.

A Letter From Anne

March 2010

         What times we live in. Some great things have happened in the past couple of months and lots to look forward to. . Highlights:

• I did my first ever solo performance as guest of an orchestra, debuting a beautiful new arrangement of Tamarack’er Down done by my old klezmer buddy, Martin Van de Ven.

• .My adult student group, played for a post-performance lobby concert at Koerner hall to great acclaim, following a Mark O’Conner concert.

• My long-awaited revision of a very old out-of-date Encyclopedia article on Canadian fiddling is finally done and up (see new link, this page) with great contributions by Christina Smith of Newfoundland.

• The Elder Youth Project is in full swing again with an exciting new initiative in Garden River, Ontario. I will be going up there with Alicia Blore and Ruby John, two young members of the project to start a fiddle program for adults and kids.  Our first adventure begins on the May 24th weekend.  We are looking for fiddles and bows so if anyone has any kicking around that they don’t need please, consider donating them to the cause.

• It looks like I may be crossing the water twice this year, first to the North Atlantic Fiddle Convention in Aberdeen, where I will be performing “Spirit of the Narrows,” a solo storytelling/music show on the Métis fiddle tradition, as well as chairing an international panel on teaching fiddle, and, hopefully performing with Teddy Boy Houle and members of the Elder Youth Ensemble if the funding all comes through (we’re keeping our fingers crossed). Then it’s off the Wales Fiddle Festival at the end of August.