Lisa Hancock Gomes grew up in a Southern-roots family near Woodstock, New York. After playing classical music at Vassar College, she moved to Taiwan, where she studied Chinese and learned to play music by ear and improvise, opening up a new world of musical opportunities. She has played several genres of music at folk and dance festivals throughout Europe, Canada, Mainland United States, and Hawai’i.

Lisa now resides on O’ahu, Hawai’i, where she continues to successfully play several styles of music. Her signature skills include the quick ability to play any type of music by ear, improvise, implement good group and sound dynamics, and create a positive, high energy between musicians on stage and audiences. Lisa also loves to mentor young artists who have a fire and passion to learn fiddle.

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Performance History:

Her performances now include dancing and fiddling for the JigThis School of Irish Dance, Highland Dancers Hawai'i, and The Society of Creative Anacronism (SCA), Barony of the Western Seas.  One day, she hopes to add bagpipe to the list, as she and her husband, Vern, are presently learning to play with the Celtic Pipes and Drums of Hawai’i.

HONOLULU BANDS: Papa Wili, Working Class Saints (Irish punk/rock), The Honolulu Blues Co-op, Slim Mango (blues), Gordon Freitas and Local Folk (Hawaiian and originals), Irish Hearts, Bon Ton Roule (Cajun/Zydeco), The Swampshakers (Zydeco), The Pleasant Peasant Band (International folkdance), Scott Wallace and The Round-Up (country)

GUEST ARTIST: IONA Contemporary Dance Theatre, Doolin’ Rakes, Celtic Waves, The Eric Petersen Band, Don Conover’s Irish Band, The Southern String Band (Raleigh, N.C.), Wolgemut (Medieval), Dram (Medieval/Swedish), Switchback (Irish/Scottish), Millicent Cummings (blues and originals

RECORDINGS: “Whale Cry of the Ocean” with Pierre Grill (1999 winner of the Hawai’i Music Award for “Best New Age Artist”); Doug Fitch: Paradise on the Ocean (2008); “My Back Pages: The Folk Years” by Peter Apo and The Rainbow Nation Band (2006); The Folklorica Ensemble of Bucharesti (Gypsy, 1997)

FESTIVAL APPEARANCES: Maui: The Princess Ka’iulani Festival (2008); Honolulu: Hawaiian Scottish Festival and Highland Games; Hawaii Book & Music Festival, A Taste of Honolulu, First Night, Festival of France; International: La Chavannee, France; Miltown-Malbay, Ireland; Budapest Folk Festival

MUSICALS: Always Patsy Cline, Peter Pan (acting/dance), Rosie’s Cantina, Big River, The Dead, Tintypes

SOUND DESIGNER: The Lion in Winter; The Cherry Orchard

TEACHING EXPERIENCE: International Suzuki Institute in Honolulu (2006, 2008); Bluegrass Hawaii Traditional & Bluegrass Music Society (2008)

TEACHERS:  Alasdair Fraser (Valley of the Moon Camp); Martin Hayes (Miltown-Malbay, Ireland); Barbara Higbie (Hawai’i); Matthew Raimondi (Vassar College)