Toronto based young Metis traditional family ensemble with a contemporary flair that can take an audience back to an old-style Metis kitchen Party jam or out on the prairies where you hear the call of the loon, the duck dance, or the caribou reel.
MFQ: Chosen as Official Showcase of the Ontario Council of Folk Festivals Conference 08
The OCFF Conference is the key event for Ontario's folk, roots and traditional music community. Musicians, presenters, festival organizers, artistic directors, fundraisers, media representatives and many others who contribute to the health and vitality of the folk, roots and traditional community gather for a weekend of music, networking, discussion, exchange and fun.
The 22nd annual OCFF conference will be held at the London Convention Centre in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, October 23-26, 2008.
Speakers, seminars, roundtable discussions, informal meetings, performer showcases and the best jam sessions outside of the festival circuit make this conference an essential, inspiring experience for attendees.
The Metis Fiddler Quartet will be a feature this year as they have been selected as the OFFICIAL SHOWCASE of the conference in Ottawa.
They will be joined by their good friend and mentor James Flett with Scott Kemp accompanying on bass.
Alyssa Delbaere-Sawchuk Fiddles
Alyssa Delbaere-Sawchuk spent her weekend at Toronto's Metis Arts Festival. Alyssa is a classically-trained musician who's also a leading proponent of the Metis style of fiddling. She joined Jeff Goodes on Saturday to explain how it differs from traditional Old Time Fiddling.
You can learn more about Alyssa and her music at Metis Fiddler Quartet.
A Tribute To Walter Flett -- Métis Fiddle Legend
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by Li Robbins |
There is no shortage of fiddling traditions in Canada, but possibly the most idiosyncratic is Métis fiddling. Its unique structures and phrase lengths (sometimes called "crooked" phrasing) give it such a distinctive sound. If you'd like to learn more about this style of fiddling, you might want to start by reading some of the estimable Anne Lederman's work on the subject, for instance her study Old Indian And Métis Fiddling In Manitoba.
You might also want to listen to the broadcast on Canada Live (8 p.m.) this evening. It features three concerts -- the second of which is music from three young fiddlers who are passionate about this style. The occasion was the Walter Flett Tribute, the late Walter Flett being a fiddle champion, father to Lawrence "Teddy Boy" Houle and James Flett, and a huge influence to anyone coming up in the tradition. (For more information on Walter Flett, check out The Métis Fiddler Quartet's website).
The fiddlers in question on the broadcast are Ryan Daoust and Matthew Contois, fiddlers from small communities in Northern Manitoba who are old school -- they learned to play by ear, and Alyssa Delbaere-Sawchuk (pictured here) a Toronto based violinist who you could say is new school (classically trained) but spent time learning fiddle tunes with Lawrence "Teddy Boy Houle" a couple years back. (She also was behind a recorded tribute to Flett called O Megwassi: Reel Métis).
What you'll hear is all three playing a mixture of Walter Flett's music, standards and originals, recorded at Winnipeg's West End Cultural Centre -- and I have it on good authority the concert was in front of a "full, boisterous house of Métis music fans."
Before the Walter Flett Tribute you can also hear a concert from everyone's favourite Winnipeg band who lovingly hate their hometown -- The Weakerthans, and after the Metis fiddling concert, a performance by Winnipeg singer-songwriter Cara Luft.
OCFF YOUTH MENTORING
By Anne Lindsay
The Métis Fiddler String Quartet and I have more than a few threads in common. The Four siblings have strong backgrounds in classical and traditional roots music but are interested in exploring new dimensions in string music. From our preliminary email exchanges it was clear that they also had lots of questions about the “biz” – marketing, promotion, agents, management and stage presence. We were a good match and had l lot of ground to cover in two days.
When we started to work, their mother Krista was pleasantly surprised to find her sons actually listening to me. As a mother of three sons myself, I enjoyed being listed to! First to step up to the plate was the eldest son, Conlin, who had an original song that he wanted to work on. We addressed everything from finalizing lyrics and form, to how the other two strings (violin and cello) could best accompany him. We also worked on a more traditional set of Métis tunes and honed the arrangement to be performed in their Sunday showcase.
We spent a lot of time playing and talking, the rest of the time I encouraged them to hang out wherever there was music happening. Hopefully, next year there will be a youth showcase room in the hotel where groups can rehearse as well as be part of the after-hours showcase scene.
It was a very different OCFF for me, with less time to attend panels or mentoring sessions and very little time to hang with my peers, but it was a pleasure to work with such keen and dedicated young players as Conlin, Nicholas and Danton Delbaere Sawchuk.
Jiggin in the Aisles at Hart House FiddleStories Concert
By Bernard Leroux
On the evening of May 24, 2008 at University of Toronto Hart House music room, John Arcand and James Cheechoo; two legends of the Métis fiddle, came together to perform with 11 youth, in a fundraising concert supporting Fiddle Stories – From Me to You; a project presented by the Métis Artists Collective (MAC) and Anne Lederman, renown Métis Musicologist.
The halls of Hart House were filled with rousing reels and jigs all evening in a lively event that had audience members jiggin in the aisles by nights’ end.
James Cheechoo, accompanied by his wife Daisy on the wooden spoons and son Lawrence on guitar, joined the youth taking part in the Fiddle Stories mentorship project that culminates in the group participating at the North Atlantic Fiddle Convention this summer in St.John’s Newfoundland Aug. 2-8. John Arcand; recent recipient of the Order of Canada, joined the group on the day of the concert and finished out the week with the Cheechoos, conducting workshops for the project.
This was a chance of a lifetime for both the youth and the audience to enjoy two recognized treasures of traditional Métis fiddles styles as they came together to share a legacy that will now be passed on to young players and audiences into the future. The Fiddle Stories Project led by Anne Lederman gives aboriginal youth fiddlers from across the county this unique opportunity to learn, perform and compete with the worlds best.
The concert drew in a wide range of audience members and media to the gothic music room of Hart House, which filled to the brim. Group and solo performances were present by John Arcand, James Cheechoo and family, the Metis Fiddler Quartet with Scott Kemp on bass, Ryan D’Aoust, Matthew Contois, Ruby John from Michigan, Alyssa and Nicholas, Delbaere-Sawchuk, Nora Pellerin and Alicia Blore of Toronto with Conlin Delbaere Sawchuk accompanying on guitar.
Anne Lederman illuminated the audience throughout the evening with background history of the music and antic dotes about the project. MAC representative on FiddleStories and a key organizer for the evening; Diane Vezina, addressed the audience to thank the project supporters, participants and organizers on behalf of MAC.
The evening was a great success for the Fiddle Stories - From Me to You project and will help ensure that the legacy of traditional Métis fiddling styles endures.
We were thrilled to see elders and youth alike, as well as many members of the MNO community from around Ontario in attendance. If you missed this historic performance, you have another opportunity to see this project in action at the Metis Arts Festival at Black Creek Pioneer Village in Toronto July 11, 12 and 13th, we hope to see you there.
For more information about MAC, the Metis Arts Festival or the Fiddle Stories Project, visit wwww.metisartsfestival.com.
