Levi Apperloo

Levi has been playing the fiddle for nine years and has been part of VYF for seven years. He also plays piano and banjo. His favourite things about VYF is touring and playing the fiddle. His musical inspiration is Jaron, and his favourite tune is “Pegasus.” If he were offered a recording contract his album would be called “The Lost City”. Outside of fiddling, he likes soccer, skateboarding, fishing, and snowboarding, but he best likes basketball, hunting and mountain biking. Pet peeves? Having to do a song over and over and working on bowing! But speaking of pets, he loves his dog Murphy.

Liam Beedle

Liam has been part of VYF for seven months, and comes with four years of playing violin and six years of piano. He really likes playing as a whole group. Outside of music, he likes skiing, mountain biking, soccer, fishing, hiking and canoeing, but his favourite thing to do is read. A couple of his favourite places outside of Smithers would be Alaska and Terrace. Liam has a special goal – to be good! And his dog Fernie has a special place in Liam’s heart.

Naja Rebecca Laskowski

Naja has being playing the violin for ten years, and this is her ninth year as part of VYF. Her favourite thing about the group is the friends she has made and the tunes that they play, with “Ivonne’s Tune” being the one she likes the most. Naja says her musical inspiration is Laura Hols Wimbush. If she were offered a recording contract right now, she would name her album “Green Striped Jello.” Outside of fiddling, Naja is involved in volleyball, basketball and ballet. Recreational things she likes are pottery, baking and cooking, art, knitting, reading, candle making, river floats, hikes, skiing, wood working and gardening. She’s currently learning German, and knows enough to speak it a little. Naja’s future goals include going to medical school to be a doctor, and to travel Europe. Pet peeves? Chewing noises, technology. But speaking of pets, she lists dog Harlow, cats Max, Ruby and Gustav, bunnies Bean and Judy, and six chickens. Her favourite is Ruby, “she’s shy and has major social anxiety, but adorable nonetheless.”

Malachi Bourrie

Malachi has been playing the fiddle for four and a half years and has been with the Valley Youth Fiddlers for two.  What he best likes about the group is spending time with friends, the dress rehearsals, and going on tour.  His favorite tunes are “Scandi”, and “Tanglewood Finale.”  Malachi likes soccer, cross-country skiing, downhill skiing, running, biking, flipping, swimming, hiking, and reading.  Outside of Smithers, Malachi likes Chilliwack, Vancouver, Kamloops, and Mexico. His musical inspirations are his big brother Kaleb and LJ.  He has one dog named Jasper.  He likes cuddling, playing outside, going on walks, and teaching him tricks.  Malachi also has two cats who keep to themselves or hang out with his brother. 

Fiona Brienesse

Fiona has been with VYF for six years but started playing the fiddle a year before that. Her favourite thing about the group? The concerts and the jokes and the snacks! In the summer she likes to practice on the deck, and in the winter she prefers the living room. Favourite tune is “Prayerful.” Fiona says LD (Leslie Jean) and the fiddle mentors are her inspiration. Outside of VYF, she likes gymnastics, badminton, skiing (both downhill and x-country), kayaking, biking, swimming in the lakes in the summer, and family movies, but her favourites are downhill skiing, reading and musical theatre. Outside of Smithers, she likes Haida Gwaii, Prince George and Prince Rupert. One day she would like to visit a trampoline park. Pets? Dog Holly and many cats: Figgy, Lucy, Sabine, and her fave – Huckle, the fat, orange feline.

Eden Dunbar

Eden has been playing the fiddle for almost ten years, and has been part of VYF for seven and half years. She enjoys the opportunities she gets when they go on tours around BC, playing in different towns and cities. Her favourite tune is “Yvonne’s Set” because it is fast and exciting. Eden is an outside girl, enjoying x-country skiing, hiking, and swimming, but her favourites are going for walks, paddle boarding, chilling, art and shopping. Eden went to a French immersion school during her elementary school days, so she has French as a second language. Outside of Smithers, she likes to be anywhere by the ocean and also Ontario, because her family lives there. Pet peeves? People staring at her when she eats, people stating the obvious, and her alarm going off in the morning! But speaking of pets, Eden has a cat named Stuart.

