APRIL VERCH

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 Standis 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 mu-sic’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.