Kenosee Lake Kitchen Party was in full swing between Aug. 3 and Aug. 7. Over 100 people were registered in the camp from Canada and the United States with many fantastic instructors from across North America attending.
Aimed at anyone interested in playing the fiddle, piano, banjo, mandolin, and guitar this is a fantastic camp, which has amazing instruction for any level of musician. This year cello was also offered to those in the camp.
"Cello at fiddle camp we're making cello playing cool again and I have to say we made it pretty cool," Eric Wright exclaimed during the final student showcase.
All ages were there for the week learning and taking in the general atmosphere of camp life. They learned how to play a variety of different tunes including a wide variety of folk songs and even a few blues selections. Learning how to play and write their own music was also something the campers thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated at camp.
During the final student concert the campers showcased what they had learned over the week. Attending was a packed house who were not only supporting those they knew, but enjoying some of the best playing in the southeast.
The standout performance of the night may have been the campers who played the American Polka. This song brought whooping and hollering from the crowd when they finished. Proud parents may have been at the forefront of the applause, but the entire crowd was awe struck and showed their praise through their applause as well.
Upon introducing her group and this particular song Ivonne Hernandez explained the camper's first reaction to hearing Hernandez play the tune, "The kids initially asked if they were in the right group when I played it for them. I said, 'Yes!' and told them they could do it."
There were extremely talented people in all of the groups and the instructors did a wonderful job in teaching the campers a variety of skills to work on.
Week Two of the Kenosee Lake Kitchen Party is currently finishing today Aug. 17 and tomorrow Aug. 18. Tonight will showcase the Cross Canada Challenge, which has students take part in a talent show competition where they collaborate on a performance highlighting an area of Canada. From the East to the West including the prairies as well as Quebec they play a wide variety of tunes.
There is Kenosee Lake Kitchen Party merchandise available during the concerts and one of the features is a CD comprised of songs by the instructors.
If you like folk music and the sounds of fiddles then this is the place to be for home grown talent as well as talent from across North America.
