Fiddler, Music Educator, Performing Artist

   Hailing from the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, Malia comes from a large family of musicians. She began touring up and down the East Coast with her family when still a child, garnering performance experience, winning numerous prizes, and gaining a strong reputation in the regional music scene as a talented and versatile fiddler. 


  Now based in Swoope, Virginia, Malia divides her time between perorming and teaching. During the week, she can be found at the Front Porch Music School in Charlottesville where she is the Director of Music Education. On the weekends, you might find her in GA, WI, or any other state, performing as the fiddler for her sister's Mountain Home Label recording group, the Gina Furtado Project. She also performs locally solo and is a high-in-demand freelance musician in Central Virginia.

 

   In addition to her role as Director of Music Education at the Front Porch, Malia taught continued education music classes at Blue Ridge Community College for three years, appeared on 2 Murphy Method Instructional DVDs, has taught many workshops and camps, laid tracks on innumerable albums, and was a 2018 Artist in Residence at Shenandoah National Park. 


Latest Happenings...new release from the Gina Furtado Project coming out May 17th, 2024, and starting a brand new trio with Emma McDowell & Clara George, the Five Cent Fireballs!

I was honored to be invited by the great mandolinist Mark Stoffel (Chris Jones & the Night Drivers) to record at Mountain Home Studiofor his upcoming solo project. What a crew!!

L-R: Me, Marc Pruett (banjo), Clay Miller (sound engineer), Tony Creasman (drums), Marsall WIlbourne (bass), Mark Stoffel (mandolin), and Josh Morrison (guitar). March, 2023

Camp time! Come fiddle with me!

Join me at Steve Kaufman's Acoustic Camp for Bluegrass week this June (18th-23rd, 2023). I'll be teaching beginner-advanced fiddling along with Darol Anger (gasp!). Classes in banjo, mandolin guitar, bass, and dobro are available too.


Songs of Murphy Hicks Henry, Album

Had a super fun time playing on four tracks on When My Momma Sang To Me, Songs of Murphy Hicks Henry album. Besides the honor of being on an album for Murphy (as if that's not enough!), I got to cut these tracks with incredible musicians (David McLaughlin, Chris Henry, Gina, and Katie Powderly), and have them included alongside the work of some of the best artists in the bluegrass industry! So special.

Fiddler Magazine

 I made it into Fiddler Magazine!  I've geeked out over articles in this magazine and even made people listen to me read them excerpts (John Hartford writing about Benny Martin = awesome). What an honor to be included! (2022)

Super Woman

For Women's Month this year, we did some song/video collaborations with some of the female staff at the Front Porch. It was SO MUCH fun and working with Devon Sproule (guitar) and Clara George (piano) was inspiring to say the least. Such bad asses!