Concert List

There is no doubt that the best way to buy concert tickets these days is through the Internet. You know that when a big start is in town, tickets are hard to find, unless you are willing to spend a lot of money and time. But fortunately, the Internet has changed all that and now all you have to do is a simple search on Google to find available tickets for the given concert. The two primary sources for tickets online are TicketMaster and TicketsNow.

Some websites actually work as a dealers that hire people just to stand in line for prime tickets and buy them, only to resell them online. Now you might say that this is illegal, but even if it so in some states, it’s rarely prosecuted. But you should know that although TicketMaster is a highly reputable company, it might not be the best choice, because of their high fees. Of course, they are a really safe choice, due to their proven reputation of being one of the leading companies in this business, and on their website you can often find promotions and special offers.

A really good trick is to visit eBay, click on eBay Stores menu and then on ‘Tickets’. This should give you a list of ticket broker websites. eBay can be a great website for buying concert tickets online, because a lot of people who had bought tickets in advance only to find later on that they are unable to go to the concert, end up selling their tickets at a very good prices. Of course, you should be extremely careful who you are buying the tickets from. Beware of new eBay members, with no history. On the bright side, all purchases from eBay are insured so if for some reason the ticket turns out to be fraudulent, or it doesn’t come to you at all, there will be a way to get your money back.

BuySellTix is also a website where you can buy concert tickets online, has good reputation for customer service and provides access to some of the top music events. You can search for tickets by artist name,city and concert type. But before you place your order, make sure you are dealing with a reputable company. Look for signs of approval from the Better Business Bureau. Check if they have an SSL certificate for secure credit card transactions, usually issued by Verisign. Buying tickets online can safe you a lot of hustle, time and money as long as you find the right seller.

Steve Gargin owns and operates http://www.bluegrassgarageband.com

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Concerts are undoubtedly one of the most popular pastimes among people of all ages – and it’s not hard to see why. When groups of people come together to share fantastic music, a glowing atmosphere and a bit of dancing, what’s not to love? However, before you can enjoy a concert, you need to get past a fairly obtrusive barrier: you have to get your hands on a ticket.

One of the biggest drawbacks when planning to attend a concert lies in the difficulty to get decent seats – or sometimes any seats at all – at the performance venue of your choice. Tickets to popular concerts often sell out in no time at all, dampening your anticipation for a great event; moreover, any tickets which are available through outsourced ticket vendors or scouts end up costing four times the amount you were willing to pay. So should you simply settle for the televised version of the concert on cable? No! Rest assured that there’s another way to enjoy a live concert.

To begin, it’s in your best interest to do some research on the concert of your choice before tickets go on sale. Bands usually perform in a cluster of locations within a given region; so even if you don’t get tickets to the venue closest to your home, you’re more than likely to be able to find them for another venue within reasonable proximity. Find out which venues the band will be playing at in advance, and categorize them by choice. That way, if you make a failed attempt to obtain tickets to your top-choice venue, you can quickly conduct a search on your subsequent picks.

Alternatively, why not make a mini-break out of your concert outing? If you can’t find tickets to any venues near your home, take a road trip – or perhaps a flight – to another city where tickets are available. In addition, you can arrange accommodation near the venue: so you’ll not only have a change of scene, but you won’t have to sit through a late-night drive back after the show.

A lot of people may decide to travel from out of town for the concert – so it’s always a good idea to book accommodation well in advance. A number of hotel chains, such as Hilton Hotels, offer special packages and weekend offers especially if the concert is a well-publicised event. So remember: next time you can’t find concert tickets for a venue near you, consider it a good thing. After all, it’s the perfect excuse to take a weekend break.

Martin McAllister is a freelance online journalist. He lives in Scotland.

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With more and more music being written and recorded every day there are a variety of concert choices out there for the discerning music fan. The problem is choosing which ones are worth spending that hard earned weekly paycheck on. Fear not, help is on the way. Take the guesswork out of who to see this holiday season. This article takes a look at the Top 5 most popular (currently playing) concert acts of 2007.

Choose an act below and get your concert tickets today. Millions of satisfied concert-goers can’t be wrong.

