Patti Lamoureux

Christmas concert offers lots to cheer about
Musicians receive standing ovation at Old Tyme Christmas Concert
By Brook Jones
Posted 6 months ago
Another indication that the Christmas season has arrived was this past weekend when the Selkirk United Church held their Old Tyme Christmas Concert.

The Christmas concert held on Dec. 12 at Christ Church featured Patti Lamoureux, three time Canadian Grand Master Fiddle Champion, singer-songwriter Dan Frechette, multi- instrumentalist Jeremy Rusu, and Lamoureaux's son Alex, one of the top ten ranked fiddlers at last year's Canadian Grand Master National Fiddling Championship.

The Christmas concert held for the second consecutive year included traditional music by the musicians as well as Christmas classics like Silver Bells and Silent Night.

It was Patti's third time playing in Selkirk during the past year, however, it was this Christmas concert that brought all four performances together on the same stage for the first time.

The four performers dazzled the crowd with not only their group songs but also with their solo performances during the two hour Christmas concert. Patti and Alex played fiddle, while Frechette played base guitar, and Rusu played not only his tall strings guitar but he also played the accordian and the piano for the 70 people that attended.

Nineteen-year-old Alex, who was on tour during the past three months in northern Ontario, says that playing Christmas music always helps him to get into the spirit of the Christmas season.

"It's a great feeling when I see people in the crowd singing along to the Christmas music that we play," Alex said. "It's just so joyous."

Winnipegger Ruth Morrow, who attended the concert with her two daughters, Shelly Peattie and Heather Hiebert, says that the four performers all have rhythm and a lot of talent. "They're all so good," gushed Morrow.

Not only did this Christmas concert bring Morrow together with her two daughters but it also brought Patti and her son together on stage.

"It's always a great treat to play with my mom," Alex said. "We always have a lot of fun when we play together."

Not only were Patti and her son Alex able to play together on the same stage but they were also to be together on Alex's birthday.

Rusu presented Alex, on behalf of his mother, with a new guitar that he was eager to play for the crowd to an eventual standing ovation from the crowd.
- The Selkirk Journal

Fiddling champ returns to Selkirk

Posted By Hayley Brigg

Posted 2 months ago

When Patti Lamoureux first picked up the violin at age four, she had no idea just how big of an impact the little instrument would have on her life.

Now, one of North America's most accomplished fiddlers, Lamoureux gave Selkirk the opportunity to experience her musical talent with a very successful performance last week at the Selkirk United Church.

Nearly 100 people came out to the local church on June 17 to catch Lamoureux's performance, which marked the second time in under a year that the fiddler has visited Selkirk.
Lamoureux previously came to the church during the Christmas season, where she performed a holiday-themed show to a sold-out crowd. She says she was more than happy to make a another stop in Selkirk as part of her Manitoba Homecoming tour.

"The show I had done there before was great, and it was very well-attended," said Lamoureux, who originally hails from Lorette but has spent the majority of her adult life living in British Columbia. "Because it's Manitoba Homecoming this year and this is my home, I thought it would be great to come back and do a couple of shows here and I thought of Selkirk right away."

During her concert, Lamoureux moved away from the traditional tunes she played during her last visit to give the crowd a taste of her new music by playing songs off of her new album, "Plums in The Cooler".

"It was excellent, the whole concert went very well. Getting the opportunity to play my new songs was like a breath of fresh air," said Lamoureux, who describes her sound as a hybrid between Quebecois and Metis fiddling styles. "People seemed to really enjoy it."

Concert organizer and Selkirk United Church member Chris Yuzdepski was thrilled when Lamoureux contacted them about coming back.

"The last concert was really great, Patti is such a great performer and everyone loved it," said Yuzdepski.

Lamoureux explains one of the reasons why she found herself coming back to Selkirk is because since it's so close to her home town she has the opportunity to see many familiar faces.

Lamoureux adds she also appreciates playing more intimate shows like the one at the Selkirk United church because it gives her a chance to connect with the audience on a more personal level.

While growing up in Lorette, Lamoureux was exposed to the blue-grass and folk style of the fiddle at a young age as her parents often had it playing on the radio.

"They were always listening to it," said Lamoureux. "I started learning classical violin when I was four, but all I ever wanted to do was learn how to fiddle."

Lamoureux continued her lessons up until high school and also began teaching at the music school where she was a student. However, her love for music was put to the test when she graduated and felt torn whether or not to continue her education with university or take a risk and pursue music as a career.

"I was kind of at a crossroads. It was either do I put music on the back burner and go to university, or do I want to be a musician," explained Lamoureux. "Basically I chose to be a musician and it's pretty much gone from there."

Her risky decision paid off, as Lamoureux's talent has allowed her to carve an impressive professional resume whose credits include a Canadian Junior Fiddling Champion, six Manitoba Fiddling Championships, and three Grand North American Fiddling Champion titles.

She is also the first woman in the history of Canada to win the prestigious Canadian Grand Masters Fiddling Championship.

When asked if she plans to return to Selkirk in the future, Lamoureux says she is currently in the process of planning another holiday tour around Christmas that possibly could include another stop in Selkirk - The Selkirk Journal