Fiddlin' in the New Year at a very big “Little Christmas” concert

Jan 08, 2015

Against all odds the annual Blue Skies in the Community “Little Christmas” concert went on at the Maberly hall on January 4 thanks to a courageous bunch of community fiddlers, their two fearless leaders and an enthusiastic group of listeners, who once again made the concert a huge success.

It was touch and go in the hours leading up to the show after the year's first fierce snow/ice storm made a mess of roads and left a number of participants housebound, including scheduled emcee Linda Grenier, who was graciously replaced by Linda Tranter.

The concert featured performances by the Blue Skies Community Fiddle Orchestra led by conductor Cindy McCall and the Celtic Heritage Fiddle Orchestra led by Carolyn Stewart. The show opened with two numbers by the Blue Skies Community Prep orchestra made up of beginner players of all ages who demonstrated in "The First Noel" and "My Darling Asleep" what they have mastered in just three months time.

New to this year's show was a performance by the newly formed youth ensemble, The Unspoken Rests, comprised of six young players who are also part of the larger community orchestra. They played six impressive numbers under the direction of McCall for what was just their second performance since they formed in September. Highlights of their set included the P.E.I. tune "Fairies at Monticello" by Bill MacDonald and the Nova Scotia favorite "Val's Dream". Look out you fiddling oldsters; these young players might just have a thing of two to teach you. The Celtic Heritage Fiddle Orchestra was up next and played a number of inspiring tunes, each introduced by different members of the group, many of whom have been playing together under the direction of Carolyn Stewart for 14 years.

They opened with "Logging Camp", a soulful sing-along and their impressive and diverse repertoire also included "Cape Breton Lullabye", and "The Grand Etang", a march that was especially spirited and punchy.

Following an intermission it was the Blue Skies Community Orchestra's time to shine. They performed a number of their favorite jigs and reels, opening with "Pigeon on the Gate", which was followed by another PEI tune called "Joe Kearney's Reel". They performed a number of classics like "Wedding Gift" and "Debbie's Waltz" plus a new tune titled "Pig Alley Rip".

The audience was lively and their thunderous applause following one especially spirited number managed to shake loose the ice and snow from the hall's roof, which added to the infectious merriment.

Come this summer members of the BSCFO hope to travel to PEI where they will have a chance to experience first hand some of the stellar fiddling talent and teachers there. They also plan to attend the annual Rollo Bay Fiddle Festival. The orchestra is currently half way to meeting their fundraising mark of $25,000, which will pay for the traveling and other expenses for the trip. A number of special fundraising events have taken place already this past year with others planned for 2015. A newly printed cook book titled “Fiddlin' in the Kitchen”, which features favorite recipes from orchestra members, is now available for $15, with over half of the proceeds going towards the planned PEI trip. Anyone wishing to purchase a cook book can contact any member of the BSCFO or call Kate Turner at 613-335-2782.