Bruce Molsky and Brittany Haas: “The Balkan Square Dance” & “Red Rocking Chair”

Two of our fiddle instructors debut a new original tune and sing an old-time classic in the Peghead Parlor at Wintergrass 2026.

By: Dan Gabel

February 27, 2026

We had big fun at the Wintergrass Music Festival in Bellevue, Washington, last weekend, where Peghead Nation sponsored the extensive Workshop program and enjoyed a great weekend of music, learning, and community with outstanding performances, instructional sessions, and jamming.

We also hosted the Peghead Parlor on Friday and Saturday nights in the Peghead Nation suite, where we had some magical showcase performances by some of the Peghead Nation instructors who performed at Wintergrass throughout the weekend. In this video, Peghead Nation fiddle instructors Bruce Molsky and Brittany Haas debut a tune that Bruce wrote called “The Balkan Square Dance,” and followed that with the classic old-time tune “Red Rocking Chair,” with Brittany switching from fiddle to banjo. These two play with such joy, a good reminder of what making music with others is all about.

This year’s Wintergrass festival included Peghead Nation instructors performing and teaching throughout the weekend, among them John Reischman, Bruce Molsky, Joe K. Walsh, Grant Gordy, and Brittany Haas. Also on the jam-packed performance schedule were New Dangerfield, Missy Raines & Allegheny, The Fretless, Caleb Klauder & Reeb Willms Country Band, Väsen, Jordan Tice Trio, Squirrel Butter, Mollie O’Brien & Rich Moore, Same Street Band with Darol Anger, and many more artists. Put it on your schedule for next year!

We’ll have more Peghead Parlor moments from Bruce Molsky in a bit, along with some from John Reischman and Joe K. Walsh, who played a set together, and our Contemporary Flatpicking Guitar instructor, Grant Gordy, who played a great solo set and some duo tunes with Joe. And Never Come Down, who teach a new Three-Part Vocal Harmony Session on Peghead Nation, joined us in the suite for a great late-night set as well, and we’ll share some songs from that. Stay tuned!

To learn old-time fiddle from Bruce, enroll in his Old-Time Fiddle course on Peghead Nation today. And learn clawhammer banjo from Bruce in his Old-Time Banjo course. Sign up for either course now and get your first month free with promo code “BruceLand” at checkout.

To learn fiddle with Brittany, enroll in her Fiddle Styles Workshop and her workshop with Lauren Rioux, Creative Jam Skills, on Peghead Nation today.