Enigmatica is a New England-based mandolin ensemble directed by Marilynn Mair.  Part chamber orchestra and part plucked-string double-quartet, Enigmatica performs a variety of music:  Baroque, Brazilian, eclectic contemporary, and Americana music written by group members and friends.  The ensemble features instruments of the mandolin family — mandolin, mandola, octave mandola, and mandocello — and 6- and 7-string guitars.  Ensemble members come from Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire.  Their repertoire includes Baroque music by Bach, Vivaldi, Handel, and Purcell; Brazilian music by Villa-Lobos, Jacob do Bandolim, and Pixinguinha; 20th-century music by Stravinsky and Shostakovich; and recent music of composers Will Ayton, Jim Dalton, and Radim Zenkl.  Original compositions for mandolin ensemble are rare, but Enigmatica is proud to play new works written especially for them by American composers Pam Marshall, John Goodin, Robert N. Martel, Catherine Hawkes, Adam Larrabee, and Marilynn Mair.

“The sound of Enigmatica can be described as sparkling, effervescent, fluid, precise, and joyous. The clarity of line they achieve is breathtaking, completely the equal of any string quartet or chamber ensemble playing today.” – Mandolin Magazine