressive bluegrass band Fine Ground, and Scottish fusion duo Hildaland. His previous solo albums “Flux” and “Gambit” (produced by Darol Anger) were made up of original tunes drawing from all these wells, and employed a traditional full band format. On his most recent record, “Encyclopedia Mandolinnica”, he explores the many possibilities of mandolin music through duets and trios with friends, mentors, and heroes.

Setiawan was one of three kids who were all homeschooled by folk-loving parents, so his childhood was untraditional and full of exploration, but music gave him a social outlet outside of the home. “As a teenager, I loved the idea of going to jams and having this community of people I could hang out with”, he explains. He began driving to Chicago to take lessons with Don Stiernberg and traveled to California to attend The Mandolin Symposium. After finishing high school, Setiawan attended Berklee College of Music on a full scholarship. “I think I came into Berklee as a very technically oriented musician, but just being exposed to so many different styles and incredible musicians really broadened my musical horizons, and gave me a deeper understanding of artistry and musicality beyond technical proficiency”, he explains.

On “Encyclopedia Mandolinnica”, Setiawan is joined by some of his past teachers, such as Don Stiernberg and Mike Marshall, both foundational to the mandolin’s place in current folk music. He also duets with players who are in the process of forging their influence on the instrument, like classical mandolinist Caterina Lichtenberg, Watchhouse frontman Andrew Marlin, and Scottish folk star Laura-Beth Salter. With “Encyclopedia Mandolinnica,” Setiawan has added a collection of foundational mandolin music to his already illustrious recording catalog. A musician whose thirst for knowledge and exploration is never sated, Setiawan shows once again that he is always interested in reaching for the next challenge. “I like variety, having lots of different music to work on is interesting to me,” Setiawan explains. “I might fall under the category of having too many different things going on actually…but I think it helps that the projects I work on are all distinct from one another. I have a progressive bluegrass band, a Scottish/folk duo, and a Latin jazz string band. Each project calls on different aspects of my musicianship, and this record is different from all of them again!”

In addition to his solo projects, Setiawan is an in demand side man and band member, and can be seen playing with various acts in the Northeast and further abroad. Throughout his work, Setiawan’s technical proficiency is rivaled only by his restraint, leaving room for the music to thrive.

bio written by Rachel Baiman