Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
"From the thick of the tradional music scene, April Verch's fiddling is emerging as a wonderful breath of fresh air." - Bruce Molsky
"Her debut Rounder CD, 'Verchuosity', sparkles with talent, personality, and promise." - Scott Alarik
"The young fiddler from Ontario plays a visceral, vivacious folk-dance style that proves not all great Canadian fiddling comes from Cape Breton." - Staff
Tonder Festival - "The Future is Secure"
(article translated by the Canadian Embassy of Copenhagen)
"Canadians know their stuff, because the day's afternoon program in Tent 1 concluded with the amazing violinist April Verch, who excelled with masterly technique and a sound from the violin which likely has never before been produced that beautifully in Tonder. Add to that an incredibly radiant personality and, of course, the step dancing. Each and every time, step dancing takes its Tonder audience by storm and yesterday was no exception."
- Jydske Vestkysten
Discography
Where I Stand - 2003
Verchuosity - 2001
Fiddelicious - 1998
Fiddle Talk with April Verch - 1995
Springtime Fiddle with April Verch - 1992
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
Emerging from the thick of the traditional music scene, the fiddling of April Verch is a breath of fresh air. Though she has deep roots in the fiddling of her native Ottawa Valley in Canada, April's broad repertoire features traditional and contemporary tunes ranging in source and inspiration from Quebec to the Appalachians, from Eastern Europe to Brazil - not to mention her own colorful compositions. EnRoute magazine says "April's strings burn with energy, whether she's playing waltzes, airs, reels, or polkas. This is the hottest old time music of the year." No matter what you call it, April's music is beguiling in the way it brilliantly balances contemporary élan and traditional resonance.
April's accomplishments extend far and wide, artistically and geographically. As a headliner, special guest, and backing musician, she has toured across Canada, in the United States, the United Kingdom, and the United Arab Emirates. Amongst many honors, April performed for the Millennium Celebrations at The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., and was a guest at Chet Atkins' tribute in Nashville, along with a host of Grand Ole Opry stars. She was also a featured performer at the Oklahoma International Bluegrass Festival and at Fiddles of the World. And let's not forget her coveted titles of Canadian Grand Masters Fiddle Champion (1997) and Canadian Open Fiddle Champion (1998).
April studied fiddling at Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA, under fiddle greats Matt Glaser and Darol Anger. She is now in great demand as a teacher herself, instructing at as many fiddle camps and workshops as her performance schedule will allow. But this young musician is not only highly sought-after for her master fiddling, but for her virtuoso Ottawa Valley step dancing as well. This dynamic, high-energy form of dancing performed by April's award-winning feet never fails to bring the house down.
Around the age many artists are thinking about maybe trying to put an album together, April has five. Those recordings, Springtime Fiddle (1990), Fiddle Talk (1995), Fiddelicious (1998) and VERCHuosity (2000) have earned her airplay on radios all over the world, as well as nominations for Indie Awards and Juno Awards (VERCHuosity).
Her newest album, From Where I Stand (2003), is April’s second international release on Rounder Records. Produced by fellow Rounder recording artist and acclaimed old-time fiddler, Bruce Molsky, From Where I Stand is grounded in April’s native Ottawa Valley fiddling style and also explores French Canadian, Scottish, Irish, Latin, and Appalachian influences. This sparkling collection of contemporary and traditional fiddle tunes (including six originals) also features April’s debut as a vocalist.
Despite all of the curious byroads that the music of April Verch explores, all are united by her driving fiddle playing, its phrasing both concise and precise while maintaining a vigorous, ceaseless bounce. Her mastery of rhythm - both in adhering to a pulse and blending different rhythmic ideas - is her music’s greatest virtue. It's easy to expect great things from April, and she delivers every time. Dynamic and diabolic, soothing and soaring, the music of April Verch will invigorate you, calm you, and charm you.
www.aprilverch.com
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