Teo Quale is a multi-instrumentalist from Alameda, CA who has been delighting audiences with his inventive and heavily grooved mandolin playing. Teo is fearless on the mandolin, playing with both a rhythmic and melodic creativity that never abandons the groove. He is a founder of and the mandolinist for bands Crying Uncle Duo, Crying Uncle Bluegrass Band, and Jubilee. In 2021, Teo was nominated for the IBMA Instrumentalist Award.

He has played with a number of bands, including: Noam Pikelny & Friends, as the mandolinist; Special Consensus as a substitute guitarist; as substitute mandolinist for Missy Raines & Allegheny;  as a substitute mandolinist for Brothers Comatose; as the west coast mandolinist for Sam Reider’s Human Hands, and as a substitute mandolinist for Sister Sadie. He also plays fiddle and electric mandolin for Pascal Bokar and his AfroBlueGrazz Band. In 2019, Teo had the honor of playing with his brother, Miles, at Ryman Auditorium and the Grand Ole Opry (Nashville, TN). He recorded on Jennifer Berezan’s 2022 album, Belonging, which garnered a positive review from Rolling Stone France. Teo and guitarist, Vincent Maclauchlan, also have a duo, Maclauchlan & Quale, and recently recorded an album, produced by Sam Reider. Teo looks forward to more collaborations and opportunities.

Teo is also an accomplished contest fiddler and picker, having won several picking contests in California and nationally in fiddle. On mandolin, Teo holds 1st Place in the 2018 Open Division CA State Picking Contest. And, in 2019, he was a finalist at Freshgrass Festival’s Mandolin Contest. No slouch on the fiddle, Teo is a 2-time National Fiddle Champion in the Jr. Jr. division in Weiser, Idaho (2019, 2018) and placed in the Top 3 in the 2019 Youth Grand Master Fiddlers Championship in Nashville, TN. He is also the 2019 CA State Fiddle Contest Champion of the Jr. Jr. Division.

At the age of 3, Teo began his fiddle studies with Catherine Manning of Manning Music in Berkeley, CA and studied music with Tristan Clarridge of Crooked Still. He began mandolin studies at the age of 8 with multi-instrumentalist Sharon Gilchrist. He currently attends UC Berkeley. Teo has taught students of all ages, in ukulele, guitar, and mandolin. He is an avid judoka and aspires to be multilingual. Teo is a Fishman sponsored artist.