Rick Stiebel
News staff
Juno Award winner Ivonne Hernandez is pumped about pulling the strings with a group of young local musicians and special guests who take fiddling around to a whole new level.
Hernandez is the artistic director for Coastline, a local a youth fiddling ensemble she will perform with at Oak Bay’s Dave Dunnet Theatre on Saturday, May 25.
“The Coastline concert is going to be great,” said Hernandez, a graduate of Belmont Secondary School’s class of 2000. “I’m really looking forward to it. The kids have been working super hard and just won the award for Top Ensemble at the Greater Victoria Performing Arts Festival last week. They will be going into the studio to record just before the concert, so they are in top form and have some really cool new tunes.”
Coastline has been involved in workshops recently with some of the top fiddlers from across Canada this year and will be showcasing new songs and arrangements at the concert.
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“Our special guests for this show are amazing as well,” Hernandez said. “Troy MacGillivray came out from Nova Scotia in February to work with Coastline and will be back here for the concert, which is truly exciting. He is one of my favourite musicians, an incredible Cape Breton fiddler, piano player and step dancer. Our other guest, Jenny Lester, is an amazing bluegrass singer, songwriter, bass player and fiddler. I’ve had the pleasure of playing with her a lot lately and I’m thrilled that she will be joining us to play a few of her gorgeous songs. There will also be a few other special surprises.”
The performers in Coastline include young musicians from the West Shore, Victoria, Oak Bay, Saanich and Esquimalt.
“I’m very proud of all my ‘kids’ in Coastline. They are such hard working, smart and talented students and they are the nicest people you will meet. I feel so lucky to be working with and mentoring such amazing young people carrying on this amazing fiddle tradition we have here in Canada.”
The Dave Dunnet Theatre is in Oak Bay High School at 2121 Cadboro Bay Rd., tickets cost $20 for adults and $15 for students and are available at Long and McQuade, Ivy’s Book Store or at coastlinefiddle.com. Doors open at 7 p.m., with the show starting at 7:30.