Five young Manitoba fiddlers are tuning up to represent the province at the Canadian Grand Masters Fiddling Championships in Ottawa in August.

The group consists of St. Vital resident Émilie Chartier, St. Norbert native Jane Cory, Alex Lamoureux and Matthew Contois from Lord Roberts and Michael Audette, who hails from Lorette, Man.

To help pay their way to the nation’s capital, the ensemble will hold an upcoming event — Showcase & Dance — at the Centre culturel franco-manitobain, located at 340 Provencher Blvd on Fri., July 6. The showcase will start at 7 p.m., with dancing to follow.

Each fiddler will perform a 20-minute set at the event — "we each get to show off a bit" — before coming together for an old-time number at the end, said Chartier, whose performance will have a Celtic flavour.

Chartier, 17, who graduated from Centre scolaire Léo-Rémillard last week, has been playing the fiddle since she was three and still loves the instrument because it offers so much variety: "You can play classical, country, rock — there are so many different genres."

"One day in the car, we were listening to the radio and the violin came on and I knew I wanted to play it," Chartier said, noting she plays a 20th century violin that belonged to her great-grandfather, which was made in Toronto.

She said the five were chosen to represent the province based on the strength of their aggregate performances at various fiddle events in Manitoba throughout the year, adding the fiddle scene is "very much alive."   

"Fiddling is popular across Manitoba, especially in places like Holland and Miami, and most of the crowds we play for are usually older, so we’re hoping to see a mix of people on July 6."

Tickets for the event are $15 for adults ($20 at the door) and $10 for youth (16 and under).

For tickets, or more information, call 257-3911.

simon.fuller@canstarnews.com