Sacha Fleury-Allen

Sacha has been playing the violin for five years, and has been part of VYF for that long, too. She likes learning new tunes and enjoys the people she plays with. Outside of VYF, she likes musical theatre, mountain biking and skiing, with her favourite being x-country skiing. She dreams of one day being in Junior Worlds in x-country skiing. Outside of Smithers, she likes to be at the Nordic centre and at the bluff. Sacha also knows Spanish and French. Pet peeves? People breathing in her ear! But she also has a favourite pet – Yuki, a white dog.

Hazel Fox

Hazel has been part of VYF for a year and has been playing violin for a little while. Her favourite tune is “Old Joe Clark”. Hazel says her mom is her musical inspiration, and also Corwin Fox. If she were offered a recording contract right now she would call it “Foggy Winter.” Her extracurricular activities include ballet, piano, playing with her dogs, but she best likes reading and hiking. She also has French as a second language. Favourite places outside of Smithers are Comox and Peterborough. In the future Hazel would like to be a veterinarian. There are three dogs at her house: Anouk, Violet and Daisy, and her favourite is Anouk.

Darah Gillis

Darah has played the violin for ten years and joined VYF nine years ago. She very much likes the chance to play fun music and build connections among the group. Her favourite tune is “Yvonne’s Set.” Her extracurricular activities include sports, musical theatre, guitar and piano. When not busy with those things, she also likes hiking, swimming, climbing, running, reading and listening to music, but what she loves the most is doing anything outside. Besides Smithers, Darah likes Victoria, any mountain and oceans.

Jordan Chi-Fong Lo

Jordan has been with Valley Youth Fiddlers for a year. Her favourite tune is “Tanglewood” and her musical inspiration is Jaron. If she were offered a musical recording contract right now, she would name her album “Teens are Mean.” Outside of the fiddler group, Jordan has many other interests: gymnastics, swimming, paddle boarding, reading, skiing, arts and crafts, and sleepovers with her friends, but gymnastics is her favourite. In fact, she would one day like to be a gymnastics coach. Outside of Smithers, she likes Toronto and Newfoundland. Pet peeves? Well, she does not like waiting. But speaking of pets, she has two dogs, Rosie and Scout.

Clay Oliver Nisbet

Clay has played fiddle for four years and has been part of the group for two. What he best likes about the group is the friends he has made. His favourite tune is “Sean Ryan’s”, which he likes to practice in the music room at home. If he were offered a recording contract right now, he would call his album “The Blues.” Other than fiddling, Clay likes drawing, snowboarding, playing Lego and piano.

Elsa Nisbet

Willa Rose Rath Jenne

Willa has been playing the fiddle with Valley Youth Fiddlers since she was five, and that was four years ago. She’s also learning how to play the ukulele. Practicing outside on the deck in the sunshine is what she loves to do. Her favourite tune is “Epic Reel.” Her musical inspiration is her big brother Dori, because she wants to “get as good as him!” If she were offered a musical contract, she would name the album “Willa’s Cool Thingy.” Willa is also involved in gymnastics, and outside of that and fiddling, she likes reading, dancing, video games, swimming and downhill skiing. One day she would like to have a puppy. Pet Peeves? The sound of metal on glass and people interrupting her. But speaking of pets, she has those too: “my cat Cookie and my eight chickens.”

Mila Stasiuk

Mila has been with VYF for three years and has been playing fiddle for that long. She likes many things about the group: learning new songs with the mentors, playing them with her friends, Truffles, and the experiences of performing and touring. Her favourite tunes are “Tanglewood”, “Scandi”, and “The Mandalorian Theme Song.” She says her favourite place to practice is in her birch tree! Other things Mila likes to do are soccer, Nordic skiing, piano, biking, hiking, snowshoeing, making costumes, water colour painting, drawing, climbing trees, reading on the roof and writing fantasy stories. Outside of Smithers, her favourite places are Savary Island, Grand Forks, Victoria BC, and Australia. Pet peeves? When she opens a library book and someone has smudged food on the pages. She has no pets, but if she did it would be a pet muskox named Bruce.

