Experiencing an April Verch show is like a hopping a supersonic freight train from an old lumber camp in Northern Ontario, across the wide open prairie, through the Appalachians, down the Mississippi to the Louisiana Bayou, across the sea to Brazil, France, the Scottish Highlands and back, with stops at Carnegie Hall and church thrown in for good measure. An April Verch concert is equal parts invigorating, surprising, heartbreaking, heartwarming, haunting, charming, thrilling, foot-stomping, faith-restoring, and smile-inducing – all in all, utterly unforgettable. It’s a musical journey you do not want to miss, one that will have you entranced from start to finish, and ultimately not wanting to get off that train you hopped on just two hours earlier.

A performer since early childhood, April Verch was a seasoned entertainer by the time she finished high school, winning stepdancing and fiddle contests, appearing across her native Canada at concerts, as an invited guest at fiddle contests and as a teacher at fiddle camps, always integrating dance and fiddling into a seamless, dynamic whole. Following a year of intensive study at Boston’s Berklee College of Music, she launched her professional career by winning Canadian Grand Masters Fiddle Champion and Canadian Open Fiddle Champion titles (the first and only woman to win both).

But April is not just a world-class fiddler, she is also a world-class dancer, and a singer whose voice has been hailed as “absolutely captivating” by the Toronto Star. Since signing with Rounder in 2000, she has toured tirelessly, winning over audiences not only with her sheer technical ability, but also with her charm, humor and boundless energy on stage. She crosses genres easily from Bluegrass to Brazilian to Celtic, from a jaunty Canadian folksong to a poignant contemporary ballad, and the audience is with her all the way.

Her three Rounder releases have garnered considerable praise from critics and peers alike: the fittingly titled Verchuosity (2001), which earned a JUNO (Canada’s Grammy) award nomination; and From Where I Stand (2003), which documented not only her growing mastery of a broad range of musical styles, but also her debut as a vocalist. Her latest CD, Take Me Back, produced by roots music master Dirk Powell, emphasizes songs and arrangements with broad, yet roots-leaning appeal. Her upcoming release (spring 2008) features her touring band and includes the presence of familiar names like Tim Stafford, Larry Cordle, Ron Block, Melonie Cannon, and Sam Bush among the songwriters, harmony vocalists and instrumentalists.

April is an utterly unique performer, whose high-energy brand of musicianship inevitably brings audiences to their feet, whether at a folk festival in Finland, a concert hall like the Kennedy Center, a bluegrass festival in Oklahoma, or a Celtic festival in California.

Native and resident of Pembroke, Ontario April is an expert stepdancer as well as singer, songwriter and vocalist.
Winner of Canadian Grand Masters Fiddle Champion and Canadian Open Fiddle Champion titles (the first and only woman to win both).2003 Juno Award nominee.
By the end of high-school had recorded and self-released two albums “Fiddletalk” and “Springtime Fiddle”.
Co-wrote with Brian Wicklund instructional book on Canadian Fiddle Styles in 2008.

“Playful and flirtatious, whimsical and wry…a transcendent level of musicianship where hard-earned technique can be safely abandoned.”
Toronto Star

“April Verch sings with such stark, direct intensity that it’s almost surprising that her fiddle playing has touches of flash as well as fire.”
Nashville City Paper

“Among the most promising new fiddlers in roots music today…Verch is never afraid to lace her playing with clever twists of bluegrass, blues, and pop.”
Boston Globe

April Verch
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