Gracie George (left) and Cloe Dolony (right) represented
the Métis community with MNO Sunset Country Métis
Council Youth Representative Sarah Marusyk during the
opening ceremony. (Photo sources: Lindsay Campbell,
Heather Latter, Fort Frances Times.)Submitted by MNO Citizen Wanda Botsford.
Additional details gathered from the Fort Frances Times at http://www.fftimes.com/news/local/news/%E2%80%98harmony%E2%80%99-festival-deemed-success
The Second Annual Harmony of Nations Festival in Fort Frances was deemed a success by the Fort Frances Times and even made some dreams come true, this past summer.
MNO citizen Sarah Marusyk, the Youth Representative for the MNO Sunset Country Métis Council, was one of many volunteers who helped organize the event, held on July 17 and 18, 2015. Marusyk represented the Métis community during the festival’s opening ceremony.
“Music-wise, my favourite was when the Métis Fiddler Quartet played with Ashley MacIsaac,” she stated in an interview for the Fort Frances Times.
Headlining artist Ashley MacIsaac and the Métis Fiddler Quartet’s performance was organized in a rather impromptu fashion. MacIsaac called the Quartet on Saturday afternoon and asked them to join him on stage that night. There was no rehearsal and the Fort Frances Times described the performance as an “energetic set.”
“Just the excitement on (the Métis Fiddler Quartet’s) faces made planning the whole thing worth it,” Marusyk shared.
The performance was a dream come true for Nicholas Delbaere-Sawchuk of the Métis Fiddler Quartet. MacIsaac, an award-winning Canadian artist, has been an inspiration to Delbaere-Sawchuk since he was young. It was MacIsaac’s music that encouraged the Métis fiddler to learn to play the violin when he was growing up.
The music and arts festival featured Canadian, American, First Nations and Métis artists and musicians, performing and hosting workshops at the Sorting Gap Marina.
The Métis Fiddler Quartet organized two workshops: the Clap, Clog, Jig and Sing Along workshop and the Instrument Jam workshop.
Due to the success of this year’s festival, there are plans for a third festival to take place next year.