Alumni Spotlight: Lily Honigberg ’18, ’20 MM
A violin virtuoso, fiddler, and composer raised in Washington DC, Lily Honigberg ’18, ’20 MM seamlessly weaves together a rich tapestry of Irish fiddle, classical, and contemporary improvisation in the music of singer song-writers, rappers, and artists. She is the featured fiddle player on Shaboozey’s 2024 hit “A Bar Song (Tipsy)”, appears on FINNEAS’ second album, For Cryin’ Out Loud!, and played in the specialty band on the Dungeons and Dragons (2023) feature film soundtrack. Lily also works across a variety of genres with artists like Ava Max, Myles Smith, Denzel Curry, Juicy J, 070 Shake, Bebe Rexha, Quadeca, KennyHoopla, and Alex Warren. She is based in Los Angeles and is currently on tour with rising pop country artist Dasha. Raised in a family of professional musicians, Lily dedicated herself to music at a young age. As a teenager, she studied at the Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan. Lily has been fortunate to tour with the National Youth Orchestra (2014), and has performed at Carnegie Hall, Walt Disney Hall, Millennium Stage, and on the Late Late Show with James Corden. During college, she lived in Ireland’s County Mayo and spent hours sitting in pub sessions, learning traditional Irish music by osmosis. She’s made a name for herself as an Irish folk fiddler, headlining the Korro Music Festival and playing with the likes of Eric Rigler, John Doyle, and Solas. The Sun’s Valley, Lily’s latest album, is a testament to her nuanced interpretation of Irish fiddle and elegantly bridges tradition and innovation, can be found under her name on all streaming platforms.
Why did you choose NEC?
My Dad, a cellist in the National Symphony Orchestra, wanted me to go to a top conservatory to study with the incredible teachers there.
What have you been up to since graduating from NEC? What projects have you been working on? Do you have any goals you are looking to accomplish?
2024 was a special year for me, and I am so grateful for the opportunities I was given. I played fiddle on Shaboozey's No. 1 song "A Bar Song (Tipsy)", on FINNEAS' new album, on a track with TY Dolla$, Juicy J, and Denzel Curry, and started touring with pop country star Dasha. I recently played at Lollapalooza, the Grand Ole' Opry, and the Reading and Leeds Festivals in England. I live in L.A. now, and have been fortunate enough to play on several soundtracks including in a specialty band for the motion picture Dungeons and Dragons (2023) and release music under my own name. I have a lot of different things going on, and am looking forward to shifting my focus to Celtic and fantasy soundtrack scoring in a few years, but am loving touring for now!
What are some of your favorite memories from your time at NEC?
Some of my favorite memories include Hankus Netsky ’76, ’78 MM wearing sandals and conducting the Jewish Music Ensemble, Lucy Chapman and I dancing around her studio together singing Bach at the top of our lungs, and the Wild Card Honors Ensemble with my band Night Tree. Additionally, Anthony Coleman ’77 screaming the rules of Cobra to us with enthusiasm, James Klein assigning impossible essays and bringing us brownies, every moment with Ran Blake, and meeting James Heazlewood-Dale.
Share a story about one of your favorite faculty or studio instructors.
In Contemporary Improvisation, Lautaro Mantilla ’11 MM had us perform a song for one of the concerts in the spring, and I remember him holding a sign with the lyrics he wanted us to sing, jumping around in the basement room of the academic building and screaming as loud as he could while flailing around. Coming from a classical background it took me a while to tap into the wild side and freedom of expression in that way, and Lautaro helped me take that leap. Another favorite story is when we built an entire orchestra out of garbage with Warren Senders, and got bubble tea straws out of the trash and sanitized them to make flutes.
How have your NEC experiences shaped your artistic approach?
NEC opened the door to improvisation for me, and also taught me that I did not want to play in an orchestra, which is what I entered NEC thinking I would do professionally. I also met James Dale, a corgi lover and Australian bass player at NEC, and I have brought him onto every personal project I've recorded since 2020.
Share any other stories about what has inspired you at NEC and beyond.
The first band I ever played in, Night Tree, changed my life. We won the Wild Card Honors Ensemble in 2016-17. It gave me a taste of the road, improvising, writing, creating, and building a living breathing organism with a group of musicians who inspire me. Night Tree was made up of McKinley James ’20, Sunniva Brynnel ’18 MM, Zach Mayer ’17 MM, Chris Overholser ’19, and Julian Loida ’17 MM. We are all still friends and they are some of my favorite players out there. Sunniva, McKinley, and I have done work together in recent years, and we were all at Zach's wedding in 2022. I am also grateful to NEC for the opportunity to work with coach and fiddler Winifred Horan ’86, who taught me so much in my early days as a fiddle player.
Do you have any advice for young musicians/current NEC students?
Do the thing, and dream big. There are no limits to what you can accomplish. A lot of it is chance, and a lot of it is hard work. Set yourself up for success in every way you can, and maintain as pure of a relationship with your instrument, practicing alone and learning things for yourself as you can.
Learn More About Lily:
Current Job: Touring and session violinist and fiddler
Major: Violin Performance; Contemporary Improvisation
Degree: Bachelor of Music; Master of Music
Class Year: 2018; 2020
Instrument: Violin, Fiddle
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