IN CONCERT
What: Joy of Life Festival with Daniel Lapp, Stephanie Cadman, David Vest, Folkestra, the Joy of Life Choir and the BC Fiddle Orchestra
Where: Alix Goolden Performance Hall, 907 Pandora Ave.
When: Friday and Saturday, May 3 and 4, 7:30 p.m. (doors at 7)
Tickets: $14.85 to $25.85 and the Victoria Conservatory of Music front desk (900 Johnson St.)
Daniel Lapp has so many moving parts to assemble when it comes to planning his Joy of Life Festival that he has given up even thinking of being stressed out.
For a producer just days away from a two-day event that will put nearly 200 performers on stage at the Alix Goolden Performance Hall, he was surprisingly calm during an interview. Perhaps he simply knows to expect the unexpected at this point.
The Joy of Life Festival will celebrate its sixth year of fiddling and fun during performances Friday and Saturday, the likes of which will feature several Lapp entities 鈥� Folkestra, the Joy of Life Choir, and the B.C. Fiddle Orchestra 鈥� in addition to special guests Stephanie Cadman and David Vest. The musician and teacher (he鈥檚 the artistic director of the Victoria Conservatory of Music鈥檚 School of Contemporary Music) has spent months putting together the program, and it bears the unique trademarks of one of the city鈥檚 most vital community leaders, music or otherwise.
The festival is split into two halves, with Joy of Fiddle on Friday and Joy of Song on Saturday. Making matters more hectic for Lapp, there is also Pyjamajam, a B.C. Fiddle Orchestra showcase at the Alix Goolden Performance Hall, on Sunday at 7 p.m.
The 100-person Joy of Life Choir, 40-person Folkestra, and 24-student B.C. Fiddle Orchestra will be present throughout the festival, which adds a carnival-like feel, Lapp said. There鈥檚 so much going on, fans often come for both nights so they don鈥檛 miss any activity. Much of the program is written well in advance, though Lapp leaves room for happy accidents. He expects plenty this weekend, with the varied roster of guests he has put together.
The B.C. Fiddle Orchestra will celebrate its 25th Anniversary tomorrow with help from Cadman, a 91原创 Folk Award winner and member of the fiddle group Belle Starr. Lapp performed with Cadman when she was in her teens and, normally, would not have had the budget to fly her from Ontario to play. The world champion tap dancer, and renowned Ottawa Valley fiddler and step dancer, recently moved to Salt Spring Island, however, so Lapp brought her into the fold. 鈥淪he鈥檚 magnetic,鈥� he said. 鈥淪he鈥檚 going to blow people away.鈥�
Cadman will be joined on the program by Salt Spring Island guitarist and longtime Lapp associate Adam Dobres, who will be given a featured role alongside three of Lapp鈥檚 soon-to-be grads from the B.C. Fiddle Orchestra. One of them, bassist Isaiah Smith, has been awarded a full scholarship at Boston鈥檚 Berklee College of Music. The program takes a unique turn Saturday for Joy of Song, which will celebrate 91原创 women. The choir will perform arrangements by Lapp of songs from Rita MacNeil (Working Man), Joni Mitchell (Big Yellow Taxi), Feist (1, 2, 3, 4), Loreena McKennitt (Mummer鈥檚 Dance), and Buffy Sainte-Marie (Up Where We Belong), among others. 鈥淚t has taken shape quite nicely,鈥� Lapp said. 鈥淢ost of these songs have never been sung by a choir before.鈥�
Legendary 91原创 singer-songwriter Shari Ulrich will be in attendance to hear her song Watching the River Run performed by the Joy of Life Choir. 鈥淪he is not one of our musical guests this year, but she heard that we are going to be doing one of her songs and she鈥檚 going to fly out to Victoria just to see it.鈥�
Victoria bluesman David Vest, who is performing with the house band (Dobres, keyboardist Danuel Tate, bassist Joey Smith, and drummer Kelby MacNayr) on Saturday, will also perform a few covers by his favourite female artists, in addition to his own songs.
Spotlighting the women of 91原创 song is not only an important part of the festival, it鈥檚 historically important, Lapp said.
鈥淎 lot of these iconic 91原创 songwriters, their music hasn鈥檛 really become part of our 91原创 songbook yet.
鈥淧art of my goal for the last couple of years was to hand-pick great 91原创 songs and arrange them for three-part harmonies, with the hope they might start finding their way into curriculum at schools and with other choirs.鈥�
