David Mehalko

David Mehalko is a young musician from Dallas, Texas, best known for his expertise on the fiddle/violin. He was the frontman for Irish/folk band Flashpoint during their 7-year stint and in 2014 was awarded first place in the senior fiddle competition at the Midwest Fleadh Cheoil. More recently he spent the 2017-2018 school year in Valencia, Spain, studying jazz violin with Berklee College of Music.

David’s musical experience began at the age of 5 when he started taking piano lessons, followed by violin lessons at the age of 11.  It was through the instruction of Clare Adkins Cason that he was first introduced to traditional Irish music, which he quickly fell in love with.  Over the subsequent years he traveled around the world seeking instruction in Irish fiddle, leading him to such festivals as the Scoil Samhraidh Willie Clancy, the Swannanoa Gathering, and the Friday Harbor Irish Music Week. Through these experiences and many more he studied with some of the best Irish fiddle players in the world, including Oisín Mac Diarmada, Randal Bays, Brian Conway, Martin Hayes, and Liz Carroll.

David’s fiddle playing became familiar to audiences across the USA through his long-time band Flashpoint, which he formed with his brother Daniel and their friend Joseph Carmichael. Between the years of 2009 and 2016 they produced several studio recordings together and performed extensively, including appearances at the Milwaukee Irish Festival, the Kansas City Irish Festival, and the North Texas Irish Festival.

Besides his work with Flashpoint, David has been fortunate enough to share the stage with many of Irish music’s top performers, including The Brock McGuire Band, The Young Irelanders, Liz Carroll, James Kelly, and Ashley Davis.