Reuben Vander Leest

Reuben has been playing violin for about 9 nine years and has been part of VYF for that long. His favourite tune is “Bowing the Strings.” Rueben says his mom and his older brother are his musical inspiration. Outside of music, he likes to play hockey and to go snowmobiling.

Josh Vander Leest

Josh has played violin for about four years and has been a member of VYF for three years. His favourite tune is “Prayerful Hymn” and he most likes to practice at the church. Josh also names his mom as his musical inspiration. Outside of music, Josh likes downhill skiing and playing hockey, mountain biking, and especially snowmobiling. In fact, his favourite place outside of Smithers is snowmobiling at the Dome. Pet peeves? Sounds checks on Saturday (“because then I can’t go snowmobiling”) and too much school work. But speaking of pets, there are two in his life: dog Tucker and cat Willy.

Jesse Wimbush

Jesse has been playing the fiddle for about eight years and has been a member of VYF for about seven. His favourite tune in this show is “Scandi.” Jesse is also involved in sports, especially x-country skiing and volleyball. He likes downhill skiing as well and would love to be a free style skier. In fact, he names the ski hill in Smithers as one of his favourite places to be. Pet peeves? People who do everything slow! But speaking of pets, he enjoys their cat Fern, and, until recently, their big fluffy rabbit named Scout.

Gabriel Wimbush

Gabe has been with Valley Youth Fiddlers for five years and plays the fiddle. His favourite tune in this production is “Sean Ryan’s.” He is also a x-country skier, and likes playing with the yoyo, art, reading, fishing, hiking, swimming, paddle boarding, building snow forts and soccer. Outside of Smithers, Gabe likes Vancouver, Cortes, the Babine mountains, Red Sands beach, and Halifax. At home he enjoys pet cat Fern. He also made pets out of the 21 chickens they had and loved pet bunny Scout.

Katie Alexander

Katie has been playing the fiddle for 2 years. Growing up in a family with some East Coast roots, she has always loved folk music. Learning to play the fiddle in a group like VYF is a dream come true. Katie also plays the saxophone and the piano. Her favourite song in this show is "Marc's Set." Fun fact: Katie designed and made temporary tap shoes for her favourite tune so the fiddlers could avoid putting tacks in their shoes! 

Ann Bateson

As one of the more “senior” players of VYF, Ann has enjoyed three years of playing fiddle with the group, learning through inspiration from these fabulous, witty young musicians. Ann is enthralled with the opportunity to be a part of a vibrant musical ensemble having waited many years for the chance.  She has spent more than 47 years introducing her own children and  foster children to the joy and healing potency of music, exposing them to the gift of learning to play an instrument or even just expanding their listening ear to new sounds. “Now” she says “it is my turn, and I am embracing the privilege.”

Ann has fond memories of going to VYF Driftwood Hall dances, and looks forward the end of year ice cream party. VYF has given her “a whole lot of enjoyment and fun.” She loves the connection with other musicians, especially standing next to the kids when she plays.

VYF was deeply relieved to learn that Ann likes to sew. She has toted her serger up and down highway 16, making many of the 873 leaves you see pinned to Tanglewood musicians, and coordinating other people to help her. She has a magical ability to listen to our costume designer and come back in a week with exactly what we need.

She loves the story line of Tanglewood, and all the dynamics of the show, from dancing to singing to foot stomping. Her favourite tune? Clear Day.

Ann’s hobbies include camping, playing music, arts and crats, and working in the garden or on the ranch. Her life has not been boring: she said her marriage vows while in labor, used a calf puller to help a cow deliver, and shot two moose, a bear, and enough grouse to fill the freezer.

Matthew Beedle

Matt Beedle has been a member of the Valley Youth Fiddlers for eight months. He recently moved with his family to Smithers and being part of the VYF was part of what motivated the move. Matt plays guitar and has played since he was 18. The first time we all played Epic Reel together this past fall, being part of a song starting to come together, was an awesome moment. The community of the group is what Matt values most – such an inclusive, supportive group of wonderful people! When not playing with VYF, Matt is a professor at Coast Mountain College, coaches Nordic skiing with the Bulkley Valley Nordic Ski Club, and enjoys pedaling bikes on trails and gravel roads.