1. Hannah Montana: Hannah Montana is currently touring with the Jonas Brothers as well as her own Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Tour. The non-stop choreography, lighting, and costume changes only add to the exceptional lyrics and singing. The high-tech presentation gives you multiple big screens for additional views and fireworks to add to the excitement. The crowd pleasing Hannah even struts her stuff on a crowd splitting ramp that puts her as close to her fans as possible. The Jonas Brothers are a treat themselves, but when combined with Hannah, it truly becomes a show to remember. Pack your checkbook though, massive back-market pricing means some tickets may cost you as much as $2,000 for those first 10 rows. Yes, that’s not a typo moms and dads.
2. Billy Joel: Along with a list of Rock and Roll stars coming back to tour this year is the Piano Man, Billy Joel. From the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to the small piano bar sets he started in, Billy Joel still has the same sharp piano fingers that he had in his younger days. Pulling out some old, rarely heard songs, and new songs alike, the performer shows that he is still at it, and so is his band; with Carl Fischer on trumpet/flugelhorn and Mark Rivera on Sax there is little missing from the original sound. With a rotating piano and a piano cam at his fingers, there is nothing you will miss in this tribute to many years of rock and roll.
3. The Police: An oldie, but a goodie, the Police are at back at it again with their new tour Fiction Plane. Their Paris, France, concert sold out for 2 shows with gross sales of over $15,000,000 (Reuters) showing that they are still as popular as ever. After all these years Sting’s voice is still holding strong and the Police have added some new twists to your old favorites. Andy’s guitar riffs are brilliant and the Stewart is all over the stage with drums and crowd interaction. A great show for music fans of all ages.
4. Fall Out Boy: Moving into the spotlight and out of their post-hardcore scene they are expanding their sound to include pop, r&b, and an occasional ballad. This band puts on a show of pyrotechnics and projected content to enliven all your senses. The bands suburban Chicago style, contrasting personalities and easy to sing-a-long choruses only add to the intensity of this concert.
5. Bruce Springsteen: With two sold out shows at Madison Square Garden last month grossing over $2 Million (billboard.com), At 58, Springsteen shows that he is still “The Boss.” With age and experience he brings a soulful abandonment to his new album “Magic” that attests to the vitality of rock ‘n’ roll. Searching for all that we have lost or missed thru our years, Springsteen touches the hearts and minds of concert goers moving thru the compromises and disillusionment of life. The rambling keyboards, the electric guitar high-lights, the raging piano solos give way to a slow melancholy Irish folk song that leaves you gliding across the moors on your journey home.

A concert is an experience to be felt, where the ticket holder is not only a spectator, but a participant riding on the tails of the musical notes. With any good concert there is the emotional high, the physical exhaustion, and the mental stimulation to relive thru every repeat chorus you hear on the radio. So go buy some tickets, and have an experience that you will never forget.

Casey Markee is a consultant with Ticket-Venue.com, one of the internet’s premier providers of high-quality tickets to events nationwide. He hates to buy tickets but when he needs cheap concert tickets or cheap Hannah Montana tickets he only uses Ticket-Venue.

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New York is the theater center of the United States. The Americans have a very rich culture with the music and theaters being an integral part of it. Only in West 40 & 50 streets and Broadway, there are around 38 theaters opened in winter and autumn. In mid eighties, there were more than 200 theaters in the New York apart from Broadway which were generally located in Chelsea and Greenwich Village. New York also has more than 400 cinemas, from the very well known Radio City music concert hall to the local cinemas where small halls run elite movies. New York entertainment industry is just unimaginable without its cafes, bars, discos and nightclubs.

Lincoln Center in the Amsterdam district for Performing Arts consists of 3 buildings located just about the square: New York State Theater built in 1964 is the site for the NYC Ballet, Avery Fisher Hall (built in 1962) hosts the concerts of NY Philharmonic Orchestra and the Metropolitan Opera built in 1966. Other concert halls in New York City are New York City Center, Carnegie Hall and Brooklyn Academy of Music.

The largest concert venues in New York to listen to your favorite groups include: Madison Square Garden, Roseland Ballroom and the Radio City Music Hall.

