..Enion Pelta-Tiller began classical violin studies at age
3, but her education was always supplemented by improvisation lessons
from her jazz guitarist father. By 16 she had taught herself to compose
impromptu melodies in styles from classical sonatas to East Indian ragas
and jazz standards. She attended Peabody Institute in Baltimore, MD, working
towards a viola performance degree, while also studying to be a writer
at Johns Hopkins University. After realizing that neither profession would
make her rich, she chose the one she loved most, landing in NYC, where
she performed cutting edge music straddling punk, free jazz, and classical
with various local musicians, and landed a gig with the crown prince of
Hungary's New Wave music scene, Menyhart Jeno, as the violinist in Mr
Con and the Bioneers. She traveled to Hungary in the summer of 2001 to
play the main stage at the Pepsi Sziget, Europe's largest music festival,
playing immediately before Run DMC and Morcheeba. Upon her return she
focused more on composing and performing the music she and David had been
working on together, and the two decided to make a life of it. Enion's
playing has been compared to Stephane Grapelly (who she was born listening
to ), Jean-Luc Ponty, and Darol Anger (who calls her a violinist "able
to converse with amazing grace and fluency"), though her style is
very personal.
Enion co-founded the group Taarka with David Tiller
in 2002, after moving to Portland, OR from New York City. She composes
and plays violin for Taarka, and the progressive folk group ThaMuseMeant.
Taarka and ThaMuseMeant have been touring from the Northwest to the Rockies
for a total 11 years, playing to club audiences of up to 200 people, and
festival crowds of up to 1500. Enion has shared stages with
Phil Lesh, Mickey Hart, Bob Weir and Vince Welnick of the Grateful Dead,
Darol Anger of fiddle fame, and many others. Taarka has released 2 albums
and is working on a 3rd, which includes special guest Darol Anger and others.
Enion just returned from teaching at Mark O'Connor Strings Conference
in San Diego, and is working on a solo debut to be released in 2007.
