April Verch / Performing Songwriter Competition, May 18, 2019

Fiddler singer and stepdancer April Verch knows how relevant an old tune can be. She was raised surrounded by living breathing roots music—her father’s country band rehearsing the lively music at church and at community dances the tunes she rocked out to win fiddle comp......More

Fiddler singer and stepdancer April Verch knows how relevant an old tune can be. She was raised surrounded by living breathing roots music—her father’s country band rehearsing the lively music at church and at community dances the tunes she rocked out to win fiddle competitions. She thought every little girl learned to stepdance at the age of three and fiddle at the age of six. She knew nothing else and decided early on that she wanted to be a professional musician. Plus the Finals of our Performing Songwriter Competition! She took that leap and for over two decades has been recording and captivating audiences worldwide exploring new and nuanced places each step of the way. On February 17 2017 she will release The April Verch Anthology (Slab Town Records) an 18-track collection celebrating her life’s work. Hand-picked by Verch the songs on this compilation offer an enchanting mix of regional Canadian American old-time bluegrass country and Americana tracks. The April Verch Anthology is a testament to the many chapters in Verch’s musical journey. Moving from exuberant stepdancer to fiddle wunderkind and silver-voiced singer from upstart prodigy to mature and reflective songwriter interpreter and storyteller. The compilation is an excursion through Verch’s 1998-2015 recordings featuring tunes and songs dear to Verch as well as a healthy dose of fan favorites and two newly recorded tracks. “Through this anthology I am reminded of the inspirations with which I began and of the hopes I hold for the future. I take a moment to reflect and to dsc_3610celebrate ” says Verch. While Verch is perhaps best known for playing traditional fiddle styles from her native Ottawa Valley Canada her performances extend into old-time American and Appalachian styles and far beyond for a well-rounded tour-de-force of North Americana sounds. Verch and her fellow trio members pare down their arrangements highlighting the simple pleasures of upright bass guitar clawhammer banjo voices fiddle and stepping in intimate conversation. At the heart lie Verch’s delicate voice energetic footwork and stunning playing. Sometimes she sings steps and fiddles all at once with apparent ease and precision. Verch is – as they say – a triple threat in performance her live show a beautiful companion to her music: versatile robust and masterfully executed. Verch began her full time touring career in 2000 and has performed around the world including festival theatre and performing arts centre appearances in Canada USA China Australia United Kingdom Belgium Sweden Denmark Finland Norway Germany Switzerland Austria France Spain Czech Republic and the United Arab Emirates. She also presents workshops master classes and lectures as part of her tours and at selected music camps. Verch won’t be the one to tell you about her championship titles nominations and awards or the fact that she was one of 6 fiddlers who represented the Canadian fiddle tradition to the world at the 2010 Olympic Wintdsc_3530er Games in Vancouver as part of a segment called “Fiddle Nation”. Instead in speaking with her you’ll hear about how passionate she is about sharing her music in small gatherings in remote communities in Iqaluit to large prestigious concert halls like Mozartsal in Vienna. Even as she plays with the tradition she inherited Verch keeps the community-fired celebratory side of her music at the forefront honing a keen awareness of how to engage contemporary listeners. It’s why Rolling Stone cited her “One of the 12 best things we saw at MerleFest in 2016.” “Just as contemporary bluegrass has Alison Krauss as an ambassador the Ottawa Valley has April Verch ” said NPR’s Marco Werman on “The World.” And Verch never forgets the roots of her music that connection to the people out there in the audience on the dance floor to the community sparked by a good song. “It’s about joining together to celebrate everyday life through music. We’re all in this together.”