Stephanie Coleman is regarded as one of the premier fiddlers of her generation. Hailing from the Chicago area, she first learned to play at 8 from her father Don, an avid old-time fiddler himself. Finding herself in the local traditional music scene centering around Chicago’s legendary Old Town School of Folk Music, Stephanie was taken under the wing by members of that vibrant community. At 12, she began studying Midwestern fiddle music with fiddle master Lynn “Chirps” Smith. Chirps and other mentors like Rhys Jones, Steve Rosen, and Paul Tyler inspired Stephanie to explore not just the craft but also the rich history of traditional Appalachian and Midwestern fiddle music. By 13, she had released her debut album, I’m Little But I’m Tough!. Through her teens, Stephanie became an in-demand square dance musician for the Chicago Barn Dance Company and a regular fiddle contest winner.

As an undergrad at Duke University, Stephanie began visiting and documenting elder musicians around North Carolina, Virginia, and Tennessee culminating in a documentary about 88 year old Tennessee banjo and fiddle master Clyde Davenport.

Soon after graduating from college, Stephanie was asked to join the pioneering all-woman stringband Uncle Earl. She spent several years playing major festivals and iconic venues throughout the United States, Europe, and Australia with the group.

While touring the world, Stephanie continued her folk music historical work. She contributed radio pieces to NPR on stories such as the centennial celebrations of Bill Monroe and Woody Guthrie, Anais Mitchell and Jefferson Hamer’s Child Ballads, and the debut album of the Main Squeeze Orchestra, NYC's only 14-piece all-woman accordion orchestra. She continues that audio work today as co-producer of the long-form bluegrass interview podcast Toy Heart with Tom Power from The Bluegrass Situation.

Over the years, Stephanie has remained an in-demand musician. She has performed or recorded with artists such as Rhiannon Giddens, Aoife O’Donovan, Bela Fleck, and Watchhouse’s Andrew Marlin. Her fiddling has taken her to legendary stages such as the Kennedy Center, Roskilde Festival in Denmark, Winnipeg Folk Festival, and Philadelphia Folk Festival. She holds the record for most ribbons won in the renowned fiddle contest at the Appalachian String Band Music Festival in Clifftop, WV.

Since 2018, Stephanie has performed as a duo with the newest generation of teenage old-time music phenoms - Nora Brown. In July 2023, they released their debut EP Lady of the Lake on Jalopy Records.