From Fiddle Gigs to the Finish Line: Meet A Pilot Glider Who Took the Leap

In this monthly series, we put the spotlight on our Gliders community to celebrate individuals who inspire us. This month, we’re highlighting Wynter Pingel, one of our earliest Gliders in Boston, Massachussetts!

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Tell us a bit about your background and upbringing

‍I grew up in a small resort town in Wisconsin, where I developed a love of music early on. I went on to study vocal performance at a small Wisconsin college, then packed up and moved to Boston to attend Berklee College of Music — and the rest, as they say, is history.

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Where do you live? How did you end up there?

I live in Boston, where I originally landed to attend Berklee. I loved the city so much I decided to stay and build a life here. It’s a great city for a musician — there’s always somewhere to play and someone who needs a fiddle player.

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What type of work do you do — both volunteer and otherwise?

I work as a professional musician. I play fiddle in an Irish band called Connacht, and I also work with a folk/rock group called Teddy Larkin and the Haulers — plus wherever else anyone might need a fiddle player. Every gig is a little different, which is exactly how I like it.

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What’s one thing most people don’t know about you?

Honestly, I’m a pretty open book — I had to think hard about this one and came up empty! Ask me anything.

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What’s a risk you’re glad you took?

After eight years working as a proofreader at National Braille Press, I made the leap to support myself entirely as a musician. It was one of the scariest decisions I’ve ever made — but it worked. Now I get to do what I love for a living, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

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What’s your most treasured possession?

It’s a toss-up between my early-1900s Jeffreys concertina and my Instant Pot. I started learning traditional Irish music on the concertina back in 2014, and it’s a truly beautiful instrument. But I also love cooking and baking — and I may just need a bigger home to fit all the small appliances and kitchen gadgets I keep acquiring.

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What are you most excited to do with Glide?

I’m most excited to use Glide in bustling downtown Manhattan when I travel there to run my first marathon — the New York City Marathon! I’m also looking forward to navigating airports with it. Both feel like the kinds of environments where Glide could be a real game changer.

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