Derek Neary
Northern News Services

Fort Providence (Apr 09/04) - Five young fiddlers from Fort Providence and Wrigley were in the spotlight in Regina on March 25.

Backed up by 32 members of the Regina Symphony Orchestra, they played a few songs for an audience of 250 people in the rotunda of the First Nations University of Canada.

Shaylene Baton of Wrigley performed with the Regina Symphony Orchestra in late March. - photo courtesy of Lewis Beck

The orchestra opened and closed the show with Beethoven compositions. Then Wrigley's Joelle Moses and Shaylene Baton and Fort Providence's Adeline Landry, Shelby Nadli, Britney Nadli, along with Yellowknife's Keaton Roy and 15 students from a Regina school joined the band.

Together they played "Amazing Grace," "Ode to Joy," "Frank's Delta Dream," "Boil 'm Cabbage Down" and "Pingo Push."

"Actually it sounded pretty interesting with an orchestra playing behind us. I could hear the cello and the other violinists," said Moses, who added that she wasn't nervous. "It just seemed like I was playing at a talent show or something."

Landry, 13, said she remembers the piano and flute playing in the background. She described the experience as "fun" and said she wants to learn more songs.

Fiddle instructor Violet Landry chaperoned the three Fort Providence musicians to Regina.

"It was awesome," she said.

Andrea Hansen -- a former member of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra who helped initiate the Strings Across the Sky fiddle program in the NWT -- was the one who arranged the event.

Lal Straub, communications director for the Regina Symphony Orchestra, said it was the first time the professionals have performed with young students.

"The response was so fabulous," Straub said. "It was an incredible experience for the kids but it was also an incredible experience for the audience to see how quickly these kids caught on to the music and embraced the instrument."

Moses, 13, first picked up the fiddle two-and-a-half years ago.

"I really like the music and I love going to the fiddle camps and meeting new people who know how to play the violin," she said.

Shelby Nadli, 11, said she likes the notes from the violin as well.

"It sounds great," she said.