Susan Aylard, violin/fiddle
February 14, 2009, Susan Aylard received the prestigious Music Award presented by the Arts Council of the Central Okanagan to acknowledge her work and accomplishments in the field of music.
Susan has been promoting music in the Shuswap since joining the Kamloops Symphony Orchestra in 1997as concertmaster. The 1999 she successfully auditioned for a position as 1st violinist with the Okanagan Symphony Orchestra, competing against musicians from across Canada.
A consistent winner of local music festivals, Susan began violin studies at the age of three, attaining first place Senior Strings at the BC Festival of the Arts at the age of 18. While performing with the National Youth Orchestra, Susan realized her love of performing in a group. She admits to enjoying solo work, but much prefers the companionship and richness of making music with others.
Susan specialized in violin while pursuing a degree in church music at the Canadian Mennonite Bible College in Winnipeg. She continued her studies at the University of Manitoba, acting as concertmaster of the University Orchestra for three years while working towards a Bachelor of Arts Degree in violin performance. Her "Sabeon Trio" twice competed in the Canadian National Music competitions as Manitoba's representative for chamber groups. Susan next spent two years as assistant concertmaster of the Prince George Symphony and as Music Director and Suzuki Specialist at the Prince George Music Academy before making her move to the interior of BC.
Susan spent a few years teaching at the Vernon Community Music School until travel became an issue. She now teaches violin locally to aspiring violinists using her specialized Suzuki teacher training combined with her own teaching program. Her method focuses on the mastery and enjoyment of the violin using various styles of music. As well as performing in the classical field, Susan has pursued the art of music performance in the folk medium through the development of her band 'The Cats & the Fiddle'. Putting together a folk/fiddle band resulted in the creation of a Cd called 'Crazy Creek' produced by "The Cruzeros" and numerous performances throughout the Okanagan and Shuswap communities. The Cd has received CBC airtime and was featured in a radio show airing out of Manitoba. "Crazy Creek" receives enthusiastic response at concerts, resulting in sales of over 850 Cd's in just 2 years. Susan's second Cd with the band "tandem" was released summer 2008 and is selling even faster than the first. The band is now working toward their Christmas Cd. Susan says "We have huge plans for this one, including recording with the Okanagan Symphony Orchestra. It will include original Christmas music as well as new band arrangements of old time favourites."The band has performed at numerous fundraisers including the major 2003 Tsunami Relief Funds, Rotary Lobster Fests, Hospital Fundraisers, Relay for Life and King's Christian School. Susan was the featured artist with the Aura Chamber Choir's French Christmas Concert in 2007. The band has been hired regularly to entertain at summer arts festivals in Salmon Arm, Enderby, Kamloops and Revelstoke, as well as the Salmon Arm Fall Fair, the Interior Provincial Exhibition in Armstrong, Children's Festival, Haney Heritage Park, community Canada Day events and a tour to the lower mainland including the Chilliwack Arts Centre
The highlight for the 2008 season was performing as guest artists in the Okanagan Symphony Orchestra's "Festival of Christmastide" in Penticton, Kelowna and Vernon. Susan began as featured soloist for Canadian composer Jean Coulthard's "The Bird of Dawning Singeth All Night Long". She then exchanged her red high heels for stepdancing boots, leading her band and the orchestra in energetic and colorful Celtic tunes and original fiddle arrangements of favourite Christmas carols.
As part of Susan's "artistic development" she flew east for a week of intense workshops with some of Cape Breton's greatest fiddlers. Her diversity was further developed at a number of Bluegrass Workshops. As a result of her versatility, Susan has done studio work for other artist's recordings in the Okanagan Valley.
Adrienna MacKnee, drums
Musical background: piano lessons to grd.7, played oboe for 9 years. 2 years with the college orchestra, played trumpet in jazz bands for 3 years, played drums since 16 years old
sang in college choirs, in the car and while snowboarding down favorite runs in the sun
Musical taste: anything but pop, prefer punk, hip-hop/core, classical, celtic, swing and jazz
Favorite bands: Thousand Foot Krutch, MxPx,
Favorite soundtracks: Braveheart, Lord of the Rings
Favorite song: Adream is a wish your heart makes-Cinderella
Interest/hobbies: snowboarding, rock climbing, suntanning in a speed boat, animals(would like to go on a Safari in Africa
Work: 3 year, currently working at Silver Star Mountain Resort as a lift operator
Purple Springs tree farm in the Summer
Ness Lake Bible Camp in Prince George as a counselor and instructor for rock-climbing and skateboarding
Heather Harris, guitar
Born in Abbotsford, BC, raised in Armstrong on a vegetable farm(mostly garlic)
Formal music training: 1year piano, 2 classical guitar but had more interest in self taught guitar chords when I was 20. Now plays mostly on church worship teams
Other education: B.Sc in Agriculture(concentrating in plant diseases) and B.Ed(Secondary)
Lately have mostly worked as a science teacher at Kings Christian School in Salmon Arm but is on maternity leave right now.
Married July 2000 to Jim; first attracted by his willingness to learn new things and his range of talents/interests(and of course his red beard)
Son Alastair(born Aug.2004);a real cutie
Live in Enderby on a small farm on the Shuswap river, currently have one goat, a cow, a steer, a psychotic dog who likes cow patties and a mangy cat and a large population of maple bugs
Enjoy all types of music but especially celtic and 60/70's music(thanks to Jim)
Interest: reading, playing music, gardening and enjoying any sort of outdoor activity
Favorite weekly activity:dinner and bible study at Black's(they are very wacky people)
Anita Liebich, piano
Anita was born in Salmon Arm, where she grew up in a musical family. Some of her first memories are of singing with her family, often while working in the garden or on road trips. She began taking piano lesssons at the age of six, and after some initial frustrations it became one of her favourite ways to relax. Although her siblings insist that it was a cunning plan to avoid doing the dishes after supper, Anita maintains that her mother enjoyed listening to her play and was reluctant to interrupt. When her older brother began studying voice, Anita discovered the joy of playing music with other people, and after graduating from high school continued her musical studies at Capilano College. She focussed her studies on chamber music and accompaniment, and completed her Bachelor of Music Degree at UBC in 2002, graduating at the top of her class. Since then she has played with several choirs and soloists in Vancouver. In the fall of 2004, Anita returned to Salmon Arm to teach piano for the Shuswap Community Music Academy. She is happy to be back home, teaching, working as an accompanist, and expanding her musical experience playing with the Cats and the Fiddle.
Anita recently married Todd Couch and they are expecting their first baby in April. She is on Maternity leave until further notice. Stay tuned for baby pictures.
Sonja Heide, violin
Sonja Heide, Susan's favorite sister, also studied violin at the coast and performed with the Senior Vancouver Youth Orchestra for many years. She enjoyed the challenge of learning something new and spent time also learning cello and classical guitar. Recently she has taken up collecting musical instruments some of which she brings to the stage. Sonja has been busy building a new home and hobby farm in White Lake. She plans to fill the barn with chickens, cows and a pig.(her son, Sam, wants one to dress up and ride). Her family is also expanding with the newest member arriving in April. Expect to meet this little one at all nearby gigs.
