Hilary Hawke

Teaches at The Jalopy Theatre and School of Music

Hilary Kostanoski-Hawke is a banjo player/multi-instrumentalist who performs, teaches and resides in the now thriving folk scene of Brooklyn, NY. Hilary plays and writes with many bands in the city including M Shanghai Stringband, Dubl Handi, the Me-Oh My-Ohs, and Hilary Hawke & the Flipsides. She’s been teaching clawhammer and fingerpicking banjo at Jalopy Theatre since 2009 and has a masters of arts and music education from Teacher’s College, Columbia University, and a Bachelor's in music education and performance from the Crane School of Music, SUNY Potsdam. She is a teaching artist of traditional music for schools and workshops and runs the first Oldtimey jam in Brooklyn for adults who are learning a new instrument. Her band Dubl Handi will be featured in the next CD sampler for Sing Out! magazine, and was #1 on the folk radio charts this year (2013) and for their arrangement of the song, Shout Lula. Hilary Hawke grew up playing music in Clifton Park, NY and has been based in Brooklyn for the past 7 years. She began playing banjo in 2003 after hearing recordings of Earl Scruggs, Pete Seeger and Bela Fleck while living in the Adirondack mountains of Potsdam, NY. In college at the Crane School of Music, Hilary studied clarinet performance, and music education, as well as classical guitar and music therapy at the University of Georgia and Crane School. After buying a cheap banjo and teaching herself how to pick Old Joe Clark, and John Hardy she finally got some banjo guidance from wonderful teacher, Bob Altschuler. Then, in 2004 she moved to Brooklyn where she followed the teachings and playing of Tony Trischka, and was still deeply in love with the young Earl Scruggs. Hilary began performing in many bands in the city and eventually became interested in clawhammer and oldtime music of the appalachian mountains, and music of the Carter Family. Hilary has taught banjo at Jalopy Theatre since 2009 and has her Master of Arts and Music Education from Teacher's College, Columbia University. She also is a teaching artist at Cobble Hill Playschool in the heart of Brooklyn, NY for a wonderful bunch of parents and kids. Her major influences now are too many to list, and really is influenced by anyone making music that is near and dear to their heart. Some of her favorite banjo players (in no particular order) Jim Mills, Riley Baugus, Tommy Jarrell, Mike Seeger, Noam Pikelny, Dock Boggs, Tony Trischka, Bill Keith, Roscoe Holcomb.