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30_Performers_OSO-Hall

Feature Article December 12

Feature ArticleDecember 12, 2001

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Thirty performers grace Oso Community Hallby Jeff GreenCarolyn Stewart presented both of the fiddle orchestras she leads, and the Ompah Community Choir joined in to make up a varied concert called Deck the Hall with Fiddles and Voices in Sharbot Lake last Sunday.30_Performers_OSO-Hall The concert began with the second-ever public performance of the Celtic Heritage Orchestra. This group of seven experienced fiddlers play the poignant songs of love and loss, with the odd drinking tune thrown in, that make up the Celtic repertoire. They began with tunes like Ash Grove and Lime Hill Strathspey, really hitting their stride with a defiant version of The Rant, before lightening things up with the Swallowtail Jig. The only other time this group has played in public was at the Celtic festival at Dalhousie Lake in June, and it was high time they took center stage as a main attraction, so the public could have a chance to hear their excellent musicianship. The Oso Hall is not exactly Carnegie Hall, but to the Ompah Community Choir, it might as well have been. The five-year-old choir had never sung outside of our little Ompah, according to choir member Marily Seitz, so dont mind if you see our music sheets shaking a bit. She neednt have worried. The 10-member choir sang beautifully and harmoniously through their repertoire of folk, medieval and winter tunes, with a few Christmas songs thrown in for the occasion. After the intermission, when treats and drinks were sold by the Northern School of Fine Arts, the veteran ensemble of the afternoon, the two-year-old Blue Skies Community Fiddle Orchestra performed. This is an all ages (10 and up) group of fiddlers that has developed a varied repertoire of old time, Celtic, and ethnic folk tunes, which they always play with spirit. Their level of comfort seems to increase each time they perform, as does their propensity to heckle each other and their conductor. The afternoon really got interesting when the two fiddle 30_Performers_OSO-Hall orchestras played some tunes together. Perhaps the highlight of the entire afternoon was the performance of the Swedish Walking Tune/ Harvest Home medley. There were many smiles on the faces of the fiddlers, as they seemed surprised and delighted by the sounds they were all able to make together. Then the Ompah Community Choir joined the two fiddle orchestras for two seasonal numbers, including a solstice song written by Carolyn Stewart herself. The full impact of all these fiddlers and voices was tremendous. They really did deck the Oso Community Hall. The performers were periodically aided by Gary Glover on Bodhran, guitar, and sleigh bells, and by Hannah Kent on piano. For the final numbers, the Christmas theme, which had been coming and going throughout the concert, took the fore, as the two fiddle orchestras performed Ding Dong Merrily on High, followed by Silent Night. For these carols, the entire audience joined in and sang along. Deck the Hall with Fiddles and Voices, aside from providing an enjoyable afternoon of music, also provided an opportunity for musicians coming from disparate communities to share music in a performance setting. Carolyn Stewart, as the driving force behind this event and the two fiddle orchestras she is their founder, director, arranger, and promoter seemed thrilled with how it all turned out, particularly when the audience joined in. For those who missed the concert, the Blue Skies Community Fiddle Orchestra will be performing on Saturday as a part of the Festival of Trees, along with other groups.

With the participation of the Government of Canada