Phil Brienesse

Phil gets things done. VYF would not have been able to present Tanglewood without his many contributions. Fiddlers in VYF learn all their parts by ear, so Phil created a website that houses our learning videos and audio with a great search engine so VYFers could practice much more easily. He displayed standing charts and tune form diagrams at practices from his computer, coordinated mentor visits, created all of our beautiful bio pictures, and answered over 547 tech queries from Leslie-Jean. He has also been a hard working board member for four years, and took responsibility for the VYF tune writing project, Truffles.

Why did Phil join VYF? “Watching our daughter Fiona follow the Twisted String kids all over Kispiox music festival at age 4 pretty much signed the deal. She wanted to be one of them. More because of their colorful outfits than their fiddles. I really wish I had stuck with music lessons as a young child so I thought it would be great to torture my kid with practice. LJ is really good at assigning lots of practice.” He adds, “I am terrible at practicing and sticking with anything, my brain wanders in a million directions. VYF has made it so I have to practice (at least once a week anyway).           

Phil tried to learn guitar in college in the days before the internet, “but that didn't last long.” He picked it back up a year before he joined fiddlers so he has been playing about eight years now. In Tanglewood, you will also hear Phil on banjo. “Banjo is new. I inherited the instrument from my Dad nine months ago and have been trying to learn Irish Traditional on it as my mom is Irish. I would love to get good enough at the banjo that I could one day visit a pub in Ireland and sit in on a session “

Phil’s favourite things about Tanglewood? “The animations are out of this world. But also just seeing the immense amount of work that has gone in to it which has largely been done by volunteer time and effort.” His favourite tune to play is Epic, and he really likes the sound of Prayerful

Phil’s hobbies include snowboarding, fishing, hunting, wood working, and beekeeping.

Ruth Clarke

When Ruth first moved to Smithers, she went with her family to watch the fiddlers perform their spring show, “The Fiddle History of Canada.” By the time the show was done she was so amazed, she turned to my mom and said “I want to do that!”

Ruth has been a VYF member for 11 years. She graduated from VYF and has returned to help us with Tanglewood as an alumnus. “When I was a beginner fiddler, I really looked up to and was inspired by the older advanced kids and now that I am advanced, I feel lucky to be able to pass that down to the next generation of fiddlers.” She is thankful to VYF for of the long-term relationships she has built and all of the different tunes she has learned from VYF’s mentors.

Ruth’s fondest VYF memories are of the Vancouver Island and Yukon tours she did with the Fiddlers. She adds, “I also love the feeling after the last dress rehearsal when you realize that all of the practicing and hard work was worth it.”

Her favourite things about Tanglewood? “I get to be a part of a wonderful community of people, and play some awesome music. Being half Finnish, I have really enjoyed playing all of the Scandinavian songs in Tanglewood. I am also amazed by all of the artistic talent that has come together to make Tanglewood.”

Her favourite tunes in Tanglewood are Fanfar and Ruth and Milja’s Waltz, a tune written for her and her Mom by James Stephens.

She finishes, “I hope you all enjoy the show!”

Robbie Dunbar

Robbie joined VYF in 2015 together his wife, Andrea, and their two kids, Caedmon and Eden. Less then one month after he joined the group, he joined the board, and he has been a member ever since.

If you think of Tanglewood as a tapestry created by weaving together the threads of our community’s contribution, Robbie has been responsible for many of the knots that have held us together. Besides playing the guitar, managing the sound system, writing grants, and being an uber-enthusiastic game player, Robbie has been the VYF chair through the pandemic. Robbie dealt with ongoing crises in the Covid years with a calm and thoughtful resolve, allowing us to record “The Rose” with our youth members in the height of the epidemic, and perform “Clear Day” as a live concert last year. He has adeptly steered us through challenges in bringing Tanglewood into being. VYF owes him a debt of gratitude.

Some of his favourite VYF memories are touring and performing with friends, fall workshops at Rocknest Ranch, and getting to learn from all the different professional musicians that mentor the group. His favourite Tanglewood tune to play is Pegasus.

When he’s not playing music with the fiddlers, Robbie is a nurse at the hospital. He likes to ride his bicycle with friends and family.

