YELLOWKNIFE - It wasn't long after picking up his first guitar that Montreal-based classical musician Daniel Bolshoy learned the value of a good teacher.

"I was more into rock and that kind of thing," he says during a stop-over in Vancouver. "I was looking for a teacher that would help me improve. That guy happened to be a classical guitarist."

Montreal-based classical guitarist Daniel Bolshoy brings his unique style to the Northern Arts and Cultural Centre next week. - photo courtesy of Couvrette/Ottawa

When he saw what the teacher could do with a classical guitar, and heard how he talked about the instrument, Bolshoy says he was hooked.

Bolshoy hopes to continue this legacy during his performance at the Northern Arts and Cultural Centre on Thursday, Feb. 1, in Fort Simpson on Jan. 30, and through workshops in both communities.

"It's kind of an intimate evening," he says of his show, in which he tries to engage the audience in the history of the songs. The goal, he says, is to spark an interest in classical music for people who might not normally listen to it, just as his teacher did for him, years ago.

"It's all classical, but not classical in an intimidating way," he says. "It's a good introduction to classical music."

This desire to promote the music carries over to Bolshoy's other life as a music instructor at Concordia University in Montreal.

He will bring this side of his abilities to Thomas Simpson secondary school in Fort Simpson, and to Sir John Franklin high school in Yellowknife.

"I'll introduce in more depth what I do for a living and how classical guitar is different from other styles," he says.

"I'll be very flexible because I don't know these kids and I don't know what they have been taught."

He says these two roles - performer and educator - feed off of one another.

"I don't think I would be able to teach without performing, and kind of the other way around too," he says.

Bolshoy says he doesn't know quite what to expect on his first trip to the North, but he's hoping for the best.

"I just really hope that people enjoy it," he says. "I'll definitely try to make it as approachable and fun as possible."