Christian Ward
A young man with a lot of musical recognition under his belt already.
Beginning his violin career at age nine with the Suzuki method, Christian Ward soon switched it up to become a phenom of a fiddler, and the world is embracing him. Debuting at age 12, Christian toured the world with his brother in their family's band, heading out to Oman, in the Arab Middle East. Living with his stepfather, Eric Uglum, the renowned bluegrass vocalist and musician, producer, and engineer, led to his appreciation for what to listen to and what to strive for in his own music. He is really enjoying the writing process and is humble enough to say that you might get better, but you never really figure it out.
In 2012, Ward received recognition from the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) along with other notables such as Doc Watson, and Samson Grisman. And, Christian was named the winner of the Florida State Fiddle Contest in 2012. In 2018, the IMBA awarded Christian the Momentum Award, which is designed to honor musicians and participants in the industry in the early stages of their careers. 2022 found Christian onstage with Billy Strings at the St. Augustine Amphitheatre, playing Billy's debut cover of Bela Fleck's song "Whitewater." Also, Christian's song "Red Daisy" won the IBMA Song of the Year in 2022.
In reflecting on his own career trajectory, Christian says he never contemplated not pursuing music, as "I was having too much fun with it to consider doing anything else." Currently, Christian is touring with a band, writing new songs, recording his own music, and still teaching fiddle, mandolin, and guitar, all the while fiddling his heart out.
