Feature ArticleDecember 12, 2001
LAND O'LAKES NewsWeb HomeContact Us
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.
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 
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.
