The two-time winners of CBC’s Canadian Music Class Challenge will be play in Nanaimo to celebrate the release of their debut album.
Fiddelium, a group of 11 youth musicians 12 to 17 years old, will headline on Thursday, June 2, at the Port Theatre.
Trish Horrocks, co-director, said this will be the group’s fourth Port Theatre performance since 2017. They will share the stage with another youth ensemble, the Suzuki Strings group, and a community group, Folk Band.
Although Horrocks said Fiddelium will make up approximately 80 per cent of the show, it will be “nice to make music with other human beings after being locked up for so long.”
The Suzuki Strings group, aged three to 11 years old, will start the show, however, as Horrocks said “it’s going to be a late night for three year olds.” The 20 youngsters of the strings ensemble play classical violin taught by Horrocks and accompanying teachers Nick Ross and Alexandra Lee.
Folk Band is another impressively large collective. The band consists of 35 members who will play an assortment of fiddle, viola, cello, guitar and accordion.
“This group is really neat because the youngest member is seven years old and the oldest is in their 70s,” Horrocks said. “There are five situations in Folk Band where there’s a child and their mom plays with them. It’s like a multi-generational family making music together.”
Fiddelium’s self-titled debut album, as it was recorded and produced during the COVID-19 pandemic, had each member record their own peice individually where the musicians only had the backline to play against.
“Instead of a couple of weekends recording, it was months of recording,” said Horrocks.
Each piece was then blended together to create the 12 track CD. Attendees can pick up their own copy in the Port Theatre lobby the day of the show for $10.
The June 2 performance will start at 7 p.m. and tickets can be purchased online through www.porttheatre.com.
READ MORE: Nanaimo’s Fiddelium repeats as CBC Canadian Music Class Challenge winners
mandy.moraes@nanaimobulletin.com
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