Our Judges - 2024
Amy Carwile
Amy Carwile comes from a musical family and was born and raised in Idaho but has made Kentucky her home for many years.
Playing the fiddle since age eight, Amy's championships include Northwest Regional, Washington State, Colorado Open, Pend O’Reille International, and Rocky Mountain Young Adult Championships. She has served as a judge at the Alabama, Kentucky, Oregon, Indiana, Tennessee, and Wyoming State Contests, Colorado and Idaho Open, The World Championships of Fiddling, Northwest Regional, the National Old-Time Fiddlers' Contest and The Grand Master Fiddler Championship.
In tandem with her private music instruction, Amy travels the U.S. and international locations conducting fiddle workshops and master classes, as well as teaching at summer music camps including the International Fiddle School at Vanderbilt University and the Mark O'Connor Berklee College of Music Summer String Program. Amy currently performs as a duo with her husband Daniel adding fiddle, piano, and vocals to their fusion of musical styles. Together they own and operate Carwile String Studio in Lexington, Kentucky.
Aynsley Porchak
Aynsley began playing fiddle at the age of 9. She was introduced to contest-style fiddling in her early teens, and quickly fell in love with the music. In order to further hone her craft, Aynsley enrolled in East Tennessee State University's Bluegrass, Old Time, and Country Music Studies degree program in 2013. She graduated in 2017 with an additional bachelor's degree in English, and completed her master's degree in Appalachian Studies in 2020.
Aynsley is also an experienced contest fiddler, having won the Grand Master Fiddler Championship in 2015 in Nashville, Tennessee, and the 2017 Canadian Grand Master Fiddle Championship, making her the first person to win both competitions. She also played in 2016 on the Grand Ole Opry. She is a certified and qualified national contest judge.
In 2018, Aynsley received the 2018 IBMA Momentum Instrumentalist of the Year award. She has played with the SPBGMA award-winning bluegrass band Carolina Blue, the Tennessee Bluegrass Band, and currently tours with the Darren Nicholson Band. She is an adjunct professor at East Tennessee State University, and is also the director of the ETSU Bluegrass Summer Camp. Aynsley spends her time off the road as a private fiddle instructor, session musician, and author.
Cody Stadelmeier
Cody Stadelmaier grew up in Casper, Wyoming and has been competing and judging fiddle competitions for over 30 years. She is from a musical family and her mother Ann Robinson is a fiddler and fiddle contest organizer.
After she began playing her Grandpa's fiddle at age 10 and instantly fell in love with the instrument. She started playing old time tunes in the local fiddle club. From there she started competing in contests and went on to win the Junior Wyoming State title, followed by the Grand Champion title.
In 1992 she moved to Fort Collins, CO to study music at Colorado State University. It was during that time she was introduced to Texas Style Fiddling. Under the guidance of Dick and Lisa Barrett, she went on to win many fiddle championships, including the Colorado State Championship, Rocky Mountain Regional Championship, Wyoming State Championship and was the 2016 US National Adult Fiddle Champion.
Cody has performed with several area Bands from Western Swing to Bluegrass. Currently she stays busy running her music studio, teaching lessons and trying to keep up with her husband Steve and her kids activities.