On July 28 one of the Coast's most popular musical groups, the Coast String Fiddlers, flew to Scotland for the Aberdeen International Youth Festival, the world's leading festival of arts for youth.
The festival, that runs July 28 to Aug. 7, offers a unique platform for young artists with up to 60 different groups performing. The Fiddlers may find themselves on stage with an African group or a Norwegian choir, for example. It attracts an array of talent from around the world, and this has proved to be one of the best things about it for teens.
"It brings youth together in an atmosphere where they can meet one another," said Kathy Wood, one of the nine parents who will accompany the 19 kids. "They're all well-behaved, good citizens of the community."
The Fiddlers look forward to sharing music, song and dance with the people of Aberdeen and being ambassadors for their country.
"Certainly the profile of Canadian fiddle music was elevated during the Olympic opening ceremony, and we hope to continue to be hosts of our music abroad," she said.
This is the same festival that a previous group of Fiddlers attended in 2005.
Most of the Fiddlers recently signed up for this year's Celtic Music School in Roberts Creek. Also at the school was a youth fiddle group from Scotland called Stushie, similar to the Coast String Fiddlers, and members of both groups took the Trad Band class.
After barbecues, beach days and concerts together, the two groups became good friends and now they'll be able to collaborate again in Aberdeen where Stushie will be studying at a residency program.
For many of these young adults, this year marks an end to a very long journey with the Fiddlers. Five musicians will be moving on: Jen Mauel, Tiegan Daniels, Anthony Fast, Claire Buchanan and Emily Wood. Emily, now 18, recently graduated from Elphinstone Secondary School and plans to continue her jazz performance studies at McGill University.
She is "absolutely excited" to be taking the journey to Scotland first, her last fling before becoming a Fiddler alum. Though the group will not have a music director on this trip, the Woods, mother and daughter, seem confident about the tunes they have already prepared and the material that the group has learned to arrange for themselves.
The kids and their parents have worked hard over the last couple of years fundraising, playing and practising for this trip.
"We have much to be thankful for, especially the support of our Sunshine Coast community," added Wood.
