Some players in Eastern and Central Europe seem to aquare the circle. I am thinking in particular of a young fiddler I heard in Zakopane in southern Poland who had a virtuoso technique that would make you gasp, but was firmly within the distinct tradition of that part of Poland and seemed to have acquired his superb technique within that tradition.

Certainly in my experience in Britain a classical musical education seems to destroy the ability to perform folk music with feeling. Classical singers in particular sound very condescending to my ear when they sing folk but that may be because of the link between accent and class in England in particular.

I think classical musicians find it hard to get away from their tradition of taking folk tunes and songs and turning them into classical music. Not that I have any problem with them doing that - but it ain't folk no more.