Jenna Moynihan's music career has led her from Lakewood to Boston to France and back again.
With her bandmates at her side, the fiddler has returned to the Jamestown area for a Saturday night gig at the Infinity Arts Cafe.
Moynihan, a 2009 Southwestern High School graduate, discovered her passion for the fiddle at a young age. She began taking Suzuki lessons at age 7 and soon fell in love with Scottish music.
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The Jenna Moynihan Trio will perform at the Infinity Arts Cafe on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Led by Lakewood native Jenna Moynihan, the band formed at Berklee College of Music in Boston.
"The music is just so transcendent," Moynihan said. "There's such a sense of community about it. I just really enjoy playing it. It's very lively. It's intended to be dance music. It's very much for everyone to enjoy."
Continuing her interest in playing, Moynihan moved to Boston to attend the Berklee College of Music after graduating high school. The Berklee String Department selected her for the Fletcher Bright Award and the American Roots Musical Scholarship, two honors given annually to a promising string player.
At 21, she has toured the U.S., Canada and France as a member of the Folk Arts Quartet and The Atlantic Seaway, a collaboration between Berklee, the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and The University of Strathclyde. While performing with The Atlantic Seaway in France, Moynihan met Hamish Napier.
A native of Scotland, Napier has toured internationally and teaches at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. He enrolled at Berklee last fall and began performing with Moynihan and Lukas Pool, the reigning National Old-Time Banjo Champion.
The Jenna Moynihan Trio soon formed.
"One day we sort of realized we were a band," Moynihan said. "We decided we would make it a bit more official and go for it."
The band mostly has played in and around Boston, but Moynihan wanted to come home for a summer gig. The Infinity Arts Cafe felt like the right venue.
"I just thought it would be great to come back and play," she said. "The community has been really supportive. I knew about the Infinity program and venue, and I thought it would be a good fit. I'm really excited and looking forward to the show."
In the early stages of her music career, Moynihan has enjoyed performing overseas and hopes to take the trio to Scotland in the fall or winter. In the meantime, she'll focus on playing contemporary and traditional acoustic folk music stateside with Napier and Pool.
"I think right now in the early stages we're really enjoying just kind of experimenting with what each of us has to offer," Moynihan said. "We come from somewhat different backgrounds. It's been really exciting to come together and figure out what exactly we're creating. We just want to keep playing at this point. It's been great so far. I'm really fortunate to be playing with them."
Saturday's show will begin at 7:30 p.m. The price of admission will be a suggested donation of $12.
"If someone can't give that much, that's OK," Moynihan said. "We still want them to come out. We just want people to come out and enjoy the music."
The Infinity Arts Cafe is located at 115 E. Third St., Jamestown. Call 664-0991 for more information.
"Backstage Pass'' is a feature of The Post-Journal showcasing local artists, their music and their accomplishments. Send recommendations for future "Backstage Pass'' subjects to Scott Shelters at sshelters@post-journal.com or call 487-1111, ext. 255.