Fiddle championship still fun in its third year
Posted Jul 29, 2010 By Craig Bakay
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Craig Bakay, Frontenac EMC
(Left) Cold Country (Barry and Sheila Calthorpe and Kenny Roloson) were one of many acts that provided entertainment during the breaks including Jerico, June Nixon, Derek Matson and Dallas Daisy Arney.
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EMC Entertainment As the Third Annual Frontenac Old Tyme Fiddle Championship was winding down Sunday afternoon at the Bedford Hall, a clearly exhausted organizer Joan Shepherd still had a smile on her weary face.
Craig Bakay, Frontenac EMC
(Right) Sammy Johnston cuts it up on the mandolin accompanied by Fred Brown, who'll be hosting at the Centreville three-day festival to benefit Napanee Hospital Aug. 6, 7 and 8.
"It's about the generosity of the people who give their time to play here," she said. "We don't have big prizes to offer but still they come.
"They know where their time is going, to support workshops and the music."
Workshops were a big part of this year's event and will likely grow for next year, she said, given their popularity this year.
Mary Kennedy, a competitor who also organized the workshops said their were 11 students of various ages.
"We had three teachers (herself a fiddle player, Ian Tracey, a fiddler and guitarist originally from Nova Scotia who has recently begun incorporating fiddle into rock standards and multi-instrumentalist Bryan Flynn, whose song Free was recently used in the highlight reel for the Canadian Women's Olympic Hockey team) and the students ranged from age 9 to oh, let's say people in their 70s."
She said that in some respects the workshops were "more stressful than performing" but not enough to keep her from doing it again next year.
"We learned a lot from this first one," she said. "We were teaching technique, jamming and showing what we know."
Kennedy was impressed with the entire two-day event.
"It's a very friendly, very warm and welcoming thing," she said. "And skill level isn't very important here.
"Regardless of your skill level, everybody has a place in the band."
And what a band it was over the two days featuring established musicians and up-and-coming students of all ages."
Brother Brian, host of Brother Brian's Bluegrass Show on CFRC 101.9, has become a fixture at the championship and plans to continue the relationship.
"Old tyme fiddling and bluegrass are very close," he said. "And this is a great cause, especially getting the youth in.
"And it's a good time with good friends."
And yes, they did have a competition with judges Laura Surrock (fiddle/mandolin), Tom Thomson (guitar/mandolin) and Ralph McInnes (vocals).
Jesse Treneer won the Championship Award which includes two hours of studio time, disk space and three CDs from Summit Sound in Westport.
Margery Smith of Inverary was honoured with the Special Old Tyme Country Music Award for her work in preserving the sound of old tyme music hosting the Friday night Sunbury Jam. Smith donated the monetary part of her award back to the championship.
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