Helene Fleury

Helene joined Fiddlers five years ago “to spend quality time as a family and play music with all the awesome people of all generations in Fiddlers.” She has played piano for over forty years and accordion on and off for 23 years. She explains, “I started playing the accordion when I moved to Smithers in 2000 because it was more portable than a piano at campfire jams.”

Helene’s favourite memories include selling out the kid-made Sarah's Pet Rocks at our Dease Lake concert and singing Prayerful Hymn in Whitehorse. Jaron's enthusiasm for music always fills her heart.

Not surprisingly, given that she is French Canadian, Helene’s favourite Tanglewood tune is Marc’s set, a set of French Canadian tunes arranged for us by Marc Maziade. She says she loves everything about Tanglewood “and playing Wordle with the piano crew 😉.”

Helene loves sports, and in particular all types of skiing, with backcountry skiing being her favourite. Random fact? Helene co-piloted a hot air balloon in Japan for a summer.

Her long term goal is “to play music with my daughters for as long as I can.”

Mark Gillis

Mark has been in the VYF for 8 years and has been playing fiddle off and on throughout most of his life.  Mark’s favourite place to play fiddle was in Ireland, but that was a long time ago. Mark has been on the VYF board as the Grants Coordinator for the past 7 years. In his spare time Mark likes to run long distances (probably a little further than you are thinking), and when not running, he likes to hang out with family on his small hobby farm, go hiking, cross country skiing, or canoeing. Mark’s three children, Caitlyn, Darah and Hayden have all performed in VYF, and Caitlyn and Darah are playing in Tanglewood. Mark has no pet peeves, but he does have a dog named Zadie and his daughter has a cat named Freya.

Robb Nisbet

Robb joined VYF in 2014 after an epic Smithers music camp that he and his wife Michelle and their children Ronan, Elsa, Macey and baby Clay attended. After puppy dog eyes from his wifey and an undeniably great music camp, Robb conceded.

Robb hasn’t looked back and has been a key player in the guitar section of VYF, and occasionally has been thrown onto the drums or the bass.  Despite never having his binder, Robb is able to internalize and memorize the music … with the occasional glance at his neighbors sheet music of course.  Builder Robb is also responsible for the sweet wooden benches that the fiddlers sit on for the tap portion of the show and has helped in the past with sound set up/tear down and weekly guitar sessions.

Robb and Michelle met because of music, and both had hoped that music would be a part of their family eventually.  Robb loves that VYF has kept music alive and central in their family and has helped his kids build epic skills on their own instruments.  He plays in a band with his wife called Backroads Home, and even though his oldest child has moved on to “cooler” musical pursuits than his parents' band, still enjoys performing as time permits.

Fun facts about Robb: Robb once jumped off of a crane in Whistler, free solo climbed in Squamish (climbed without rope or safety gear), where he lived and worked at a youth camp that included Justin Beiber as a participant pre-infamy.

Robb’s musical goals are to continue to play guitar and sing for as long as he can and is so thankful for what VYF has given he and his family in friendship, community, and mentorship.

Owen Quanstrom

Owen has been playing guitar for 22 years. He was originally part of VYF as a guitar player as a young teen. He lived in Squamish and Toronto before moving back to Smithers four years ago. He joined VYF again as an alumni 2 years ago and has enjoyed learning some new tunes! His favourite tune in this show is "Yvonne's Set"; if you watch closely, you'll see him rocking out in the background! When he's not playing guitar, you can find him practicing archery or talking about his next hunting adventure.

Cya Solecki

Cya has had a life of adventure: She worked on the Coquihalla Highway doing Avalanche Control, which included ski touring, working with explosives and being a gunner - firing the big guns (105 recoilless rifles) during avalanche cycles; she got a lift in the water bucket, long-lined under a helicopter from a small forest fire I was working on, in the mountains north of Revelstoke; and she and her son were flown to New York to be on the Montel Williams show (a talk show) after her son was attacked by a Grizzly bear on their ranch. 

Cya played piano since childhood, and took up fiddle in the last 20 years. She joined VYF in 2018 because “I wanted to improve my music playing.  And the group had a purpose and they were having so much fun!“ She loves the friendships I'm developing with the people in the group, the energy and talent of the youth in the group, and the exposure to such talented mentors. She says “VYF has given me inspiration to continue playing music, and has improved my confidence in playing in front of an audience.”

