Press Release: Rhiannon Took Home Classical Artist Award

October 19, 2006, 1:29 PM · Violinist and fiddler Rhiannon Nachbaur of Salmon Arm, BC, Canada has something musical to celebrate. The 29-year-old owner of Fiddleheads Violin Studio has just taken home a British Columbia regional music award, the 2006 Okanagan Musician Award for “Classical Artist of the Year.”

Last summer Nachbaur was reading the annual press release with the complete list of nominees in twenty-four music categories and was completely shocked to see her name listed in the classical category. The nominees were selected by a reader's poll in a spring issue of BC Musician Magazine, a publication which Nachbaur is a regular contributing writer.

“I figured I'd been nominated because I write a classical column for the magazine,” she said. “I saw the competition, who I admire very much, but I didn't imagine I had a chance of winning. They are all so good!”

Other classical nominess in the BC awards included guitarist Manfred, soprano Alexandra Babbel and violinist Melissa Wilmot. Each nominee was asked to submit a bio, photo and MP3 file for the judges' panel to review. The panel was made up of over a dozen Okanagan and area music and media professionals who carefully reviewed each of the 109 submissions.

Nachbaur recorded her MP3 piece by piece between house renovations and her motherly duties. The sample featured selections of classical works as well as a tango and a Celtic rock tune. The sample can be heard at her website www.rhiannon.ca

At the awards show on September 26 Nachbaur's name was called as winner and she almost did a double take.

“My husband was beside me and he yelled 'you won!' and I found myself wandering up to the stage,” she said. “It was surreal, like a dream. They were playing my music on the speakers and I thought how weird it was to be on stage and hear my music and yet I wasn't even playing!”

Nachbaur had no prepared speech but thanked the awards show for the opportunity and her husband for being there with her. Nachbaur also said how honoured she was to be nominated with such high-calibre musicians who she has enourmous respect for.

She gave special thanks to the community of Salmon Arm for their ongoing support of her violin school and shop and the Shuswap Violin Society, the non-profit music-focused group she started in 2003.

Salmon Arm musicians did very well in the awards. Other local winners include Gospel Artist/Group of the Year Greg Sczebel, Blues Artist/Group of the Year Salmon Armenians. Blu Hopkins and Silver Creek was nominated in the Bluegrass Artist/Group of the Year category.

More at http://www.fiddleheads.ca