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FiddleOrch

Current Article June 2001

June 13, 2001

LAND O'LAKES NewsWeb Home

FiddleOrch

Full house for Fiddle Orchestra and friendsby Jeff Green

I thought it was the best weve ever played. Thats how Carolyn Stewart described the performance of the Blue Skies Community Fiddle Orchestra at their second annual year end concert at the Oso Community Hall last Friday night.

The orchestra is really a dream come true for Carolyn Stewart, a performer and teacher who decided to take the plunge and start up the orchestra 18 months ago. We have seen a lot of changes since we started; people have come and gone, but it feels really solid right now, Stewart told the appreciative audience.

The group has a fullness of sound and confidence of playing that has developed over time, and everything seemed to come together at this performance. The audience certainly could sense it, tapping their feet throughout and applauding boisterously at the end of each song.

The players have developed a real group spirit. They performed tunes such as Haste to the Wedding Smash the Windows, Turkey in the Straw, and others. The arrangements, many of them by Carolyn Stewart herself, are designed to allow different players to take up different parts and play to their individual strengths, as the orchestra is not organized solely for very experienced musicians. It was set up to be a mix of young and old, novice and more experienced players.

On this night Kirk Elliot, a well-known Toronto musician, was sitting in with them. Carolyn Stewart commented later that his presence had an effect on the other players. Just knowing that he was there behind them, gave them a bit of added confidence. For his part, Kirk Elliot said he had never had so much fun playing with any orchestra as he did on this occasion. The orchestra was also joined by Sarah Mcveigh and Kaitlyn Conner, two younger fiddle students of Carolyn Stewart, for a rendition of Cripple Creek.

The fiddle orchestra was also joined by Magoo, who played guitar and sang his song Wade Butlers Buslines, followed by the orchestra playing the song as a fiddle tune.

After the intermission, during which the Villages Beautiful Committee sold squares and coffee, Magoo accompanied himself on guitar with a few songs from his soon-to-be-released CD. Magoo is best known in this area as the host/MC/clown prince of Blue Skies Music Festival each summer, but he reveals a more reflective side in his songs, which tell compelling stories.

To round out the evening, Kirk Elliot played the mandolin and harmonica for one song, the bagpipes for another, and his broken-down electrified fiddle for a few more. He had also recorded some drums and other instruments on a CD that he played for certain tunes. He also played the electric guitar, but whatever instrument he was playing, he performed with verve and high spirits, and the crowd loved it.

The audience was a great mix of young and old, much like the orchestra itself, and all in all, the event really put community spirit into the community hall.

The Fiddle orchestra will be performing this summer at the Stewart Park Festival in Perth on July 28, and at Blue Skies Music Festival on August 4.

(Click on the images below to make them bigger)

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With the participation of the Government of Canada