Photo by Lois Siegel

There is so much more to the Academy than just sacred music and ancient history. On February 3rd, OLSWA students and members of the local community were treated to a lecture on “Folk Music of the Ottawa Valley,” by Brian Hebert, a master fiddler, composer, teacher, and recording artist. A native of Pembroke, ON, in the Ottawa Valley, Brian was awarded the Canadian Grand Masters “Lifetime Achievement Award” in 2006 for his contribution to the development of Canadian fiddle music.

With a lively a personal style Hebert walked the audience of about thirty people through a brief history of folk music in the region, emphasizing the importance of fiddle music to Canadian culture as a whole. “Fiddle music is the one thing that unites Canadians from coast to coast,” he explained. Canadians took the folk music of Scotland, Ireland, England, and France and made it their own. In the 1960s, for example, Don Messer did much to popularize folk music by simplifying old fiddle tunes to make them more accessible and easier to play.

Brian Hebert interspersed his lecture with live fiddle music, which he played with virtuosic flair and impressive flexibility. The Canadian classic “Maple Sugar” was one of his offerings, as well as a piece of Hebert’s own composition, a hauntingly beautiful song called Ramona.

Hebert was accompanied on piano by the extremely talented Carol Kennedy. An expert accompanist, Kennedy is also “human encyclopaedia” of European and North American folk music. Together Brian and Carol had the audience learn a basic step-dance movement, and soon the crowd was stepping in time with the music.

After a break for coffee and muffins, the group reconvened for an interactive workshop. Hebert led the group, asking musicians in the audience who had brought their instruments to take turns starting the group off with a piece that they knew. Soon the musicians were working together to play a wide variety of songs of different styles. Marek Milan, a local contractor who joined in on the dulcimer, described the workshop/jam session as “a very special moment. I’ve taken part in many jam sessions, but in this one we achieved a connection that is rarely achieved.”

Other musicians included local Laurence Beanish on guitar, alumnus Joe Platt on accordion, and American first-year student Elliott Warner on fiddle. An excellent time was had by all! We hope to have both Brian Hebert and Carol Kennedy back up to OLSWA in the future.

Many thanks to Dr. Randal and Mrs. Elaine Marlin for sponsoring this event.