Madison Square Garden: Madison Square Garden or MSG is the name of 4 arenas in the New York City. It was also the site of the original Madison Square. The first Madison Square opened in the year 1979 at the north eastern part of the Madison Avenue and the 26th street. This is the place where many fights of the legendary boxer Jack Dempsey were held. The 2nd Madison Square Garden replaced the first in 1889. It was designed by the famous Stanford White. The building features a theater, concert hall, and a roof garden. The building was demolished in 1925 and the Madison Square Garden was relocated to 8th Avenue and the 49th Streets in the New York. Presently, the Madison Square Garden is situated at the Penn Station.

Roseland Ballroom: Roseland Ballroom or the Roseland Dance City, located at New York City in the West 52nd Street of the theater district. It is a music venue/dance hall /catering hall with a multicolored ballroom pedigree in a transformed ice skating ring. The venue can accommodate around 32,000 standing and about 2,500 for the dance party with about 1,500 to 1,800 in the theater style and 800 to 1000 for the sit down dinner. The venue has hosted events like Hillary Clinton birthday party, movie premiers and musical performances from celebrities like Nirvana, Madonna, the Rolling Stone, Ramones and the Phish.

Radio City Music Hall: The Radio City Music Hall, located in the Rockefeller Center in the New York City is an important entertainment center. It has been nicknamed as the Showplace of the Nation and was among the favorite tourist destinations. Radio City has the capacity of seating 5,933 spectators and was the World’s largest movie theater at its time of opening. The interior of Radio City Music Hall was declared landmark in the year 1978.

Erica Maurer is a partner at EMRG Media New York’s premiere event planning and marketing company. She has done a thorough research on restaurants, event spaces and night clubs in New York City To know hot information’s about clubbing, dining and other entertainment facilities, keep reading her articles.

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Your favorite singer/band is in town. And you want to be at the venue. But guess what? You find out that the prices are too high. So what do you do in that case? Miss out the concert or buy the tickets at such exorbitant prices? Well, you have another option: Find out alternative sources to buy Cheap Concert Tickets. And what are they:

1) One of the most easy and popular options is to just stay tuned to your favorite radio stations or music television channels. They may have some free tickets to give away as part of contests or participation. So participate in these contests and win yourself tickets for which you don’t have to shell out anything at all.

2) Another great idea is to become a part of media. If you are in the media you will be able to get even back stage passes and even meet your favorite singer/band first hand. The best option is to seek out your friends who are in the media and they will be able to get you into the concert.

3) Another wonderful way to get your way to the concert is if you are part of the artist/s’ fan club. Many fan clubs will make available tickets for their members much ahead of the concert. This way you can rest assured that you will get tickets and there are chances you may also get them at a discount because the club has booked the tickets in bulk.

For many such ideas and sources, visit http://www.ticketsoogle.com – Here you will find great information on sources from where you can get cheap concert tickets as well as back stage passes!

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Busy lifestyles have made it increasingly difficult for people to visit a travel agent to book a ticket, to go to the financial advisor’s office to discuss buying and selling of shares or even stand in a line to buy movie or concert tickets.

To overcome this problem, many ticket brokers have launched their websites that allow people to book tickets online in advance. This enables people to book tickets for their favorite concert, movie, sports event or airline without actually having to stand in the queue and wasting their precious time and energy. Typically, these ticket brokers charge a fee in addition to the face value of these tickets. People do not mind paying this extra money to get their desired tickets delivered to their doorsteps without any hassle. Concert ticket brokers are those who specialize in offering their ticketing services to individuals who want to purchase concert tickets.

The job of a concert ticket broker is not easy, as they have to be constantly in touch with the concert organizers of the locality. They have to put in place a network of similar service providers with whom they can exchange services as and when necessary. This is essential to maintain client satisfaction and to build a good reputation among the patrons. Many concert brokers have an understanding among themselves that if one of the brokers has already got a contract from a certain organizer, they will not try to secure the same contract by reducing their prices. This helps maintain professional decorum and cooperation among the local ticket brokers.

