Eh?! Concert & Workshop Oct 19 & 20 at MERA

Oct 11, 2012

Photo: Emilyn Stam, Anne Lederman and James Stephens form the trio Eh?!, who will perform at MERA in McDonalds Corners.

Two master Canadian fiddlers/multi-instrumentalists with eclectic tastes team up with a brilliant young musician (piano/5-string violinFour and five-string fiddles, voices, piano, accordion, mandolins, guitars, percussion and feet all weave their way through an Eh?! experience.

Eh?! is dedicated to exploring the myriad pathways between tradition, innovation, collaboration and improvisation. Drawing from many great Canadian fiddle traditions - Québécois, Metis, Irish, Cape Breton, Newfoundland and Old Time, Eh?! is never content to let old tunes lie. Alongside their own compositions, the tunes of several

generations of Canadian composers rub shoulders.

Emilyn Stam is a young pianist and fiddler who worked closely with Oliver Schroer as a founding member of Twisted String. She is quickly being recognized as a brilliant improviser, composer and creative collaborator. She recently released her debut album, Holding Time – a beautiful collection of solo piano improvisations recorded in the summer of 2008.

James Stephens is known both for his work as a performer and as a producer/recording engineer. He plays a multitude of stringed instruments with an emphasis on fiddling. He has an abiding interest in various traditional styles, and also works extensively with singer/songwriters. He was the principal songwriter in critically acclaimed pop/roots band “Fat Man Waving” and has performed with many Ottawa area singer/songwriters. Currently, he performs with The Brian Pickell Band, Finest Kind, Ecosse (Bobby Watt, Duncan Gillis and Rob Graves), renowned clawhammer banjo player Ken Perlman, and JIIG (James, Ian Robb, Ian Clark, Greg Brown). James also teaches regularly at fiddle camps throughout Canada and the U.S.

Anne Lederman: Originally from Manitoba, Anne is an internationally acclaimed fiddler, singer, composer, multi-instrumentalist strongly rooted in several musical traditions - Celtic, Métis and French-Canadian, Klezmer, Balkan and African music. Over her 30-year career, Anne has worked with many bands and has her own band, Fiddlesong, and also performs with Njacko Backo and HAWP. She has recorded four CDs under her own name. Anne also composes for theatre and her own play, Spirit of the Narrows, about the Metis fiddle tradition, was featured at the Blyth Theatre Festival in 2004 and 2005. Anne teaches traditional fiddle at the World Music Centre of the Royal Conservatory.

The Eh! Concert is at the MERA schoolhouse Friday Oct 19, 7:30-9:30pm, $10 at the door. The workshops are on Sat. Oct 20, 9 am to 5 pm, and there are several to choose from: Beginner, intermediate and advance fiddle; singing; piano accompaniment; and mandolin techniques $35 includes the concert.

This event is Sponsored By Blue Skies In the Community and supported by MERA.