May 23, 2003
M*Power Award Winners Announced
May 5, 2003
Seafarers Festival brings back Cayman's past
April 21, 2003
Ivonne receives M*Power Nomination
March 17, 2003
Ivonne & The M*Power Awards
March 13, 2003
Fiddler loves camaraderie between performers
February 12, 2003
Young Fiddlers Take Stage
February 1, 2003
Review of "Playing with Fire" from Rambles
February 2003
Maple Sugar Festival in Nanaimo Features Fiddling Sisters
January 23, 2003
Acadia comes alive at festival
January 22, 2003
Wasn't that a party
January 20, 2003
Profile: Ivonne Hernandez
January/February 2003
Review of "Playing with Fire" from Irish Dancing Magazine
M*Power Award Winners Announced
Victoria News Weekend Edition
Victoria, BC
May 23, 2003
Victoria's own rock quartet Armchair Cynics took home the most hardware (or, in this case, glassware ) at the sophomore edition of Vancouver Island's annual independent music awards (M*POWERS), held early this week at Legends Nightclub in Victoria.
Cynics took home the big prize, being named Best Artist. Cynics vocalist Ken Coutu's won for Best Male Songwriter and Adam Sutherland won the Best Producer/Engineer title.
We're proud to be a part of the local scene,” Coutu said.
It makes us happy knowing that people are listening to our music and enjoying it.”
Local folk-rocker Carolyn Neapole was next in line for most awards, winning for both Best Female Vocalist and Best Female Songwriter. Jeremy Walsh was voted Best Male Vocalist. Courtenay's Sue Pyper's
Before You Learn to Fly” was chosen for Best Song. Best Album went to
15 Smiles to the Gal” by Jeffery Sez. Moneyshot took Best Live Performance, and SHAW TV/Oak Bay News Editor David Lennam was presented The Silver Fox Independent Career Award.
The M*POWER Awards ceremony ran for three and a half hours and was attended by a crowd of over 300, made up of Island music fans, performers, nominees, presenters, promoters, and media. The show was hosted by David Lennam and Maple Blues Guitarist of the Year David Gogo, a zany duo billed as
The Two Daves” who created a loose and fun rapport between each other and the enthusiastic audience.
Highlight performances of the awards night included the lively violin-driven opening act by Rant Music, the equally lively, bowling-shirt-wearing, Kiltlifters from Nanaimo, a fiddle and guitar combo from Ivonne Hernandez and Dan Weisenburger, which included bonus step-dancing, and host Gogo's captivating acoustic performance of his most recent single,
Personal Jesus."
The M*POWER award nominees were selected by 2,200 online voters who chose from close to 50 Vancouver Island artists who applied to be in the awards this year. The winners in each category were then selected by a jury of professionals from Greater Victoria and announced at the gala event.
For more information on the awards and artists visit www.mpowerawards.com.
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Seafarers Festival brings back Cayman's past
Victoria, BC
April 21, 2003
Residents in the Cayman Islands are in for a full slate of entertainment and nostalgia during Seafarers Festival this comimg weekend, with the opening of the Fisherman's Village next to the Port Authority Building and Cayman's Memory Lane on Harbour Drive in downtown George Town.
Visitors to the Fisherman's Village, which opens Saturday at 11:15 a.m., will get an opportunity to experience Cayman of the past in food drink and song while seeing old sailors go through practices of their traditional seafaring ways including seine and rope making.
The sight of replicas of tall ships and Caymanian catboats in the harbour will complement the flashbacks to the past.
Seafarer's Festival weekend kicks off Friday night with a fireworks display that promises to light up the sky at Hog Sty Bay and ends Sunday evening with candle boat lighting in a ceremony commemorating seamen lost at sea. Some 500 miniature boats will be lighted and launched at Hog Sty Bay.
Their Royal Highnesses, The Earl and Countess of Wessex will officially open the Festival on Saturday.
As visitors to the food and drink stalls in the Fisherman's Village enjoy the traditional Caymanian dishes offered Saturday, they will be treated to the sight of tall ships and classic yachts arriving at Hog Sty Bay. The tall ships will include six majestic schooners, Raindancer 11, Meka 11, Nina, Schooner Larinda, Schooner Serenity, and Schooner Wolf.
While these tall ships are opened for tours by the public activity will continue in the Fisherman's Village with story telling, and knot making along with seine and rope making. There will also be a Seafarers Regatta and catboat races.