Before going to a concert, it is a good idea to check the local concert ticket broker for availability of tickets. If the booking is done well in advance, chances of getting good discounts are brighter. This especially holds true for rock music concert tickets that are sold out as soon as they come for sale. Many concert ticket brokers also offer group discounts for special categories of people such as students and disabled persons. As several brokers aim to make maximum profits, the customers usually get a good deal on concert tickets.

Ticket Brokers provides detailed information on Ticket Brokers, Concert Ticket Brokers, Sports Ticket Brokers, Ticket Broker Software and more. Ticket Brokers is affiliated with Online Texas Holdem.

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To live in a Mediterranean climate with year-round access to the sea, good food and wine, plus magnificent scenery would be enough. To have access to three symphony orchestra venues within ten kilometres of the front door is a priceless bonus. The Palau in Altea is long established, whilst the Auditori Mediterrania in La Nucia is entering its second year. But this week we have the inaugural concert series of the Teatre Auditori de La Vila Joiosa, in whose steeply-raked, red, black and white surroundings the Jeunesses Musicales World Orchestra played last night, 9 January 2008. Under their supremely gifted director, Josep Vicent, the orchestra, resident in Communidad Valenciana since 2005, offered five twentieth century orchestral works. As ever, the programme was beautifully and expertly played by this excellent band and, once again, Josep Vicent’s choice of content was outstanding, his conducting masterful.

The evening began with Short Ride on a Fast Machine by John Adams. It is a miniature concerto for orchestra, played against an insistent percussion beat. For me the piece is a parody, an update of Arthur Honnegger’s Pacific 231, a piece with which it shares significant structural similarities. In the 1920s, the cutting edge of Honnegger’s musical depiction of speed was the railway engine. For John Adams in the 1980s it was a motorbike. It is uncanny how both pieces change rhythm half way through, both restating their pulse through the low brass of tuba and trombone. Adams’s motorcycle is less heavily engineered than Honnegger’s railway engine, however, and is definitely a lot quicker off the mark.

Josep Vicent’s second choice was Ravel’s La Valse, a piece I find thoroughly surreal. In theory, it’s an extended waltz for orchestra, but in places the music and its dance rhythms are so stretched and pulled out of shape as to render the effect brooding, even threatening. When the waltz theme emerges relatively intact, it seems super-real, almost over-stated and thus incongruous. Ravel’s masterly orchestration provides surprises and arresting juxtapositions of sonority. The Jeunesses Musicales World Orchestra was able to show off its admirable ensemble and individual virtuosity throughout this strange, strange piece.

The concert’s first half concluded with a performance of Ravel’s G major piano concerto, with Canaries-born Iván Martin as soloist. I would dearly love to write more of the orchestra’s superb playing of this deceptive piece, but not to give complete prominence to Iván Martin’s playing would be criminal. He made the solo part sound effortless, kept a wonderful pace and was perfection indeed across the rhythmic syncopations. But he was especially convincing in the slow movement, when the piano plays throughout. It all sounds deceptively simple, and too often the movement is presented as sentimental or comes across as a platitude. Not so in this performance, when it was sincere, elegant, dignified and not a little noble. Again Ravel is deceptive, offering polyrhythms and occasional conflicts of keys within an overall impression of lightness and jazz.

Pursuing what was now emerging as a theme, the second half began with another work that presented popular idiom in a challenging way. This time it was Leonard Bernstein’s Symphonic Dances from West Side Story. The Jeunesses Musicales World Orchestra grew to gargantuan size for this piece, with a veritable battery of percussion, plus obligato finger snapping. But the piece is tough beyond the imagination of a listener who knows only the musical’s famous tunes. It’s a real orchestral tour de force and was a triumph of the player’s virtuosity.

The evening’s final piece was again a virtuosic, tough-edged celebration of popular idiom. Manuel de Falla’s suite from his ballet, The Three Cornered Hat, owes much to the flamenco of his native Andalusia. It has many spectacular moments where the music speeds and slows with the bravura of a macho showman dancer. And so the concert moved accelerando towards its thunderous conclusion, a racket matched only by the enthusiasm of the applause.

And, by the way, the area is likely to have another concert hall in a year or so. Plus, if you missed the concert in La Vila, it’s repeated next week in La Nucia. I shall be attending for a repeat performance. Artistry of this quality cannot be missed.

