The Moxie Strings

The Moxie Strings emerged from Michigan in 2007, and their genre-blending sound later claimed the summit of Billboard’s U.S. classical crossover chart during summer 2022. Beyond concerts and recordings, the ensemble maintains a robust commitment to teaching.

Their style aligns with the American strain of chamber folk, which merges classical techniques with wide-ranging folk traditions; similar fusions appear in the United Kingdom and across Europe, though without the same unified identity, as heard in the collaborations of fiddler Alasdair Fraser and cellist Natalie Haas. Because fiddler Diana Ladio and cellist Alison Lynn both earned bachelor’s degrees in music performance and music education, classical elements surface naturally in the group’s work, a background shared by percussionist Fritz McGirr, who frequently joins the pair. Each musician also pursues separate projects: Ladio serves as fiddler for the touring Irish band The Elders, while Lynn has appeared alongside Kanye West and the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. On their independent label, the ensemble issued its first album, Running in Squares, in 2014.

Ladio performs on a five-string violin and Lynn on an electric cello she designed herself; both musicians incorporate audio effects pedals. Their sound draws from Celtic, Canadian, bluegrass, rock, jazz, and old-time sources alongside classical music. The Moxie Strings appear regularly at rock and folk clubs, Irish-focused festivals, and educational sites. Education forms a central mission, realized through clinics that encourage young musicians toward self-discovery and engagement with socially and culturally pertinent styles. These workshops have reached more than 200 schools nationwide, and the group has shared its approaches at music-education conferences. The album Outlet followed in 2016. The ensemble resurfaced in 2022 with Live & Plugged In, which ascended to number one on Billboard’s U.S. classical crossover chart.