The Coast String Fiddlers have put in their busiest year ever after giving more than 50 shows on and off the Coast at festivals and community events. "With their many performances we've made enough money to go to Scotland," says music director Ann Law. "The community support has really come through, from generous donors to grandmas giving $20."
Sixteen youth, three adults and assorted parents are flying to Aberdeen, Scotland, this Sunday to appear in an international youth festival of the arts Aug. 4 to 13. Two of the young men from the group, Danny Hart and Peter Williams, are already in Scotland meeting friends and preparing for the big event. A trio of Hart on violin, Williams on cello and Stephen Beckmyer on piano will appear at the festival in a chamber music competition. They aspire to do well, says Law, if not win the big prizes.
The other kids will be kept busy by a rigorous schedule of daily performances, a parade of the nations and socializing with approximately 1,000 other youth under 25 years old from around the world. On Aug. 15, they will appear at a special afternoon concert at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh. The surprise for Law is that after the year's hectic schedule, it's still fun for the fiddlers.
"They played at Sea Cavalcade last weekend and I thought they would complain about doing another show so close to departure, but they didn't," says Law.
In fact, they had a great time. Earlier this month, after studying technique at a special music camp, some fiddlers took an early ferry to perform at the North Island Folk Fest, returned to do a Gumboot show on the Coast and then were immediately off to Harrison Hot Springs Festival of the Arts.
"They're seasoned performers," Law says. All of the fiddlers who are going to Aberdeen have attended the popular Celtic Music Camp held in Roberts Creek at the beginning of July. Now in its fifth year, the camp was, as usual, sold out at 200 students maximum. Students and instructors came from Scotland, America and all over Canada to enjoy a week of learning from one another. Law points out that the fiddle program has been running for over 10 years now and they're starting to develop their own style of music. "We bring a blend of world fiddle music," she says. "Finnish, Swedish, Canadian, Scottish we've started something. Maybe they'll be coming here soon to learn the Coast style of fiddling."