The significant event of 500 years ago will be brought back to life at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, when the tall ship Nina one of the three vessels involved in the original sighting of the Cayman Islands is used to recreate Columbus' landing at the South Terminal.
The afternoon activities continue at Cardinall Avenue with an Old Time Kitchen Dance, Quadrille Dancers, performances by 2000 to 2001 North American champion fiddler Ivonne Hernandez, singing of country music by Dexter Bodden, and maypole plaiting.
In the evening revellers can jump into street partying until midnight, with Krosfyah and local bands Heat and Cloudburst.
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Ivonne Receives M*Power Nomination
Victoria, BC
April 21, 2003 Ivonne has received a nomination for "Best Album" at the 2nd Annual
M*POWER Awards The M*POWERS Jury of music industry representatives will choose the winner in each category. Those winners will be announced on the night of the ceremony on Sunday, May 18, 2003 at Legends in Victoria.
Tickets for the ceremony are now on sale at Strathcona Hotel, Lyle's Place, and A∓B Sound for $12 in advance. Or $15 at the door.
Thanks for your support!
Ivonne & The M*Power Awards
Victoria, BC
March 17, 2003
Ivonne has received 4 pre-nominations for the 2nd Annual M*POWER Awards!
These include:
Best Album "Playing with Fire" Best Song "No Good Notes" Best Live Performance Best Artist
We need your support now! Go to
http://www.mpowerawards.com/vote/voteform.php and submit your vote for Ivonne!
The Top 5 vote-getters in each category will become the Nominees.
Nominees will be announced on Easter Sunday, April 20, 2003 on 100.3 The Q! radio at 6:00pm.
The M*POWERS Jury of music industry representatives will then choose the winner in each category. Those winners will be announced on the night of the ceremony on Sunday, May 18, 2003 at Legends in Victoria.
Tickets for the ceremony are now on sale at Strathcona Hotel, Lyle's Place, and A∓B Sound for $12 in advance. Or $15 at the door.
Thanks for your support!
Fiddler Loves Camaraderie Between Performers
Saskatoon StarPhoenix
Saskatoon, SK
March 13, 2003
By Cam Fuller
Fiddle sensation Ivonne Hernandez has won more awards that you can shake a bow at.
"Each one is kind of exciting in its own way,'' the 20-year-old Victoria musician said this week.
She started playing when she was three, and winning competitions at five. At 13, she was the youngest ever B.C. provincial champion. A few years later, she won the Grand North American Fiddle Championship ("that was really cool, too.'') In addition to fiddling, Hernandez sings, plays guitar, piano, and percussion, and stepdances.
Though competitions have filled her trophy case, they're really about the camaraderie among fiddlers, says Hernandez. "I really love meeting people and hearing other different fiddlers. We're all friends, so competition is secondary.''
Hernandez has her diploma in music performance and teaching from the University of Victoria.
"I really want to go back and finish a degree,'' she says.
Before that, however, she's on the road promoting her debut CD, Playing with Fire.
She might be more used to the polite environs of the festival scene than rowdy bar gigs, but Hernandez is still looking forward to playing The Publican on Monday, St. Patrick's Day.
"It's going to be so cool. I have tons of fiddle tunes,'' she says. She'll be accompanied by piano and guitar.
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Young Fiddlers Take Stage
February 12, 2003
Nanaimo Bulletin
B.C. fiddle champion Ivonne Hernandez will be one of the performers at the third annual Maple Sugar Festival.
Hernandez is appearing with her sister, Kalissa, and will be performing her blend of Celtic and modern fiddle tunes
Hernandez released her debut CD Playing with Fire in May, 2002 and has been touring since. This past summer included performances at RootsFest in Victoria, Tall Ships Festival in Vancouver and the Ottawa Folk Festival.
This past fall Hernandez toured the Eastern U.S., Eastern Canada and British Columbia.
Hernandez has been playing the fiddle since the age of three. Now, at age 20, she has been the Grand North American Fiddle Champion, the B.C. Provincial Fiddle Champion and a finalist at the Canadian Grand Masters National Fiddle Championship in Ottawa.
At just 14 years of age, Kalissa Hernandez is also receiving recognition for her hard work. She is the current, and youngest, B.C. Provincial Fiddle Champion. Last year she was the B.C. Provincial Open Fiddle Champion and she represented British Columbia in the Junior Showcase at the National Fiddle Contest in Ottawa.
Kalissa has won many awards for her classical violin playing and is also an accomplished Ottawa Valley Step Dancer.