Her favourite things about the Tanglewood production are the camaraderie of the group, the music, the story and the performance. Her favourite tunes? Scandi: “ Such a lively tune and I love the combination of music and dance!” and Pegasus: “I really love that song too - one of the coolest songs ever!”

In the future, she is looking forward to travelling with her husband, maybe to the East Coast, Northern Canada, New Zealand and the Shetland Islands.

Patrick Williston

Patrick joined VYF in 2012 with his daughters, Chloe and later Wren after watching the ensemble perform throughout the community for several years. It simply looked way too fun.

Patrick has played several instruments in VYF including banjolele, guitar, fiddle, and trombone. At one time he was a proud member of the blueberry fiddle section. He is the writer and narrator of Tanglewood.

A memorable moment was playing in Dease Lake when an excited member of the audience who had filmed the entire show said, “This year has been amazing. We had the astronaut Chris Hatfield here. We had the Prince of Monaco. And now you guys!”

Patrick loves the feeling of community coming together on an ambitious creative project--everyone pulling together to make something magical.

Patrick has written the script for six shows performed by the Valley Youth Fiddlers: Alaria’s Fiddle, The Knot, Aurora Radio, The Rose, Clear Day, and Tanglewood. The Fiddlers have given him a unique opportunity to share his stories with audiences across the province and the Yukon Territory.

Patrick is a cross country ski coach, a trombone player in a Latin band (Los Gringos Salvajes), and a published author of short fiction and poetry. He is working on several writing projects including a speculative fiction set in northwest British Columbia.

Three fun facts: 1) Patrick discovered a new species of lichen on BC’s North Coast; 2) he sailed across the Hecate Strait, at night, twice; and 3) he is very grateful for the Valley Youth Fiddlers.

Laura Hols-Wimbush

Laura Hols-Wimbush introduced herself to the Valley Youth Fiddlers at spring Fiddle Camp by wowing the talent show crowd when she fiddled “Soldier’s Joy” while standing on her head. Her infectious love of fun has brought the group many moments of laughter and her musical talents have helped us all better tackle all the tricky Tanglewood arrangements that Lea, James and Jaron have thrown at us.

Laura has been playing the violin since she was six and the mandolin for the last eight years. She loves to dibble and dabble in anything that makes sound, and her stockpile of instruments might rival Owl from Tanglewood’s collection of Curiousities .  She loves hiking and cross country skiing, making pizza, biking adventures, learning Scandinavian music, improving her ‘jam’ skills and soaking in nature sounds and light.

Laura decided to officially join VYF in 2016, because it is “an amazing family music opportunity- plus LJ is so cool and I wanted to hang out with her more.” She loves the sense of community in the group, VYF’s inclusiveness, and the importance all VYFers place on snacks. VYF has given her beautiful friends; a pile of cool tunes including her favourite, Zhokul; and a group of mentors who have helped her children learn to love music. Her favourite moments with the group have been the infamous backup ‘mosh pit’ with French Set,  looking around as she plays and seeing her three kids all playing music with an amazing group of friends, dancing at Fall camp folk dances, and touring.”

Laura has been an indispensable contributor to the Tanglewood project, bringing along her espresso maker to fuel all the exhausted adults, and goofing around with teenagers in the long practice sessions. Her favourite tunes in this show? Fanfar/Epic and Tornado.

Dawn Hanson

Dawn is a costume and backstage wrangler for the Tanglewood tour, which requires the organizational skills of a large event planner, the multitasking capabilities of a short order cook and the patience of a middle school teacher on the first day after Hallowe’en. She quips, “I can't count the number of times I have said ‘Sssshhhhh!’ or ‘Do you have your costume?’”

Dawn has been a VYF parent for four years. She joined because “my family always loved watching VYF play and perform and couldn't pass up the opportunity to be part of something so unique and incredible.” She has stayed because of the supportive learning community, the camaraderie, fun and sheer joy that everyone has spending time together, and the incredible level of musical excellence. Her favourite memories of the group are “watching my daughter look to the older players and aspiring to play what they play, celebrating birthdays with impromptu round dances at rehearsal, and the absolute stillness that falls after the group has nailed a song and all bows are raised.”

