April Verch
BIOGRAPHY
Performance Formats: trio
April Verch Band
champion Canadian fiddler, stepdancer, and singer bringing together Celtic, jazz, folk, and bluegrass influences
" … ethereal-voiced Verch … has blossomed from a Canadian fiddle champ and stepdancer into a triple threat entertainer … "
— Sun Chronicle
"Her style, technique and sheer virtuosity rivals anyone who's ever held a bow … Verch brings a unique mix of old-fashioned and modern sensibilities to make every song special."
— Vintage Guitar Magazine
Ontario's Ottawa Valley is steeped in cultural history, including a musical style and stepdancing heritage influenced by the French, Irish, Scottish, Polish, and German settlers of this region in Canada. April Verch, a modern pioneer of this tradition, is emerging as one of the top female artists in the roots music genre. She has built a repertoire rich in original tunes influenced deeply by the treasure chest of musical jewels passed down through the generations. Her fiddling and stepdancing styles were shaped by the diverse roots of the immigrants drawn to the region's lumber camps in the mid-1800s.
April knew as a young girl that she wanted to play fiddle and dance for a living, and by the time she finished high school, she had recorded her first two self-released albums and was touring full time. She studied at Boston's Berklee College of Music and simultaneously captured two fiddling championships – Canadian Grand Masters Fiddle Champion and Canadian Open Fiddle Champion. Between 2001 and 2006 April recorded three albums with Rounder Records, working with Bruce Molsky and Dirk Powell as producers on the latter two recordings with the label.
In addition to her fiddle virtuosity and remarkable stepdancing, April has become a soulful songstress, using her vocals to draw the listener into her wistful and evocative lyrics. April's musical tastes continue to grow and evolve, and adding vocals to her repertoire has given even more interest and depth to her performances and recordings.
The April Verch Band, with April at the helm on the fiddle, delivers richly textured phrasing on traditional roots tunes, bluegrass and newgrass melodies, jazz-influenced compositions, and country music. When April trades her fiddling for the rhythmic art of stepdancing, the band takes on the sound of the old lumber camp halls where those without instruments created rhythms with their feet. The metal taps on April's shoes generate exhilarating cadences that enhance her traditional Ottawa Valley arrangements. It's even more impressive when April continues playing intricate rifts on her fiddle while dancing the rhythmic pulse that drives the tune. The overall effect on her audiences is electrifying.
April's newest recording, Steal the Blue (Slab Town Records, 2008), showcases her engaging vocals, and she is often compared to Alison Krauss. April is "a master of subtlety and precision. She doesn't over-sing, or over-play, although it's plain she could easily do both." (Pop Matters). This recording project demonstrates April's continuing development as an artist and her evolution as a contemporary musical leader creating the traditions from which future musicians will draw their inspirations.
Workshops, Master Classes, and Residency Activities
April is an experienced fiddle teacher, having taught at several prestigious fiddle camps (including Mark O'Connor's) She is available for:
Master classes
Fiddle and stepdance workshops for all ages
Teacher workshops
Sequential teacher and student performances leading to a culminating performance with the artist and her band
For schools, April can present both educational performances as well as bus-in performances in conjunction with evening concerts at performing arts centers.
