April Verch
Verch’s recent featured performance in the Opening Ceremonies at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games confirms her status as one of the top female virtuoso fiddlers in the roots music genre.
When you see April Verch perform, the first thing that strikes you is the pure energy that infuses her fiddle playing and stepdancing .. then, what draws you in, are more subtle things:
Confident, winsome singing, the finely detailed elegance of her fiddle phrasing and the depth of a repertoire that ranges through material from Bluegrass to Brazilian to Celtic, from a jaunty Canadian folksong to a poignant contemporary ballad.
April is a world-class fiddler, a champion Ottawa Valley stepdancer, an acclaimed composer, and a vocalist whose voice has been hailed as “absolutely captivating” by the Toronto Star.
In addition to April’s talents, the April Verch Band features world-class musicians Clay Ross on guitar and Cody Walters on upright-electric bass. The April Verch Band tours tirelessly across Canada, the United States, the U.K. and Europe. They have established a reputation as consummate performers, winning over audiences not only with sheer virtuosity on their respective instruments, but also with charm, humor and boundless energy on stage.
It was April’s time spent studying music at Berklee College of Music in Boston (under Matt Glaser and Darol Anger) that first lead her to blend together different forms of traditional music to form her own distinct sound. She then launched her professional career by winning the Canadian Grand Masters Fiddle Champion and the Canadian Open Fiddle Champion titles (the first and only woman to win both). In addition to her vigorous touring schedule, she is in great demand for her teaching skills at workshops, master classes and music camps.
April has released seven recordings to date, her 2001 Rounder Records release earned a JUNO nomination for “Best Roots/Traditional Album”. Her most recent release, ‘Steal The Blue’ (2008), was co produced by Stephen Mougin of the Sam Bush Band and Jon Weisberger.
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Canadian Grand Master Fiddling Champion & Canada Open Fiddling Champion!
An experienced fiddle teacher, teaching at several prestigious fiddle camps including Mark O’Connor’s, April also offers fiddle and dance workshops and master classes.
April Verch is an utterly unique performer, whose high-energy brand of musicianship inevitably brings audiences to their feet, whether at a folk festival in Finland, a concert hall like the Kennedy Center, a bluegrass festival in Oklahoma, or a Celtic festival in California.
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