Trish Clair-Peck: news

Yup, folks, it is official. Fiddleworks Community Development Society and the Nanaimo Conservatory of Music will be co-hosting the first ever (annual??) March Break fiddle camp right here in Nanaimo.

The camp will follow the format of Jaime RT's great summer workshops on Salt Spring Island and will run from Sunday March 16 to Thursday March 20, with the exciting kick-off concert happening on Saturday March 15. Mark the dates on your calendar now, and watch for lots more information soon. There are a bunch of fantastic teachers lined up and the week is sure to be great fun.

I've been tidying up the shelf of CDs in the living room, and in the process have revisited the recordings I've been involved in. Funny how my name rarely appears in its correct form on these CDs!

Since I got married there has been confusion over my last name ..... "Clair" being both a first name and a surname, I suppose I can understand that (interesting factoid: my family name is actually "Clare," but when my great-grandfather came to Canada from Ireland it seems the spelling of the name was changed).

So far I've been dubbed Trish-Clara Peck, Trish-Clair Peck, Trish Ciara Peck, Trish Clay-Peek and Trish Clair Pack. Now I'm totally set if I ever want to enter a life of espionage and intrigue - my pseudonyms are all lined up!

I just found out that I have been nominated for a Canadian Folk Music Award (Best Instrumentalist - Solo). I'm SO thrilled and feel absolutely privileged to be in the company of some of my favorite performers .... visit the CFMA website at www.canadianfolkmusicawards.ca to see the complete list of nominees.

WOOOOHOOOOOOOOO!!!!

Last Sunday we had a CD release party on Protection Island, and it was a smashing success. Thanks to all of the wonderful people at the Protection Island Cultural Historical Society (PICHS), we played to a packed (and well-fed) house. I think everyone had a great time ..... I know we musicians did. How lucky am I - not only did I get to perform with Charity, Andrea, and Terry, but Rick Scott and David Essig sat in as well.

And to top off a great weekend, I learned that Dawson's Tumble made #2 on the Folk/Alternative charts at CHLY radio. First Nanaimo, then the world! Big thanks are due to Kenny and Winnie at Eclectic Celtic for giving me so much airplay.

Well, in addition to managing a heavy teaching load, I am also working hard to promote both my own CD and the house concerts we are hosting this fall. On Sunday I am "officially" releasing Dawson's Tumble at a party here on the island, in the place where much of the original music was conceived. Joining me are Rick, Andrea, Charity, Terry, Chris, and special guest David Essig - a stellar group of musicians and friends, performing for the wonderful community of Protection Island. Did I mention a fiddle-shaped cake????

In 10 days, Calvin Cairns and Paul O'Brien will be playing two house concerts in the area (October 5 on ProIsland, and October 6 in Lantzville). These two are a delight and I'm so excited that they'll be playing in my very own living room.....

As I prepare for another busy teaching season, I've discovered an error in the NCM brochures and ads. The correct times for the fiddle groups at the Conservatory are as follows:

Beginners: Weds, 3:30-4:30
Intermediate: Weds, 4:30-5:45
Advanced: Weds 6:30-8pm (admission by audition)

Sorry for any confusion! We will not consider changing the groups to Thursday because that is when the Coombs Old Time Fiddlers meet.

What a busy summer .... starting with a week teaching at the Kole Crook Fiddle Camp in the NWT, then at CeltFest in Parksville, and finally at Jaime RT's Fiddleworks camp on Saltspring Island. Add in a few other workshops and a family vacation, and I've been home for 2 weeks total this summer. That means that I've had no time to work on promoting the CD by performing, so getting a few shows lined up is at the top of the list of priorities.

There will be a CD release party here on Protection Island in September, and at least one in Nanaimo as well. I will also be doing a few house concerts in the Central Island region ..... more information about these will follow soon.

My "other life" is that of a fiddle teacher, and in addition to promoting the CD I'm also very busy getting things ready for a new year of Fiddle Ensembles at the Conservatory. Nanaimo-area fiddlers, guitarists, whistle players, pianists, and bodhran players can contact me to find out which group is best for them ..... I try to offer something for everyone!

Happy fiddling.