NATCHITOCHES – Curry Perkins of Ragley was named Grand Champion of the 2023 Louisiana State Fiddle Championship held at Northwestern State University as part of the 43rd Annual Natchitoches-NSU Folk Festival. Second place winner was Clancey Stewart of Florien, with Joe Suchanek of Merryville placing third and Ron Pace of Alexandria placing fourth. The Championship was held in Magale Recital Hall on the NSU campus.
Stewart took first in the 22-59 championship division, with Perkins coming in second. Suchanek took first in the 60 and up championship division, with Pace coming in second. Stewart and Suchanek took first place in the twin fiddles competition. Gidget Rasmussen, Sophie Rasmussen and Susan Rasmussen managed the championship, with Dr. Susan Roach, professor emerita at Louisiana Tech University, emceeing. Judges included James Linden Hogg, Phillip Mayo and Ron Yule. Hogg and Yule are past state fiddle champions.
The final championship round had three past Championship fiddlers asked by the judges to compete in a fiddle off in the final championship round, featuring Suchanek, who won in 2017, Stewart, who won in 2018, and Perkins, who won in 1989 and 1992.
“They played their hearts out, and the judges had a tough time deciding,” Roach said. “I would love to see all the past champions who are still playing and the other dedicated fiddlers such as Ron Pace enter the Championship for 2024 in celebration of its 20th year at the Natchitoches Folk Festival after moving from Rebel State Park.”
“Winning the Louisiana State Fiddle Championship was a milestone in my musical career,” said Hogg. “The contest challenges one as a fiddle player. But it’s an incredibly rewarding experience to compete with so many accomplished musicians from across the state. I was honored to judge the most recent competition.”
Dr. Shane Rasmussen, director of the Championship and the Natchitoches-NSU Folk Festival, observed that “the level of talent of the players in this year’s Championship was phenomenal. Each of this year’s contestants is an extraordinary player who is helping keep this important tradition alive.”
As the new champion, Perkins also performed on the festival main stage in Prather Coliseum and will serve as a judge for next year’s Championship to be held on July 20, 2024.
Support for the festival was provided by grants from the Cane River National Heritage Area, Inc., the City of Natchitoches, the Louisiana Division of the Arts Decentralized Arts Fund Program, the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, the Louisiana Office of Tourism, the Natchitoches Historic District Development Commission, the National Endowment for the Arts, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation, the Shreveport Regional Arts Council and the State of Louisiana.
