Fiddlers’ Sons on stage for Emerald Ceilidh
Island fiddler Courtney Hogan welcomes the boys from Fiddlers’ Sons back to her weekly Emerald Ceilidh.
It takes place today at 7:30 p.m. at the Emerald Community Centre. The Boxcar Pub & Grill will be open at 5:30 p.m. for food and drinks, and the venue is airconditioned and licensed. Admission is $12 at the door. Copies of Fiddlers’ Sons, Keelin Wedge and Hogan’s CDs will be available, along with souvenir ceilidh Tshirts and 50/50 tickets.
Since 1997, the list of Fiddlers’ Sons accomplishments has grown to rival that of any traditional music group in the Maritimes. The group has been awarded numerous Music P.E.I. awards and have become one of the most popular acts around the Island. Wedge is the newest member of the band, although she’s certainly no stranger to the P.E.I. music scene. The young multi-instrumentalist and singer has played in numerous bands around the Island, dabbling in a variety of genre. But she’s found a perfect fit as the fourth member of the band. In recent months, she and Hogan have been working on a collaborative CD which is expected to be available early next month.
Rounding out the kitchen party scene is step dancer Shelby Lynne Dalziel, who recently returned from the Dance World Cup, which featured dancers from a variety of disciplines from all over the world. She was awarded the gold medal for ages 13 and up.
Another music packed weekend is scheduled for the Indian River Festival this week with performances and an open stage event planned.
East Coast Music Award winning Hillsburn (Nova Scotia) will be performing today at 7:30 p.m., and Peter Tiefenbach and Robert Kortgaard will be performing “Cappuccino Cantata” with special guests this Sunday, Aug. 26, 3 p.m.
Hillsburn’s Indian River performance follows its recently released second album, “The Wilder Beyond”, and is a departure from the folk-rooted sound of their ECMA winning record “In the Battles Years.”
The group has soaring threepart harmonies and densely-layered arrangements.
“We are looking forward to having Hillsburn at Indian River festival,” said Don Quarles, the festival’s executive director. “They have promised us some special arrangements to show off the acoustics in Historic St. Mary’s.”
Paul Aarntzen is the songwriter/engineer in the band and other members include multiinstrumentalist Jackson FairfaxPerry on bass, keys, saxophone and vocals, Rosanna Burrill on violin and vocals and brother Clayton on vocals and guitar. The newest member, Clare Macdonald, is on drums.
“We’ve heard nothing but good things about the sound in the venue and we can’t wait to try out some new arrangements in the space,” noted the band on its Instagram feed.
An open stage event is planned for Saturday at 1 p.m. as well. The event is free, and there will be refreshments for purchase in the pavilion. For those interested in performing, call the box office at 902-836-3733 or show up at the venue at 12:30 p.m. to sign up. This will be the last open stage event of the festival’s season.
Sunday will feature Cappuccino Cantata, with Tiefenbach, Kortgaard and more. Tiefenbach’s contemporary re-imagining of Bach’s comic “Coffee Cantata”, set in a coffee bar, pairs with musical party pieces performed by three Glenn Gould School vocal stars. With a twist on Bach and a nod to Leonard Bernstein, Katy Clark, Adam Harris and Zack Rioux join Tiefenbach and Kortgaard around the piano.
Tiefenbach is a pianist, composer, vocal coach, teacher and broadcaster, and Kortgaard is a favourite collaborator of many of Canada’s finest instrumental soloists, vocalists and chamber groups. He is artistic director of the Leith Summer Festival in Ontario and is celebrating his 20th year as artistic director of Indian River Festival.