Date(s) -Thursday, May 23, 2024
7:30 pm - 9:00 pm
Location: James Bay New Horizons
Categories
Thursday, May 23, 2024 Victoria Historical Society presents Canadian Folk Fiddle Traditions with Daniel Lapp. This talk takes place at the James Bay New Horizons Center, 234 Menzies Street, Victoria BC V8V 2G7. The Center is open at 7:15 pm for conversation and refreshments. The talk follows shortly after 7:30 pm.
For over 150 years fiddlers have been playing dances and community events across British Columbia. In 1969 the most important event to date occurred in Prince George, BC when a handful of, mostly prairie born fiddlers, formed the BC Old-Time Fiddlers Association. The mandate was to ‘preserve the art of old-time Canadian fiddling’ with a commitment of a weekly jam, a monthly dance and an annual fiddle contest. Soon there were 14 branches of the society across BC and this has led to a 50 year renaissance of western Canadian fiddling that has not only inspired generations to pick up the fiddle but also an outpouring of creativity in the form of original compositions. These tunes represent a unique fiddling style that could be called the newest fiddle tradition in the world.
Daniel Lapp grew up in the Cariboo, in Prince George, BC. Grandpa Dan taught Daniel his first tune at age 9 and 5 uncles taught him the fiddle music of the prairies. In 2012 Daniel received the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee ‘Service’ Award for his legendary work as a music teacher. Then in 2013, was the recipient of the Canadian Folk Music Association ‘Innovator’ Award and in 2019 received a ‘Lifetime Achievement Award from the Canadian Grand Masters Fiddle Association’ for his contribution to Canada’s fiddle culture. In 2014, Daniel was hired as the founding Artistic Director of the School of Contemporary Music at the Victoria Conservatory of Music. He continues to compose, teach, perform and tour internationally.