Local fiddler Daniel Lapp is bringing his annual Joy of Life Festival concert back this weekend, after two years of online-only performances.
For over 20 years, the concert has been welcoming the warmer months with a joyful assemblage of musicians and musical pieces. Joy of Life—which is sold out this year, although a livestream option is available—will feature two 50-minute sets showcasing the Victoria Conservatory of Music (VCM) ensembles the Joy of Life choir, the BC Fiddle Orchestra, and Folkestra, as well as the Veselka Ukrainian Dancers and special guest local indie musician Kathryn Calder.
“The theme is joy,” says Lapp. “And that’s what inspired the event to begin with, just something about coming out of winter into spring. So, the music is sort of very uplifting and joyful. That’s the main criteria when I am choosing the songs.”
Calder will bring a little twist to the classic pieces, says Lapp.
“She is a modern troubadour. So, her background is mostly pop and folk. She writes about the human condition, and about current events. And the choir will sing with her and the whole orchestra will back her up as well. So for the last few songs of the show everyone will be on the stage and there is always at least 100 performers on stage at the end of the show. And on our big finale this year, Kathryn has agreed to sing ‘All You Need Is Love’ from The Beatles, and we have a special treat where we are going to inject an old-time fiddle tune into the song. It is really fun.”
The aforementioned Veselka Ukrainian Dancers will also be appearing this year at the show.
“The Veselka Dancers have been in Victoria for I think 40 years now, and they bring very traditional Ukrainian, uplifting, joy-filled dancers,” says Lapp. “They dance with a lot of energy. Extraordinary, colourful costumes, and we are also hoping to have a live band playing with them for this concert.”
The BC Fiddle Orchestra grads are usually on their way to university afterwards, says Lapp.
“And no matter what pursuit they are doing at university, and what profession they end up in, we’ve found that their time in the BC Fiddle Orchestra has sort of a lasting impression, and often the students will continue to play their fiddles for their adult life. Because fiddle music is so community oriented. It is not about performance as much as it is about playing with your community. It has a longer lifespan. Especially for kids that aren’t pursuing a professional career, I think fiddlers tend to play their fiddles longer than a classical violinist will continue to play their classic violins.”
Joy of Life Festival
7:30 pm Saturday, April 16
vcm.bc.ca/event/joy-of-life-concert-2022