Bittersweet Performances

As part of my studio, I run a group called the Fredericton Fiddle Orchestra. At the moment this is a group of 8 women who play fiddle and piano. We like to play a mix of Old Time, Celtic, and Oldies. We have performed at various venues over the years, but the one that we go back to time and time again is the Veterans Health Unit. These performances are always fun, but a little bittersweet.

This audience is a lot of fun. They like to interact with us in various ways including making humorous comments between tunes, singing along when we play some of the old songs that they know so well, and chatting after. We try to craft our playlist with tunes that we feel they would enjoy. The first time the veterans sang along with us was a surprise, but since then we anticipate those moments!

The veterans make us feel welcome. It feels like they have been anticipating our visit, which is always fun! We get to know them a bit, which is wonderful! We visit three times a year and always look forward to it.

These performances are indeed bittersweet. There are always faces each time we go perform. Each time we perform, some of the familiar faces are always gone. We get to be a part of the lives of these people for a brief time, and I hope it brings them as much joy as it does for us!