Happy Independence Day to all my American friends!

For Canada Day weekend (July 1), we went to the national park and heard a free pops concert from the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. It’s very cool to hear the Star Wars theme played by a live orchestra.

We also saw two young and very talented musicians. One is the son of a vocalist friend, and he was busking during the afternoon. You can find him at Thomas the Cellist on Facebook, where he has some tunes posted.

The other was Sierra Noble, a Manitoba fiddler and vocalist who has experienced the rise of her star over the past few years. She performed two songs with the orchestra, one of which was a stunning medley of fiddle tunes.

Here’s a clip on the unique nature of Metis fiddling, featuring Sierra and an ethnomusicologist’s commentary:

Sierra Noble, the WSO and conductor Alexander Mickelthwaite during sound check at Riding Mountain National Park