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We should have another Woodstock Concert, in celebration of Global Warming? Sure get everyone together and all drugged out and talk about the end of the World? Whose idea is this? Well, entertainer Al Gore and some Hollywood Friends I guess. From Al Gore’s perspective I guess a gathering of like minded people would be wise politically?

Yet, I see this 24-Hour Climate Concert as another Old Gimmick to gain Global Support for the Global Warming Alarmist campaign to shape the minds of the people. It would be a nice event I suppose with all the most famous rockers and do well to elevate his 24-Hour Environmental Warrior motif, like that recent film; Inconsistent Claims or rather Inconvenient Truth.

Whether you believe in Global Warming or you think that is merely a bunch of hot air, you have to give it to Al Gore for coming up with innovative ways to keep the topic on everyone’s grocery list. Who know what they might be planning next? Global Warming town hall meetings or a picnic with Yogi and Boo Boo the bears?

The showmanship of the Global Warming debate rivals that of the Devil in the White City and the old World Fair in Chicago. But whatever works right? Much of Global Warming is about marketing and Al Gore is an excellent spokesman and marketer indeed.

I certainly hope this article is of interest and that is has propelled thought. The goal is simple; to help you in your quest to be the best in 2007. I thank you for reading my many articles on diverse subjects, which interest you.

Lance Winslow – Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/. Lance is a guest writer for Our Spokane Magazine in Spokane, Washington

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The final concert of the inaugural La Nucia arts festival took place last night. Starting at 10:30pm, it was staged in the town’s recently completed open air auditorium and featured the World Youth Orchestra directed, again masterfully, by Josep Vicent. Given the setting, it would have been so easy to present a procession of pop classics that would have the punters humming along happily. I attended, for once not having even tried to research the programme, a task that is usually rendered essential here in Spain since the detailed list of works is rarely printed on the publicity material.

Having mentioned the setting, it has to be described. The town of La Nucia, just 5 kilometres inland, up the hill behind Benidorm, has been transformed in recent years. I have lived in the town for over four years and have seen an almost complete transformation in that time. It was a beautiful, if quiet place in 2002, when I first visited. Since then a major project of refurbishment and reinvention has been undertaken. Besides a new road, the town now has several shopping complexes, new health centres, libraries, community centres, playgrounds and parks. The most important additions, if, like me, you have a keen interest in the arts, have been the beautiful 600 seat concert hall and, across the road, an outside auditorium that can seat up to 3000. Back at the start of the year the World Youth Orchestra under Josep Vicent inaugurated the Concert hall, l’Auditori de la Mediterrànea, with a concert in which a 110 piece orchestra performed Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring. It’s a piece that can be its own parody, if played badly. Now I would claim to know just about every note of the piece and in my humble opinion Josep Vicent’s reading of the score, frankly, was perfect.

And so to the setting. La Nucia is perched on the side of a valley that runs down to the sea from the Sierra Aitana and the mountain, Puig Campaña. On the other side of the valley is Polop, a pretty, floodlit, tumbling Costa Blanca town of pastel shades beneath a hilltop citadel. Beyond, the large town of Callosa d’en Sarrià, the centre of the unique nispero trade, lies illuminated at the base of the Sierra Guadalest. Turning a little to the right, there is the jagged junction between rock and sky that is the summit line of the Sierra Bernia and then, over the now well-known town of Altea, the Mediterranean. Behind the outdoor auditorium’s stage, a row of houses and shops become a backdrop for lighting effects. I hope the residents don’t mind. Frankly, it would be hard to imagine a more beautiful place to listen to music, except for the reservation, of course, that the outdoor setting needs amplification, which makes the sound flat. That, I believe, need not be too much of a handicap if the programme is well thought out. And last nights concert triumphed in that respect.

So, initially not expecting much, I took my seat and looked (as best I could in the dark) at the works on offer. Sandwiched between two of Alberto Ginastera’s dances for the Estancia Dances Op8 (1941), we were to be offered Stravinsky’s Firebird, Tres movimientos tanguisticos porteños by Astor Piazzolla and a complete Al Amor Brujo of Manuel de Falla. If the prospect on reading the list of works watered the mouth, the reality simply stunned.

Ginastera’s Danza del Trigo (Dance of the Wheat) rushed and raced to evoke effects of wind gusts on a wheat field. Rhythms and keys are crossed and the music speeds along without actually being fast! I recall an article by Colin Matthews some years ago about how to write music that sounds very fast while in fact changing very slowly.

The Stravinsky, of course, is utterly well known, and like the other two ballets in what most of us regard as his early romantic trilogy, it can become a cliché. But not in the hands of Josep Vicent, who has a complete understanding of the composer’s music. It was superbly played, never rushed, but never allowed to rest.

What followed was a different universe. Astor Piazzolla is known as a composer of tangos, which, for some reason tend to be associated with the lightweight. Josep Vincent, in his introduction to the piece, Tres movimientos tanguisticos porteños, was at pains to tell us that Piazzolla was a “classical” composer who studied with Nadia Boulanger. Yes, true, and he also studied with Ginastera and others, declaring, himself, that he had developed a profound love of Bach. The reference is apposite, since the last of these three tangos turned out to be a complex fugue! I know a number of the composer’s works very well, having heard Joachim Palomares’s ensemble on several occasions and having played the Barenboim disc regularly. But these pieces were as hard as nails. Rhythmically they were tangos, but if you think that Stravinsky’s music might be associated with toughness (which I don’t) you should try these three orchestral pieces by Astor Piazzolla. As ever, Piazzolla uses minor keys, sometimes rather confused minor keys as well. The gloom would be unremitting were it not for his utterly inventive use of form. Throughout, however, there was that little trilling turn that is his musical signature. Surely he was one of the twentieth century’s most original musical voices.

The only work on the programme by a Spanish composer was next, a full account of El Amor Brujo of Manuel de Falla. Written in 1915, the score blends elements of Flamenco from the composer’s native Andalusia with “classical” forms. Scored for medium-sized orchestra and voice, it was performed last night by Mayte Martin, who specialises in flamenco-style singing and she was quite excellent. Necessarily under-stated because of the nature of the piece, her singing added a sonority to the overall sound that transformed the whole piece into something unique. The extremely famous Ritual Fire Dance at the core of the work raised its own round of applause, despite being offered in an intriguingly controlled way in Josep Vincent’s reading. It worked, since the restraint prevented the section dominating the work and thereby held our attention more for the vocal sections.

And then to finish the evening was a real bit of summer night out. Malambo, another of the Ginastera Opus 8 dances, closed the show. Now I will freely admit that when I am in a concert of any type an invitation that we might “put our hands together” and clap along with the music usually leaves me feeling empty and, often, not a little resentful, because it usually indicates a concert that is so poorly presented by the performers that they have to do something cheap to drum up support. But when the conductor turned to the audience, a few phrases into Malambo and indicated participation, frankly, it was impossible not to comply. The piece is utterly infectious. The whole audience joined in – AND the whole audience was utterly attentive, able to react immediately when the conductor turned to quell the clapping with a wave of the hand to allow a detailed variation in the music to come through, and then start again as requested as the main rhythm returned. Five works in the concert, three of which I had not heard before, faultless playing by the World Youth Orchestra and, as ever, the highest possible standards of interpretation under the direction of Josep Vicent …. Quite beautiful.

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A hand shot up out of the audience and waved emphatically, attempting to catch the celebrity’s attention. The spotlit fiddler peered out into the darkness and candidly asked, “Do I know you? Am I related to you?”

The whole room burst into laughter and I felt like I was right there with Natalie MacMaster in her kitchen enjoying a homespun “ceilidh,” (pronounced “kay-lee”) Celtic dance.

This “kitchen” had a world-famous celebrity, a top-notch symphony orchestra and over 450 paying guests at $40 each, but that’s beside the point. It was still Natalie’s kitchen.

She went on to tune her violin patiently, though hundreds of eyes watched anxiously. Perhaps she sensed the urgency when she joked that her tuning was, “Close enough for Celtic,” and the room chuckled again. Then this sweet, down-to-earth gal from Cape Breton Island picked up her fiddle and the “kitchen” went up in flames! There wasn’t a foot within earshot that could resist tapping to her phenomenal playing and dancing.