She loves the entire Tanglewood production: “I am amazed and proud of everyone every time we rehearse.” Her favourite tune in the production is Old Joe Clark, because of the fun quotient.

On top of her wrangling duties, Dawn has helped with the dances for Tanglewood, and has been VYF’s beloved treasurer for the last three years.  

Outside of VYF, Dawn likes gardening, cross country skiing, hiking, reading, and bonfires with friends.

Four little known facts about Dawn: 1) She worked on a commercial salmon fishing boat for a summer.  2) She is very good at assembling Ikea furniture. 3)She was a flight attendant. 4) She would like to get a private pilot’s licence.

Georgie Watts

Georgie has been with the VYF for 5 years. Her family joined the group when her eldest was in Grade 4 and attended a summer fiddle camp.

Her fav moments? #1 Listening to the kids perform songs they composed in the Truffles program – “ Pass the tissues – I get teary every time!”.#2 Watching the headbangers rock out on stage to Tornado with friends. #3 When a little guy came home from a camp with keyboard mentor, Julie Schryer, and announced, “I think I’ve just entered the chord realm”.

She does not play an instrument with the group – her excuse is that “it’s all I can do to lug one piano to rehearsal”. She’s into trail running and nordic skiing with the U52 team, and particularly loves beach time with friends and family.

Georgie is awesome at supporting others to do great things and be awesome. Like many parents in the group, she is active behind the scenes and recently found herself employed in aflying squirrel sweatshop. Back stage she can be seen running like Mr Bean from stage left to stage right with a quiver of ‘fancy’ colour fiddle bows.

Her favourite tunes this year are Epic and Ivonne’s set! She’s deeply grateful for the generosity of spirit in the VYF community – the movers and shakers, the musicians and mentors, and most of all, the youth supporting each other to learn and perform their bits. “Thank you all for your mad talent, witty humour, and contagious creativity”.

Richard Jenne

Naomi Kavka

Naomi has 100% completed Zelda Breath of the Wild TWICE (including the DLC) which means she has collected 1800 korak seeds, and defeated 16 divine beasts. She is a self confessed nerd, who also enjoys playing cribbage over Kombucha at the monthly Smithers Beer and Cribbage Society meetings.

What’s more, Naomi is one of VYF’s newest mentors, and joined VYF in September 2021. “I was graciously offered a mentorship position and it was one of the best things that's ever happened to me.”

She plays cello, guitar, bass, and she sings. She’s been singing since she was a little kid, started guitar when she was 9, and cello when she was 12. She picked up bass in highschool, studied classical music in university, majoring in cello at Memorial University of Newfoundland. She also play in a few bands: “Just this month, two albums I recorded on were released (‘Red Brain’ by Wax Mannequin, and ‘A Thousand Times Brighter’ by Black Dog String Quartet) and I performed cello on 9 songs for my dear friend Kym Gouchie's upcoming children's album! I'm so excited about this!”

VYF has given Naomi community, new friends, new music and a dream job. “I could write an essay on all the things it has given me and I would still be missing something! I have a deep gratitude for the VYF and everyone involved for inviting me into this fold.” She says, “The VYF is unlike any music organisation I have ever been a part of. The music is incredible and unique, the community it has fostered is supportive, inclusive, and develops not only strong musicians, but kind and confident kids who appreciate what it means to work hard towards a common artistic goal. It is ambitious, beautiful, and fun!”

Naomi already has a collection of good memories from VYF. “Our mainstage performance at Midsummer last year was so beautiful. Getting to hear returning VYF members talking about how important it was to them made me cry, it was so beautiful!”

“My favourite memory was our first rehearsal of this season. It felt like coming home, it was so nice to see all of my friends and students after a busy summer. Everyone was so happy to see each other and excited for what the new season would bring!”

What does she like best about Tanglewood?

“I love how huge it is! This is one of the biggest productions I have ever been involved in, and to take that on the road is an incredible feat. Patrick's narration is perfect foundation for the tunes, and the staging, costumes, and choreography elevate the music to an even higher level than I could have imagined.”

When not busy with music, Naomi likes hanging out with her cat, cooking, playing video games and listening to podcasts.

Zac Windle