The Sunshine Coast Summer School of Celtic Music ended its week-long camp last Friday evening with a stellar concert that opened with a performance from some of the Coast String Fiddlers and closed with a song from the school's instructors. The 465-seat Rockwood Pavilion in Sechelt was packed to capacity with an audience looking on from the gardens beyond.
The music school's annual concerts are always excellent - a mixture of virtuoso musicianship from the instructors and a corresponding energetic buzz from the audience largely comprised of the week's hard-working students.
The audience was led in a final song, Auld Lang Syne, by Scottish instructor and vocalist Mairi Campbell with David Francis, in a melodious arrangement of the sentimental favourite that, in the words of concert host Ann Law, "makes me greet," a Scottish word for lament.
During the concert, many a greet was heard in the audience at the more mournful ballads and many a joke was shared, especially when Canadian Gordon Stobbe and Scotland's Iain Fraser performed. They may live continents apart, but the two display the same sense of humour. Good performances also came from fiddler Pierre Schryer with Andy Hillhouse on guitar who later displayed his strong voice on a number with a little country twang. There was no doubt that Campbell's pure, true voice was the highlight of the show, though B.C.'s own Ivonne Hernandez was also spectacular. She closed the first half with a combination rapid fire fiddling and step dancing accompanied by Adrian Dolan on a Cape Breton tune. Hernandez comes from Vancouver Island and has been playing since the age of three. In fact, all of the home grown musicians proved they can perform with the best from Scotland and Ireland. The group called Stramash, Coast String Fiddler alumni, put on a lively show while playing with their former teacher and mentor Michelle Bruce.
My personal favourite moment took place during a quiet, evocative tune by Angus Lyon, Cathy Rechenberg from Powell River and Mairi Campbell. As they performed, not a whisper was heard in that entire huge house; even the wriggling children sat still in their seats. Aaah, the power of music!
