The official e-newsletter of The Canadian Grand Masters Fiddling Association (CGMFA-ACGMV)
Fall 2023
IN THIS ISSUE:
A Word from the President
by Mark Sullivan, CGMFA President
On behalf of the CGMFA Board of Directors, I am delighted to launch the inaugural edition of our e-newsletter - dedicated to promoting and preserving Canadian fiddling! Our non-profit association remains committed to the Canadian fiddle community and we are excited to connect with you in this new format. The Canadian Fiddler was always an exciting newsletter for us to receive. It provided insight into Canadian fiddle events and it also indirectly served as a way to motivate young fiddlers through the power of community. Thank you for being an integral part of our mission at the CGMFA!
Au nom du conseil d’administration de l’ACGMV, je suis ravi de lancer l’édition inaugurale de notre bulletin électronique, consacré à la promotion et à la préservation du violon traditionnel canadien ! Notre association à but non lucratif demeure engagée envers la communauté canadienne des violoneux et nous sommes ravis de communiquer avec vous dans ce nouveau format. Le bulletin Canadian Fiddler a toujours été un document passionnant à recevoir. Il a permis de mieux diffuser les événements liés au violon traditionnel canadien et a également servi indirectement de motiver les jeunes violoneux grâce au pouvoir de la communauté. Merci de faire partie intégrante de notre mission à l’ACGMV !
2023 Competition Results
Host City: Truro, Nova Scotia
Congratulations to the competitors and our 2023 Canadian Grand Masters Fiddle Champion, Kyle Charron! Kyle is a first time winner of the competition!
Interview with Cathy Sproule, former CGMFA President
interviewed by James Steele, CGMFA Board Director
"My mother started fiddling in her sixties. My mom got hooked on fiddle music late in life, and got my nieces into fiddle. I was already an adult by then but I saw them fiddling, and thought 'that looks like fun.' So I went to the Emma Lake fiddle camp, in Saskatchewan, in 2003. From the minute I stepped on the dance floor at the camp for the first time, I knew I want to do fiddle. Gord Stobbe was calling that square that night. I just thought, I cannot believe how fun this is." - Cathy Sproule
2023 CGMFA Board of Directors
Mark Sullivan, President (Abbotsford, BC)
Daniel Gervais, Interim Vice President & Treasurer (Edmonton, AB)
Jane Cory, Secretary (Winnipeg, MB)
Keitha Clark, Director (Whitehorse, YT)
Trent Bruner, Director (Canwood, SK)
Kyle Burghout, Director (Winnipeg, MB)
Brian Hebert, Director (Pembroke, ON)
Kimberley Holmes, Director (Carroll's Corner, NS)
Michel Mallette, Director (Valleyfield, QC)
James Steele, Director (Saskatoon, SK)
JJ Guy, Director (Saskatoon, SK)
Alanna Jenish, Director (Peterborough, ON)
Louis Schryer, Director (Chapeau, QC)
Fiddles of the World: A Retrospective
by Brian Hebert, CGMFA Board Director
Historically, Eastern Canada (Down East) has always been a hub of fiddle activity. This year, it hosted the Canadian Grand Masters Fiddling Competition in Truro, NS. We thought it only fitting to revisit and remember another amazing event which has taken on an almost mystic and legendary reputation. It took place in Halifax in July 1999. Little did anyone know that "Fiddles of the World" would be remembered as the most spectacular and the most influential Fiddle celebration in Canadian history or maybe in the world for that matter.
Feature Tune: Dead Man's Waltz
composed by Stanley Beaulieu
The Aurora Fiddle Society in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, was recently awarded an NWT CultureFund grant to commission original fiddle tunes by master Northwest Territories fiddlers. These tunes have been and are being transcribed, so that they can be taught to the youth fiddlers in Yellowknife, and eventually to share with all fiddlers, including those that are attending the Canadian Grand Masters to be held in Whitehorse, Yukon, in August of 2024. The youth fiddlers of the Aurora Fiddle Society are attending this event, and they will have learned these original tunes to share and perform while they are there.
Did you know?
Who was the one and only member of the Don Messer Jubilee cast to judge the Canadian Grand Masters in 1992 with John Kushneryk (Saskatchewan) and Yvon Cuillerier (Quebec)?
Cec McEachern (P.E.I.)
How many times has Trent Bruner been an official house accompanist at the Canadian Grand Masters?
24 times: 1991-1993, 1995-2008, 2013-2014, 2017-2019, 2022-2023
Who was the first fiddler to win the Canadian Grand Masters while under the age of 20? This fiddler was also the first ever Junior Showcase participant to win the Canadian Grand Masters.
April Verch (Ontario), 19 years of age in 1997. She performed in the 1994 Junior Showcase at age 16.
Who was the first Metis fiddler to ever receive the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Canadian Grand Masters?
John Arcand (Saskatchewan), 2003
Save the Date: CGMFC 2024!
Host City: Whitehorse, Yukon
The 2024 Canadian Grand Masters Fiddling Competition will be held from August 23-24, 2024 in Whitehorse, Yukon.
From Alberta to Nova Scotia: Attending the 2023 CGMFC Weekend
by Barbara Rehn
Barbara Rehn, Treasurer of the Wild Rose Old Tyme Fiddlers Association, recounts on her trip to the Maritimes this summer, including attending the 2023 CGMFC Weekend.
Bonus Tune: Canadian Grand Masters Foxtrot
composed by Elizabeth Durning
Check out this tune composed by Elizabeth Durning, a piano player born and raised in Truro, NS. She wrote this foxtrot in honour of the 2023 CGM Competition!
Upcoming Events
Updates and event listings from across Canada.
Contest Results
Results from the 2023 Grand North American, Pembroke Fiddling & Stepdancing, Ontario Open Fiddle & Step Championships, and B.C. Provincial Fiddle Contests.
Have you considered a donation to the CGMFA?
The Canadian Grand Masters Fiddling Association (BN: 87397 0065 RR0001) is tax-exempt and has been recognized by the Canada Revenue Agency as a National Arts Service Organization with charitable status.
Only with the support and dedication of people like you can we continue to provide performance opportunities to hundreds of emerging and established artists throughout Canada, through our annual events, such as the Canadian Grand Masters Fiddling Competition.
By donating to the Canadian Grand Masters Fiddling Association, you will help:
Ensure that we get full representation from all provinces and territories for the Grand Masters Competition
Defer the transportation and boarding costs for contestants to travel and compete in the CGM Competition
Increase the opportunities available for up and coming performers, as well as established Canadian fiddlers
Help defer overall operating costs of the competition
