By Zac Taylor
Editor-in-Chief

Liz Davis Maxfield has hit the proverbial jackpot. The versatile cellist graduates this semester, and will be heading to the University of Limerick in Ireland to receive her Master’s degree in Traditional Irish Music Performance. The cello, however, is not a traditional instrument in this genre; herein lies the ace up her sleeve. She submitted a proposal to pen the first-ever cello method book exclusively for traditional Irish music, and received the Fulbright Scholarship, a highly competitive program sponsored by the U.S. Department of State that is on par with the Rhodes Scholarship. Her tuition, housing, and research expenses are all covered.

While it indeed sounds like she won the lottery, Maxfield has earned every accolade provided by this illustrious scholarship. A cello performance major, she is a member of the acclaimed Folk Arts Quartet (FAQ), and sat in with the Drop Kick Murphys at the Agannis Arena last year. After running into a friend at the airport who was bound for Ireland, Maxfield researched the University of Limerick. “My husband had Fulbright book, which said it encouraged arts and music. I was already planning on writing a method book. All the pieces fell together very gracefully.”

The University of Limerick is about three hours west of Dublin. Maxfield’s one-year program will afford her opportunities to play with and learn from world-renowned Celtic musicians. “There aren’t any resources for cellists to play traditional Irish music without sounding lame,” she said, who grew up playing Irish folk music with her family. “There are left hand techniques, ornamentations unique to Irish music, specific bowing style, and different interpretations of rhythm.”

During this past semester, Maxfield released her debut solo record entitled Big Fiddle, as well as FAQ’s self-titled debut full-length album, which also features Ivonne Hernandez, Hannah Read, and Julie Metcalf. FAQ is scheduled to play the Falcon Ridge Folk Fest in Hillsdale, NY, and the Ness Creek Festival in Saskatchewan, Canada, which will keep the cellist busy until she heads overseas in August. “I’ve been teaching a lot, and doing a lot of workshops to see what students need to prepare what I need for the cirriculum,” Maxfield said. “I think the best preparation I could do is just be enthusiastic about it, and just have fun.”

For more on Maxfield, visit LizDavisMaxfield.com and FolkArtsQuartet.com. And to apply for the Fulbright, visit Fulbrightonline.org.