Prairie Wolfe is a Vancouver-based Celtic fiddler whose playing explores the raw, unbound edge of traditional folk music—where rhythmic drive and instinct take over. She was drawn to the instrument through the playing of wild, rebellious fiddlers, but didn’t take a formal path. Largely self-taught, Prairie learned by ear in early adulthood, following a tradition passed down through listening and immersion. Along the way, she encountered moments when she was told she shouldn’t be playing, or didn’t belong there, but stayed with the music that moved her.
Prairie has been part of the traditional Celtic music communities of Vancouver, Boston, and Seattle. In Boston, she was a founding member of MIT contradance band La Banane Enchantée, known for its playful fusion of Disney, Top-40, and bananas. In Seattle, she performed with French Canadian step-dance and crankie group Podorythmie, appearing on stages at Vancouver Folk Music Festival, Northwest Folklife, Festival du Bois, Mission Folk Music Festival, and Harrison Festival of the Arts. Since returning to Vancouver, Prairie has performed with Celtic rockers Kailyarders, singer/songwriter Tim Readman, and appeared in the Gung Haggis Fat Choy Scottish-Chinese cultural extravaganza. She currently leads contradance trio Ground Effect.
Prairie now brings a more personal approach to performance—layering fiddle, effects, rhythm, and voice in fully live arrangements as a solo artist or with close collaborators. Her work evokes the same sense of abandon that first drew her to the music, inviting audiences to experience what happens when we stop holding back—even for a moment.