The Valley Youth Fiddlers are on tour this month, featuring their latest production, Tanglewood.
The tour, which includes a May 17 date at Courtenay’s Sid Williams Theatre, will mark the first time in six years that the talented community-based ensemble of 65 musicians from the Bulkley Valley and northwestern region of British Columbia will perform on the road.
Tanglewood is a beautiful tale about the music of place, showcasing the sounds that have been shaped by mentors and the natural resonance of land itself. The story is told through the lens of woodland characters that inhabit Tanglewood.
The Valley Youth Fiddlers’ performance elements are carefully woven together to carry the audience along an imaginative journey through Tanglewood, featuring a playful mix of storytelling, animation, music, and dance.
Tanglewood features music written and arranged by renowned Canadian composers, including Lea Kirstein, Gordon Stobbe, Jaron Freeman-Fox, Oliver Schroer, James Stephens, and Ivonne Hernandez. The Valley Youth Fiddlers are excited to showcase this remarkable collaboration of well-known musicians and local fiddle families.
The tour will have seven stops, including Smithers, Prince George, Williams Lake, Vancouver, Courtenay, Parksville and Victoria.
“The Valley Youth Fiddlers are thrilled to take Tanglewood on tour and share our passion for music and storytelling with audiences across the province,” said Leslie-Jean MacMillan, artistic director of the Valley Youth Fiddlers. “We’re excited to bring our community-based music and culture to a wider audience and showcase the talents of our incredible musicians.”
“We have worked so hard on these tunes, I can’t wait to perform them live”, said Fiona Brienesse, 13 and a veteran of the VYF. “I love being on the road with all my friends; we have so much fun.”
The Valley Youth Fiddlers are known for their captivating performances, playing contemporary and old-time fiddle music and telling stories to the delight of audiences from Victoria, the Sunshine Coast and Vancouver, to Prince George, Prince Rupert, and Whitehorse.
Tickets for the tour are available on the Valley Youth Fiddlers website (valleyyouthfiddlers.com/tanglewood/), along with more information about the tour and the Tanglewood production. For more information, visit valleyyouthfiddlers.com/tanglewood/