Earshot, but not eyeshot. Unfortunately, most of the audience could only see the virtuoso from the waist-up due to the level seating arrangement of the hall. Natalie’s legendary clicks and clacks of tap shoes on the hollow stage stirred me to leave my seat and watch the entire concert from the side aisle. Soon after standing, I ran back to my aisle to fetch my young violin students, who were too short to catch the fancy footwork from their seats.

In true Celtic tradition, our quiet observation from the sidelines grew into louder foot stomping, which rapidly escalated into energetic circle dancing and jigs. Natalie’s own dancing featured high kicks, quick spins and rhythmic tap dancing. As the show progressed, her traditional Scottish step dancing morphed into groovy modern hip-hop and disco moves, including the notorious and difficult “Moonwalk!”

Much to my surprise and delight, the music also went through a breathtaking metamorphosis. The concert started with traditional Celtic melodies played by the silky string sections of the symphony. Next was a Cape Breton fiddle tune in A major, what Natalie called the “Canadian key.”

After such traditional pieces, we learned that she was more multifaceted than imaginable. From a Latin mix to the gorgeous jazz ballad, “Autumn Leaves,” we were all captivated by her versatility.

Concertmaster of the Okanagan Symphony, Denis Letourneau, was as mesmerized as the audience was! The classical virtuoso beamed from ear to ear and repeatedly shook his head in awe and admiration of Natalie’s fiddling fireworks. Then he contributed to the pyrotechnics when he joined Natalie for a musical goulash where “fiddling met violining.” Their duet blended the popular fiddle tune “Devil’s Dream” with the intricate Bach Violin Partida in E!

“Denis, we have an expression back in Cape Breton,” said Natalie afterwards, “When we really dig in, we say we were ‘driving ‘er.’ Now you can go home and say last night you were really ‘driving ‘er!” Denis blushed. Natalie smiled. We all felt two worlds converge and it felt wonderful.

As our cultures blend, I think we’ll be seeing a lot more “Traditional fusion” in music. Diverse forms of music, polar as they may seem now, will soon merge and create new genres that people of all ages and walks of life can appreciate. Put a symphony orchestra, a fiddler, a funk band and a bagpiper playing on stage at the same time and everyone from Grandma to the teenager with the spiked hair will approve.

There will be growing pains, naturally. As in Natalie’s concert, there will be an obvious polarity in the audience in deciding proper concert protocol. Some people at the concert didn’t know whether get up and dance in the aisles, or to be content in sitting in quiet appreciation. Like any pioneers, we’ll find a middle ground that works for everyone. Heck, a friend of mine once created “seated dancing” in such an awkward situation.

Natalie’s charm and talent, coupled with her obvious love of music, were enough to inspire me and several other violinists present to explore new avenues of expression and technique. I couldn’t wait to get home to try some of the things she showed us so flawlessly that night.

Natalie provided further inspiration when she agreed to sign fiddles my students had brought with them. Then she stood, weary and tired, but smiling enthusiastically for group photographs with me and my fiddle students.

My students, young and old, talked about Natalie’s concert for weeks and have found a role model who will guide them into wonderful new directions.

Thank you, Natalie. You are one amazing Canadian pioneer and we love you for it!

**Rhiannon Schmitt (nee Nachbaur) is a professional violinist and music teacher who has enjoyed creative writing for years.

She currently writes columns for two Canadian publications and has been featured in Australia’s “Music Teacher Magazine.” Writing allows her to teach people that the world of music is as fun as you spin it to be!

Rhiannon, age 29, has worn the hats of businesswoman, performer, events promoter, classical music radio host and school orchestra music arranger in rural British Columbia, Canada.

Her business, Fiddleheads Violin School & Shop, has won several distinguished young entrepreneur business awards for her commitment to excellence. Her shop offers beginner to professional level instruments, accessories and supplies for very reasonable prices: Visit http://www.fiddleheads.ca

Rhiannon is also Founding President of the Shuswap Violin Society which promotes violin & fiddle music and helps young musicians in need: http://www.violinsociety.ca

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