Ivonne and Kalissa Hernandez are the current B.C. Twin Fiddle Champions.
The pair perform on Saturday, Feb. 22 at 11:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. at the Centennial building, the main venue for the weekend's event that includes a full lineup of entertainment and favorites like fresh maple sugar cooled in snow.
They also play at 11:15 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. on Sunday.
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"Playing with Fire" CD Review
Rambles.net
February 1, 2003
By Tom Knapp
Canada has produced so many young and talented fiddlers, it's sometimes hard to imagine anyone will appear with something new to offer. But Canada is always full of surprises, and Ivonne Hernandez is a pleasant one indeed.
Hailing from British Columbia, Ivonne got an early start on the instrument, demonstrating a degree of mastery by age 3 and placing in her first competition at age 5. Playing with Fire, her debut recording, is as fine an introduction as you can imagine.
There's certainly plenty of variety in her selection of tunes, as you might expect from someone with roots in both the Canadian Maritimes and Chile. Ivonne draws heavily on her Celtic, Canadian and Latin heritage, beginning with a highly polished interpretation of "Reel Beatrice" that matches any I've heard. The classical climax is an artful touch! "Home Sweet Home" is a lively medley of tunes from some musical friends in British Columbia. "USA" pairs Texas-style fiddle tunes "Tugboat" and "Don't Love Nobody" with the flair of a native. In "Coast to Coast," Ivonne exercises her East Coast muscles in a sextet of Cape Breton tunes. Her own composition, "No Good Notes," defies its name and indicates a fine future for her as a tune writer.
Composer Gord Stobbe has penned a few tunes to Ivonne's liking, and she gives him a great deal of credit with her arrangements of the lyrical "Farewell to the West" and her jazzy, Spanish-tinged "Culture Shock," adapted from Stobbe's "The Mad Bulgar." Jay Unger's "Wizard Walk" gets a jazzy interpretation and, considering her age when she started performing, Ivonne must have a long memory indeed -- she credits "Westphalia Waltz" as one of the first tunes she learned!
Only the final track, "Amazing Grace," falters; the fiddling is lovely, but Ivonne's vocals seem out of place on the otherwise all-instrumental recording. Perhaps if she stretches her vocal skills a bit more in the future, she can find better use for them on upcoming albums.
Besides fiddle and brief vocals, Ivonne provides stepdancing and percussion. Other musicians on the album are Adam Dobres (guitar, bass, percussion), Jessamy Zeeman (keyboard, percussion), Mike Alton (drum kit), Daniel Lapp (keyboard, tenor guitar) and Scott Henderson (a sparingly used tenor saxophone).
Playing with Fire is a dazzling debut from a fresh Canadian face. I'm already anticipating Ivonne's next release!
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Maple Sugar Festival in Nanaimo Features Fiddling Sisters
Island Parent Magazine
Vancouver Island, BC
February 2003
Ivonne Hernandez has been playing the fiddle since the age of three. Now, at 20 years old, she has been the Grand North American Fiddle Champion, the BC Provincial Fiddle Champion and a finalist at the Canadian Grand Masters National Fiddle Championship in Ottawa.
As one of Canada's hottest young performers, Ivonne has performed with or opened for Alan Jackson, Carolyn Dawn Johnson, The Paperboys, Natalie MacMaster, Julian Austin, and The Fables. Her talent, passion and charm have taken her all over North American to perform at such big name festivals as the Flora MacDonald Highland Games in North Carolina, the Ottawa Folk Festival, the Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous Festival, the Cumberland Celtic Festival in Maryland, and RootsFest in Victoria. A consummate entertainer, she is constantly in motion whether dancing, fiddling or singing - an energy that is passed on to the audience wherever she performs.
At 14 years old, Kalissa Hernandez has received much recognition for her hard work, whether performing or competing, and is the current, and youngest, BC Provincial Fiddle Champion. Last year she was the BC Provincial Open Fiddle Champion and she represented British Columbia in the Junior Showcase at the National Fiddle Contest in Ottawa. Kalissa has won many awards for her classical violin playing and is also an accomplished Ottawa Valley Step Dancer.
Ivonne & Kalissa Hernandez are the current BC Twin Fiddle Champions. They will be performing at the Maple Sugar Festival in Nanaimo on Saturday, February 22nd 12:15pm & 2:30pm, and Sunday, February 23rd, noon & 3pm (at the Centennial Main Site Stage). Presented by L'Association des Francophones de Nanaimo (L'AFN), the Maple Sugar Festival is a 5-day cultural event showcasing 70 Canadian performing artists. Festivities kick off with the School Activity Program scheduled on February 19th and 20th when over 1,200 of Vancouver Island's Francophone and French Immersion students are expected to attend workshops and demonstrations.
