Canadian performer, April Verch, doesn’t just stop at stellar fiddling. April Verch also adds electric step dancing, sweet singing and a duo of virtuoso musicians to create a dynamic band concert. The April Verch Band performs at 7:30 p.m. Friday, September 18, 2015 at Orcas Center in Eastsound.

Practically since birth, Verch was immersed in folk music and dance from her native Ottawa Valley. Ferried to dance-filled old-time gatherings and country & western jamborees by her music-loving parents, she followed her older sister into step dancing at age 3, and picked up the fiddle at age 6. By the time she was finishing up her first year of college she had become the first woman to win both the Canadian Open Old Time Fiddle Championship and Canadian Grand Masters Fiddling Competition, and then represented Canada's fiddling tradition by performing in the opening ceremonies at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

Her band features bassist and clawhammer banjo player Cody Walters and guitarist Hayes Griffin, who has a Masters in jazz improv from the New England Conservatory. Together, the three passionate musicians tour tirelessly across Canada, the United States, the U.K., Europe and Australia. They have established a reputation as consummate performers, winning over audiences not only with sheer virtuosity on their respective instruments, but also with charm, humor and boundless energy on stage.

The April Verch Band’s visit to Friday Harbor was made possible through support from the Western States Arts Foundation (WESTAF) and National Endowment for the Arts.