Doors: 03:30 PM Starts: 04:00 PM - $22 cover
Susquehanna Folk Music Society Presents…
Internationally renowned Canadian fiddler, singer, songwriter and stepdancer April Verch doesn’t just perform music, she exudes it.
“She’s so fluent in the language of music that she never needs to imitate,” says multi-instrumentalist Dirk Powell. “She hears the heart of it and lets that become part of her core. April’s just got that, man; she’s always speaking the language for real. She is a rare mix of all the technique and super-flashy things, along with the deep soul and tradition that comes from having grown up with the music.”
On her new CD, April explores the Southern mountain traditions known as old time music, but always brings her Northern roots with her. Plucky, straight-backed Canadian tunes fit so snugly beside ancient Appalachian airs that you’d think they’d been neighbors for centuries. Through sinewy old time American reels or crisp Canadian hops, singing the happy Ontario chestnut “Moonshine Mac,” or swapping hot licks with the cream of old time’s new breed, April is always being April.
April was born to traditional music, in Canada’s hard-working, hard-dancing Ottawa Valley melting pot. She was a local star at four, step dancing with her sister in contests. She became the first woman in history to win both of Canada’s most prestigious fiddle championships, the Grand Masters and Canadian Open; and when Canada hosted the 2010 Winter Olympics, she was asked to represent her country’s music at the opening ceremonies.