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Acadia Comes Alive at Festival
Nanaimo News Bulletin
Nanaimo, BC
January 23, 2003
This year's Maple Sugar Festival is being stretched into an action-packed five-day event.
Hosted by the L'Association des francophones de Nanaimo (L'AFN) the festival is set for Feb. 19-23 at Beban Park and other venues throughout the downtown.
This year's event offers a lineup of over 70 Canadian performing artists and will include an ice sculpture demonstration and an exhibition featuring renowned New Brunswick artist Georgette Bourgeois at the Nanaimo Art Gallery Downtown.
On the first day the School Activity Program will allow over 1,200 students of Vancouver Island's Francophone and French immersion programs to attend workshops, demonstrations, food sampling and live entertainment.
The public can witness the creation of elaborate ice sculptures at the Nanaimo Downtown Harbourfront Plaza on Feb. 21 from 1 to 4 p.m. This free outdoor event features the Meeks Family Circus Show, Nanaimo Red River Dancers, a musical presentation by Nova Scotia's Blou, New Brunswick's Abel Cormier and Mario LeBreton plus complimentary horse and buggy rides and an opportunity to sample authentic maple toffee on snow.
The celebrations will peak at Beban Park's Centennial Building on Friday night at 6 p.m. with a country and western dinner and live concert presentation by Quebec's celebrated urban cowgirl Carole Anne King.
French Canadian culture will be front and centre on the weekend of Feb. 22-23 beginning at 8:30 a.m. with eggs, cretons, crêpes, and baked beans served with a dollop of maple syrup.
The entertainment lineup will appeal to parents and youngsters alike. Clowns, face painters, storytellers, puppeteers, magicians, jugglers, mascots, musicians and more will be featured.
Performances include Victoria's Ivonne Hernandez, B.C.'s Fiddle Champion, Quebec's Ben Labarouette, well-known for his numerous clown appearances with Cirque du Soleil and Victoria's folklore dance troupe Les Cornouillers.
This year's festivities will culminate on Saturday, Feb. 22 at Beban Park's Centennial Building beginning at 9:30 p.m. with the musical presentation of Acadia Forever with its mix of French folk, Celtic and Louisiana styles.
Tickets for the Friday and Saturday night concert presentations and travel package are available by contacting the Port Theatre at 754-8550.
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Wasn't That a Party
Peninsula News Review
Sidney, BC
January 22, 2003
Wasn't that a party Peninsula News Review Sidney, BC January 22, 2003
There was music everywhere Saturday night in Brentwood Bay.
At the Brentwood Bay Folk Club which took place at the Brentwood Bay United Church, the BC Open Fiddle Champion and North American Grand Champion Ivonne Hernandez was clearly enjoying the intimate setting.
Jeremy Walsh, a strong and dynamic performer, whose playing complimented her electrifying fiddling superbly, accompanied Hernandez.
Hernandez proved her CD Playing with Fire is aptly named. Her incendiary bow work and pyrotechnical fiddling style lit up the stage from start to finish.
Throughout the performance, Hernandez upped the ante, punctuating her playing with rapid fire step dancing to the ever-increasing tempo of her fiddle.
In a set peppered with diverse fiddle tunes from all across Canada, to Texas and even Bulgaria, Hernandez nimbly demonstrated her versatility and prowess to an enraptured audience.
Twice Hernandez stepped back to allow Walsh to showcase both his song writing, and his delicate pennywhistle technique.
Both Hernandez and Walsh finished their energetic set with a well-earned standing ovation and encore.
On Sunday, Hernandez put 20 students through their paces in two-hour fiddle workshops for both beginners and intermediate classes, held at the Brentwood Art Gallery.
For those who missed Hernandez' performance, she'll be back at the Brentwood Festival on June 7, and at Music In The Park this coming July.
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Profile: Ivonne Hernandez
Mind's Eye
Nanaimo, BC
January 20, 2003
By Sophia Aristou
Just turned 20 and a national champion, Ivonne Hernandez is fiddling up a storm. She started playing the violin when she was 3, and at 13 she won the BC Provincial Fiddle Championship, youngest ever to win this title. Hernandez will be performing with her sister Kalissa at the Maple Sugar Festival on the Centennial Main Site Saturday, February 22 at 11:30 am and Sunday, February 23 at 11:15 am and 2:30 pm.
