Katie Jane Lubiens might be the busiest woman in the music business. Along with fronting her own project – The Katie Jane Band – she is also the founder, director, and star of the Celtic Light Orchestra, the concert mistress of the ECCO Orchestra, a fiddle teacher, and an ambassador of Celtic music and dance in her community and beyond. Recently we spoke with her from her home in Portland, Oregon.

What are your family roots?
I come from a mix of backgrounds, like most Americans. But after performing at so many Scottish Highland Games over the past couple of years I have been learning more about my ancestry. I am mostly Scottish, descended from the Keith Clan. My Grandma Katie Keith, whom I was named after, carries the last name and we can trace our Scottish heritage back through her. That’s one thing I really love about performing at these Scottish Highland Games. At their core they are all about family. When I was in Scotland a couple years ago, I visited the Dunnottar Castle where the Keith Clan hails from. It was so exciting to step inside the history of my ancestors and imagine what life must have been like for them at that time.

When and why did you start playing the fiddle?
I started with the violin when I was in second grade, shortly after my parents took me to see Riverdance. A seed was planted that night. When my mom asked if I wanted to learn an instrument, the violin called me. I started by taking private lessons, before joining an orchestra in Middle School. I studied classical violin while attending the University of Nevada in Reno. Even though I loved it, I always longed for something different than classical repertoires, but I just hadn’t been introduced to it yet. After I graduated college, one of my girlfriends invited me to a local Irish session and I instantly fell in love with the community atmosphere, the joy and energy of the music, and the fact that you could drink beer while playing! I was hooked! So, each Tuesday I attended that little Irish session in Reno, and it truly changed my life.

Are they the same reasons you do it today?
When I moved to Portland, I decided to pursue music as a full-time career. Today I have the pleasure of traveling the world to perform and teach music for a living. As a performer, I make it my mission to spread the joy of Celtic music to audiences of all ages. My shows are full of vibrant energy and audiences always remark on how much fun I am having on stage. I perform a mix of Scottish, Irish, French-Canadian, and original music. The Katie Jane Band performs for all kinds of events – everything from big sold-out theater productions, national Celtic festivals, and Scottish Highland Games to small intimate performances at weddings, school assemblies, private parties, ceilidhs, and even retirement homes. In addition, I founded the dazzling Celtic Light Orchestra, the world’s only light up orchestra. The CLO performs on our patent invention – Glow Bowz – LED, light-up violin bows that respond to players’ movements and dance with the music. Each CLO production is unique and features original arrangements of traditional and original Celtic music, along with folk dancing, stunning projections, dazzling LED lights, and more. I put on 3-4 concerts with the CLO each year. At home, I have a full studio of private students of all ages, and each time I have a new student I get to retell the story of my musical journey. I call my fiddle “My Friend-Maker” – and it really is. It has taken me on so many adventures all over the world to the most unexpected places to make friends and play music. Nothing could be more rewarding than sharing music with others. It’s in my soul, it makes me feel alive, and I can’t imagine doing anything else.

What are the challenges involved with the vocation?
No doubt there are challenges to being a full-time professional musician. Being self-employed means that any day you’re not working you don’t get paid. There’s no paid time off, or sick days, no 401k matching, or health insurance benefits. Also, I book all my own gigs, and it’s been a big learning process for me. There doesn’t seem to be a consensus as to what musicians get paid so it’s hard to know what to ask for. If you ever start to calculate your per hour rate – between travel, loading in, sound-checking, performing, and loading out – the math isn’t pretty. But it’s so hard to quantify since I absolutely love what I do. Another challenge is being a woman in a very male dominated industry. I sometimes get paid less than other musical acts that are led by men. Also, festivals rarely feature any female musicians. As a leader in my community, I make it a priority to be a strong woman role model by uplifting women and promoting equality in the music world. It is my hope that I can inspire girls of all ages to be confident leaders in their communities with love for each other as our guide.

What are the rewards?
As performers it is said we live for applause. It’s hard to explain, but as we work so hard to create arrangements, rehearse for big shows, write new music, and coordinate logistics for turning a mere idea into reality – seeing the joy that our music and our shows bring people is the biggest reward. In a world that can seem heavy at times, I just want to bring light to others, make people feel something, and help us remember that there’s goodness in us being together in this moment as we experience something immeasurably positive and special – live music.

How have you evolved as a player over time?
After that first experience at the Irish session in Reno I was changed forever as I dove into the world of Irish music. This led me on a journey to discover many great Irish fiddlers, including Martin Hayes, Tommy Peoples, Frankie Gavin, and my idol, Liz Carroll. From here I discovered other niches of fiddle music, and I fell in love with the brightness of French-Canadian fiddling, the strength of Scottish fiddling, and the sweetness of Welsh fiddle music. I began making these Venn diagrams in my head of the similarities and differences between styles, which led me to create a new program with my students called “Fiddle Tunes from Around the World.” Each quarter we learn about a different regional fiddling style. In fact, my next big Celtic Light Orchestra production will follow this idea as “Celtic Light Orchestra presents The World Fiddle Festival.” Additionally, as a performer I have always been known as a fiddler, but over the past few years I’ve incorporated more singing into my shows. I have developed my voice, and a sound that is uniquely my own.

What have been some career highlights?
I got to be a part of the house band for the Scottish play “The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart” by David Greig. This was a hilarious play about Scottish ballads, folklore, and love. It was a dinner theater, and the actors would run around and sometimes act from atop the tables! We got to play live music for the production, which included playing lots of silly sound effects on my violin in addition to actual music. What was particularly special about this experience for me was that it was such a wild and outlandish play full of creativity and absurdity, and it expanded my mind creatively in a way that made me think I might be capable of doing something like this myself. It is what inspired me to start the Celtic Light Orchestra. It is an incredible thing when you allow yourself to give in to your creativity, and accept any idea as a possibility, no matter how wild it may seem.

Is your creative process more “inspirational” or “perspirational”?
I draw inspiration from so many places; recordings, fellow musicians, attending sessions, music books, live performances, etc. But as far as taking inspiration and turning it into a full-fledged live performance, it sure takes a lot of perspiration to arrive at the final product. Especially when it comes to recording an album or creating a Celtic Light Orchestra production. One thing I marvel at, though, is the magic of having an idea that’s in your head that no one else can see. Then with hard work, determination, lots of coordinating, creating, and planning, what was once just an idea then becomes something that many people can be a part of – sometimes touching them in unexpected and lasting ways, inspiring them, and passing on that inspiration in a ripple effect. That process, no matter how much perspiration it takes, is the definition of magic.

What makes a good song?
An earworm!

What makes a good live show?
Taking listeners on a journey to feel something real and alive, to feel excitement, to reflect on what’s important, to feel sentimental as we remember our past, before bringing us back to the present to celebrate being together. All that and a pint of beer!

What advice might you have for young people looking to start playing the fiddle?
Have fun! Playing music is about having fun and expressing yourself. Get involved in orchestra. Play music with your family. Don’t be afraid to mess up and make terrible sounds. Give in to the music and find what makes you feel inspired!

What’s on your musical agenda for the rest of 2025?

This year is going to be the best year yet, and I am more motivated than ever to take my music to the next level. We’ve kicked off this year with a brand-new album, Wild One, and we’ve had multiple sold out concerts. I’m thrilled to be teaming up with an incredible Irish dancer for some of our bigger concerts this year. I’m planning a brand-new album, some really exciting new Celtic Light Orchestra productions, and a couple of big U.S. tours with the Katie Jane Band. It’s like the feeling of electricity in the air just before a big thunderstorm.

katiejaneband.com
@katiejaneband