Yellowknife (Jun 05/06) - Small crowds can create odd atmospheres at performances.

At the end of the Fort Smith Classical Ensemble's performance at the Northern Arts and Cultural Centre last Friday, soprano Karen Zaiden playfully acknowledged this.

Sarah Darkes plays flute with the Fort Smith Classical Ensemble. The trio performed at the Northern Arts and Cultural Centre in Yellowknife. -

"We do have another piece, if you want," she said, a little unsure if the quiet crowd wanted an encore. "We were going to walk off and come back on, but we weren't sure."

The shared chuckle between Zaiden and the audience, followed by fervent applause, eased the tension considerably. This led the Fort Smith ensemble, which also consisted of pianist Holly Darkes and flutist Sarah Darkes, to close with Franz Schubert's "Ave Maria."

All three performers were skilled and poised, but it was Zaiden who really seemed to rise to the occasion. Zaiden evoked the emotion of each piece, be it mournful, triumphant or celebratory.

Zaiden, 30, was trained at the University of Alberta and the Zoltan Kodaly Pedagogical Institute of Music in Hungary, and has been performing in choirs since the age of seven. Holly, 21, is a student of the University of Victoria's music program, while Sarah, 18, is completing her diploma at the Victoria Conservatory of Music, The performance was part of NACC's mandate to reach out to the communities, according to NACC executive director Ben Nind.While the turnout wasn't great for the ensemble's first visit, he said he was willing to bring the group back to build up an audience.

"It's like ripples," he said.