Born and raised in Victoria, one could say Hernandez has a natural flair for music. She learned classical music on the violin at 3 years old through the Suzuki method. About a year later, Hernandez saw an advertisement in the local library for a fiddle competition. When I asked my mom if I could enter, my mom said, "no, you play classical," said Hernandez.
Hernandez, however, was determined. She went home, listened to a tape of fiddle music and literally taught herself to play the fiddle by ear. She began teaching herself tunes such as "Turkey in the straw."
A violin and a fiddle are the same instrument. The difference between them is the type of music played on the instrument. Traditionally, classical music is played on the violin. The type of music that is called "fiddle" is a style all on its own, ranging from folk to Celtic and possibly with a spice of pop music.
Hernandez's parents did not force her into anything. She's loved playing music from the beginning. My parents wanted to put me into something I could do when I got older, and if I really liked it I could continue with it, said Herandez. That is exactly what she has done. Hernandez has toured all across North America playing both fiddle and classical music. I have different tours planned in the future to tour across other continents, said Hernandez.
Classical violin playing calls for formal attire, especially in an orchestra, where the dress code is usually black and white. Fiddle is wear what you want, it is totally relaxed, said Hernandez.
"It's another side of me," said Hernandez, describing the two entirely different genres of music. She can switch music and image at the same time.
Hernandez's clothing style is young, funky and modern. She is currently in the process of creating a whole new wardrobe for this season of performing. She even has a designer.
Hernandez was influenced by her neighbour when she was growing up. He was from Cape Breton, N.S. and he would tell me fiddle stories about the east coast, said Hernandez. If she had to pick, some of her greatest influences would be Natalie McMaster, who plays fiddle, and Itzhak Perlman, who plays classical. There are so many great musicians out there, said Hernandez.
Hernandez has made a fresh impact on the music industry. It's not extremely hard, said Hernandez, but you have to develop your own style.
"You have to make other people pay attention to you," said Hernandez, "and if you're really good, people will pay attention."
Hernandez advises other musicians who want to be successful: "it's tough to do, it takes hard work, perseverance, lots of practicing and performing." She advises young musicians to perform as much as they can. Take every performing opportunity available. The more you play, the better you get and in turn, gain confidence, said Hernandez.
"If you love what you do, it shows," said Hernandez.
Hernandez's schedule is hectic. "You have to really pace yourself," she said. Filling Hernandez's schedule is everything from rehearsing, performing, traveling and even teaching. Hernandez has about 35 young musicians that she teaches presently.
Hernandez ultimate goal is to continue to do what she loves to do: perform. I want to tour the world for others to listen to my music and possibly win a Grammy award, she said laughing.
Hernandez has just released her debut CD called "Playing with Fire," which is available at most music stores. She performs with her sister, Kalissa, who is following her footsteps. Kalissa also won the B.C. Provincial Fiddle Championship.
Hernandez is making a name for herself in the music business as one of the youngest award-winning fiddlers ever. If you would like more information about Ivonne Hernandez, you can visit her website at www.ivonnehernandez.com. If you would like more information about the Maple Sugar Festival in February, you can visit www.francophonenanaimo.org.
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"Playing with Fire" CD Review
Irish Dancing Magazine
Ireland
January/February 2003
By Donal Lynch
Ivonne Hernandez is a fiddler from Canada, who would be just as comfortable being called a 'violin' player - and an excellent one at that. There are interesting violin/fiddle tunes on here, from British Columbia and also some nice 'Irish' tracks. But, this is not an 'Irish' CD. It's got Ivonne showing her fiddle talent on Canadian, Klezmer/Transylvanian, Scottish, Waltz, Classical and all else in between. It's impressive for Ivonne, still in her teens, to be able to flex, with credibility, into so many different styles. As far as 'Irish' is concerned, Ivonne is well competent, but I felt that the background accompaniment weren't fully complimentary, considering Ivonne's obvious skill and feel for the music.
'Farewell to the West', in jig time, is the best track on the CD; a soulful and reflective fiddle tune that shows Ivonne's potential for any future album of straight trad Irish, with the support of serious 'Ceol' players.
This album is a broad stroke across an international musical canvas, and will appeal to a wide audience. As we've said in the past, 'have fiddle, will travel.' Congratulations Ivonne on a good debut album.
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