Mark Sullivan is a Canadian old-time fiddler, composer, and teacher from Bowmanville, Ontario. He won the Canadian Grand Masters Fiddling Championship three times, in 2001, 2004, and 2005, and he holds three Canadian Open and three Pembroke titles as well. He now lives in Abbotsford, British Columbia, plays in the duo Vollrath and Sullivan with Calvin Vollrath, and serves as president of the Canadian Grand Masters Fiddling Association.
Why Sullivan matters
Sullivan is one of five fiddlers with three or more Canadian Grand Masters titles, beside Louis Schryer, Patti Kusturok, Shane Cook, and Ethan Harty. His wins came in the middle of Cook’s run, so the two traded the title back and forth for five years. He then moved from the stage to the office. As president of the association he helps run the contest he won, and his album of originals gives fiddle clubs new material in the old style.
Life and career
Sullivan grew up in Bowmanville, Ontario, east of Toronto. He learned on the old-time sounds of Don Messer and Graham Townsend, and he played country dances with local players before he entered contests.
He won the Canadian Grand Masters in Ottawa in 2001, the year after Shane Cook’s first title. Cook took the championship back in 2002 and 2003. Sullivan then won two years running, in 2004 and 2005, both times listed from Bowmanville. Chuck Joyce of London, Ontario won in 2006. Sullivan has also won the Canadian Open Old Time Fiddle Championship in Shelburne three times and the Pembroke Fiddle Championship three times.
Sullivan later moved to British Columbia. He teaches fiddle online and in person, and he taught at the Canadian Grand Masters fiddle camp in 2014. In 2022 he released Promenade Home, an album of original tunes named for people he met at Ontario fiddle clubs, with a dedication for each tune in the notes. Paul Chapman, Andrew Collins, Adam Dobres, Sabin Jacques, Jeremy Rusu, and Mike Sanyshyn back him, and Sullivan plays guitar, bass, mandolin, and foot percussion on it. He now performs with Calvin Vollrath as Vollrath and Sullivan and is a guest instructor in Vollrath’s online workshops. He serves as president of the Canadian Grand Masters Fiddling Association.
Playing style
Sullivan plays Canadian old-time contest style, the music of the Ontario fiddle clubs and dance halls he grew up in. Roots Music Canada described his articulation as clear and precise and his playing as expressive. That fits the contest: Canadian Grand Masters judges want a clean waltz, jig, and reel with a strong dance pulse and no wasted notes.
His originals show the same taste. The Renous Moose is a driving reel, Freda’s Foxtrot swings, Johnny Luxton’s Reel leans East Coast, and Barrack McHardy’s Air is a slow melody over piano and guitar. He writes in the dance forms the tradition already uses, so a fiddle club can pick up his tunes without a style change.
Influences and legacy
Sullivan learned from records by Don Messer and Graham Townsend and from the players at Ontario country dances. His contest rivals were Shane Cook and Scott Woods, the champions before and around him. His partner on stage today is Calvin Vollrath. Irish fiddler Liz Carroll and Donnell Leahy have praised his work.
Signature tunes and songs
The Renous Moose Freda’s Foxtrot Johnny Luxton’s Reel Cec and Zelda’s Old Time Waltz Barrack McHardy’s Air Dominion Jig.
Essential recordings
Promenade Home (2022)
Awards and honors
Canadian Grand Masters Fiddling Champion (2001) Canadian Grand Masters Fiddling Champion (2004, 2005) Canadian Open Old Time Fiddle Champion, Shelburne, three wins Pembroke Fiddle Championship, three wins
Watch and listen
Sullivan plays at the Canadian Grand Masters fiddle camp in 2014. Watch the short bow strokes that keep the reel on the beat.
Sullivan and Calvin Vollrath play Dominion Jig as a duo.
What to learn from Sullivan
Learn Dominion Jig from the duo video. A Canadian jig needs a lilt, not a march, and Sullivan’s version shows where the weight falls in each group of three. The technique to steal is his clean articulation. Play a reel you know at half speed and make every note start with the bow, not the finger. Canadian judges hear the difference, and so does a dance floor.
Sources
Mark Sullivan, Canadian fiddler, marksullivan.ca Past champions and results, Canadian Grand Masters Fiddling Association Canadian Grand Masters Fiddling Association home page, board of directors Mark Sullivan, Promenade Home, Roots Music Canada Calvin Vollrath, official site
Related players
See the fiddle players hub and the bluegrass fiddle guide for more Canadian champions. Shane Cook and Scott Woods won the titles around his. Calvin Vollrath is his duo partner, and Graham Townsend is the Ontario fiddler he grew up hearing.