Rochester's Teresa Walter fiddles her way to grand championship

Aug. 12—ROCHESTER — Ten years after picking up the fiddle, Teresa Walter is now a state grand champion.

The Rochester musician is living proof of the adage: You're never too old to get good at something, as long as you are willing to put in the time and work. And Walter has done both.

A classically trained musician, Walter, 64, of Rochester earlier this month won first place at the Minnesota State Old Time Fiddle Championship in Mountain Iron, Minnesota. As the winner of the overall contest, Walter won the right to compete in the National Old Time Fiddle Championship in Weiser, Idaho, in June 2025.

Walter has gradually ascended the ranks of fiddle players as she has improved in tempo, technical proficiency, intonation and improvisation, a key skill in bluegrass. Walter came in fourth place in the championship in 2023. Two years ago, Walter won first place in the senior (55 and older) division.

"I couldn't believe it," Walters said. "It was just a thrilling moment."

She won playing "Gardenia Waltz," "Salt Creek," and "Wild Fiddler Rag."

Walters began playing the violin in grade school. It was the performance aspect that drew and kept her at fiddle-playing. Walter said she finds playing the fiddle in front of crowds where a premium is placed on improvisation and spontaneity both thrilling and nerve-wracking.

Walters plays for the Farmers Market Ramblers, a group that plays bluegrass, folk and country music at Rochester area farmers markets, garden centers, assisted living centers and at the Old Pine Theater in Pine Island and Squash Blossom Farm in Oronoco. Walters participates in jam sessions at Charlie's Eatery & Pub on Wednesday nights.

The fiddle and violin are identical four-stringed instruments with the main difference being the style of music played on them. A violin is played in a classical context with the player focused on the notes on a page, whereas improvisation is a key quality in playing the fiddle.

Fiddlers as young as 6 and as old as 70 compete in the state fiddle championship. The certified contest means the judges are sequestered and there is no audience clamping until the end.

Walter said she hasn't decided yet whether she will compete in the national fiddle contest in Idaho.

"That's something I've got to figure out. It'd be great. I'm still kind of processing what I would like to do there," Walter said. "It's kind of the big leagues of the big leagues."