Kelli Trottier celebrates Canadian heritage with “Fiddle Bill”

August 20, 2015 · 0 Comments

On Saturday, August 8th Shelburne Rotary hosted award winning fiddler Kelli Trottier along with bandmates Andy Thompson and Jerry Clancy for afternoon and evening concerts. Approximately 270 people watched the 3pm show where Trottier celebrated the fiddle’s role in Canadian culture by playing the tune she wrote in honour of National Fiddle Day “Fiddle Bill.” She invited fiddlers who could play the tune to join her on stage for the evening performance.
“Fiddle Bill,” named for the Senate Bill which establishes National Fiddle Day, ends with the famous “O Canada we stand on guard for thee” measures from the National Anthem, bringing additional delight to an already lovely fiddle tune. The Chair of Fiddlefest, Sandra Gallaugher says when Trottier and her invitational fiddlers played “Fiddle Bill” Saturday night, “They received a standing ovation from the audience of 400. It was so wonderful seeing all the fiddlers and the audience having a great time.”
Ms. Trottier played an integral part in the movement to establish a National Fiddle Day in Canada; she was invited to speak and play at Parliament last spring where the bill was passed in March. Kelli composed “Fiddle Bill” five days before the Senate reception in May to celebrate the passing of the National Fiddle Day Bill, and within 24 hours of composing it, a group of Ottawa fiddlers left a message on her answering machine playing the tune.
Raised amid the music and rhythmic pulse of step dance in the historic Ottawa River watershed, Trottier told the audience she had been dancing since she was four years old, “You are in step shoes before you pick up a fiddle in the Ottawa Valley,” she said. Nominated three times for Fiddle Player of the Year by the Canadian Country Music Association and featured instrumentally and vocally on many studio recordings for other artists, Trottier pleased Shelburne audiences to old time fiddling, along with traditional and original vocals demonstrating equally her skill as a fiddler, step dancer and singer.
Original tunes by Trottier, such as, “I’m Not Over You Yet,” demonstrated the depth of her vocal talent, and her renditions of popular favourites on the fiddle, such as Saint Anne’s Reel, showed she knew her audience and gave them what they came for. Her song “The Cows aren’t Coming Home” struck a harmonic chord with the largely rural audience as she threaded lovely lyrics, “He knew his time would come like the seasons” in a tribute of love and admiration to her Dad who had been a farmer.
Chair Sandra Gallaugher said, “Everyone who attended the events at Centre Dufferin Recreation Complex had a wonderful time and enjoyed the numerous entertainment that was available.” However, she adds, “We were shocked to get the news of the young girl’s death on Saturday afternoon. The Rotary Club extends their heartfelt sympathy to the parent’s and family of the young girl. A collection on Saturday evening at the Fiddle Contest was taken up and will go to Natasha’s parents.”

By Marni Walsh