Ashley Hoyer is a composer and multi-instrumentalist who crafts music that dwells between worlds — where folk melodies meet orchestral expanses and intimate storytelling unfolds through a blend of traditional and contemporary techniques.

Described by the San Diego Tribune as a “mandolin phenomenon,” Ashley performs with the folk quartet The Syncopaths, the boundary-blurring trio Fire, Grace & Ash, and the accordion/mandolin duo Sam ’n Ash, whose music appears in the Oscar-nominated film The Sea Beast and the podcast Welcome to Night Vale. Her all-original trio, Long Story Short, continues to explore the evolving genre of chamberfolk.

An avid composer, Hoyer’s works have echoed through Davies Symphony Hall, where the San Francisco Girls Chorus premiered a recent choral piece. Her mandolin concerto Bloom garnered international recognition, earning third place in a global composition competition. Her catalog also includes larger-scale works such as the eight-movement Channel Islands Orchestral Suite, with each movement dedicated to one of the eight islands.

A frequent collaborator, Ashley’s playing can be heard on albums including Karan Casey’s Nine Apples of Gold and Brian Finnegan’s Hunger of the Skin. Her recent collaboration with Musica Sierra produced the children’s album Garden, celebrated as “not just another family album... but a cultural gift” — a work that bridges generations and plants seeds of connection.

In addition to performing and composing, Ashley is a dedicated educator. She teaches privately and at music gatherings such as Chris Thile’s Acousticamp, where she serves on the founding faculty. When not on tour, she tends her own creative garden at home — composing, teaching, and nurturing the growth of new music.