[ad_1]
On Friday August 6, 2021, Spencer Huntington Nitchie of Baltimore, Maryland passed away from a short illness. He was 57 years old, a musician, father, husband, brother, son and loving friend to many. He was widely known as a representative of the traditional Irish music community of Maryland, and was respected for his expertise on the tenor banjo, Irish flute, violin, concertina and guitar.
Spencer was born in Martha’s Vineyard on December 17, 1963, the youngest of three children. His parents, Hubbard and Nancy Nitchie, worked as teachers in Annapolis, Maryland, where for many years they published Banjo Newsletter, a monthly magazine covering all aspects of the five-string banjo.
Spencer grew up in Annapolis and spent summers in Chilmark. As a teenager, he learned to play the transverse flute, the guitar and the five-string banjo. He worked at the Poole Fish Market in Menemsha, and later learned carpentry skills from artisans on the island, skills he continued to hone throughout his life.
After attending Towson State College, Spencer traveled to Europe with his guitar in 1984. Learning languages ​​while traveling, he played music in the streets of London, Paris, Nice, Florence, Athens and other cities. . He returned to the United States with Silvia Breida from Revigliasco, Italy. The couple soon had a daughter, Sofia Huntington Nitchie, born while living in Martha’s Vineyard.
When Silvia passed away in 1990, Spencer proudly took on the role of single parent for her spirited daughter. For many years, Spencer received both Father’s Day and Mother’s Day cards, handcrafted by Sofia.
After Hub Nitchie’s death in 1992, Spencer and his older brother, Donald, continued Banjo Newsletter. They increased the number of subscribers and developed digital content parallel to the print magazine Spencer published from its headquarters in Eastport, Maryland. As publisher, Spencer was the organizing force for broadcast and send. He became a resource for subscribers by diligently answering their questions: he was the voice on the phone.
Spencer fell in love with traditional Irish music in the 1990s. He adapted his familiarity with the five-string banjo to the tenor banjo and amassed a seemingly endless repertoire of jigs, reels, hornpipes, polkas, slides, marches, slip barn jigs and dances. He had a knack for variation and was astute enough to learn a melody after hearing it only a few times. For many years he has graced traditional Irish music sessions in Baltimore and Washington, DC, but his greatest contribution has been in Annapolis, where he has hosted sessions at Sean Donnellan, Fadó, Castlebay and, more recently , Galway Bay. For the past 11 years, Spencer has had the joy of a romantic partnership with Tara Boyle. They joined hearts and families in a beautiful wedding in 2018 on Martha’s Vineyard.
The evening after his death, Spencer was mourned by notable Irish traditional musicians in the Baltimore home he shared with Tara. Another musical event took place a few days later at Galway Bay in Annapolis, where friends gathered to recall precious memories of Spencer, his musicality and good character. A memorial to celebrate Spencer is planned for a later date.
Spencer is survived by his mother, Nancy Nitchie of Oak Bluffs; his aunt, Jane Huntington of Parkville, Maryland; his wife, Tara Boyle of Lauraville, Maryland; his daughter, Sofia Nitchie of Madison, Wisconsin; his daughter-in-law, Maeve Boyle of Ardmore, Pennsylvania; his brother, Donald Nitchie and his wife Elizabeth Parker Nitchie of Chilmark, their son Nigel Smith and his wife Danielle of Forestdale, and their son Tucker Smith and daughter Annie of West Tisbury; her sister, Emily Meegan and her husband Billy Meegan, and their children Jake and Delilah Meegan, all of Chilmark. He is also survived by the musicians in whom he invested the gifts of his genius and his warm friendship.
[ad_2]
