Fort Smith (May 22/06) - Every community has its little secrets, but Fort Smith is about to give one up.

Over the last year, three classically-trained musicians who call Fort Smith home have been quietly playing concerts and practising, leading up to a show in the capital.

The Fort Smith Classical Ensemble, from left, Holly Darkes, Karen Zaiden and Sarah Darkes, will perform at the Northern Arts and Cultural Centre in Yellowknife this weekend. - photo courtesy of Holly Darkes

Performing as the Fort Smith Classical Ensemble, the trio, which is made up of pianist Holly Darkes, flutist Sarah Darkes and vocalist Karen Zaiden, will take the stage at the Northern Arts and Cultural Centre in Yellowknife this weekend.

"I'm very excited," said Holly Darkes, 21. She is a music student at the University of Victoria, with a diploma from the Victoria Conservatory of Music.

She said she and her sister Sarah, 18, have been studying music for 10 years. Sarah is at the conservatory as well, with plans to follow her sister in Victoria.

The show has been in the works for about a year, she said, since Holly and Sarah's father, James, contacted NACC executive director Ben Nind in Yellowknife.

Nind said he was excited to learn about the sisters, and once they began working with experienced soprano Zaiden, bringing them to Yellowknife was natural.

"This is part of the mandate of the Northern Arts and Cultural Centre," Nind said. "It totally fits with what NACC is meant to be doing in Northern communities."

Zaiden said she appreciates the opportunity, as she "would travel anywhere to perform," and options are limited for musicians with full lives.

"Marriage and family and other things come into play," she said.

Zaiden, 30, trained at the University of Alberta and the Zoltan Kodaly Pedagogical Institute of Music in Hungary.

She has appeared on four CDs and has been a member of Pro Coro Canada and Ars Nova in Budapest.

She teaches music out of her Fort Smith home, where she lives with her husband and her two-year-old son.

"Unless you're totally dedicated and sacrifice a lot, it's difficult to have a career in music." Holly said despite years of large performances and recitals, she is a little nervous about the upcoming show.

"I'd be really worried if I wasn't getting nervous," she said.

"It brings excitement to the music."

"The goal of any performer is to inspire and touch the audience. This is what music is all about."

The Fort Smith Classical Ensemble performs May 26 and 27 at the Northern Arts and Cultural Centre in Yellowknife.