By Jay Scott Kanes

NEW DOMINION, PEI, Canada -- Yet another young fiddling star with Celtic flair has appeared on stages across Canada’s smallest province.

Teenager Courtney Hogan, from Cumberland, Prince Edward Island, studied with Cynthia MacLeod, one of Atlantic Canada’s star performers. She also acquired not one, but two, musical instruments from Richard LePage, a master violin-maker.

Now Courtney plays like a leading musician too. As a member of a group called The Singing Strings, she’ll represent Canada next month at the International Festival of Youth Orchestras in Italy. In 2007, then a 17-year-old Bluefield High School student, she hosted a summer-long series of ceilidhs in New Dominion.

“The ceilidhs are a lot of fun,” said Courtney. “I’ll definitely do them again.

“I’d like to go as far as I can in music. I love to perform for people. They enjoy it, which makes me happy too. I’ll never stop playing music.

“I think PEI’s a great place for music. There are a lot of musicians here. Sometimes it gets competitive. But you also meet great musicians and get to play with them. Many of them become friends.”

Courtney’s debut CD, The Red-Headed Fiddler, appeared in 2006 and earned her three PEI Music Award nominations: top new artist, best roots/traditional album and best instrumental album.

“Everyone seems to love the CD, and I’d like to make a new one soon,” Courtney said.

Although the CD takes its title from a traditional tune, Courtney is a modern-day “red-headed fiddler”. Lester Stubbert produced the album and helped on guitar, mandolin and keyboards. MacLeod (fiddle) and Mark Rooney (tin whistle, cabasa and bodhran) played supporting roles too.

Fans at Courtney’s shows notice that she likes to fiddle with her eyes closed. “Maybe that’s due to concentration,” she said. “I find it easier to close my eyes. It’s a lot less distracting. Even just staring at the instrument can be distracting so I usually look off or close my eyes.”

At age five, Courtney began piano lessons. Six years later, she switched to a fiddle, following in the footsteps of Ralph Gay, her great-grandfather. Later she learned the flute, bodhran and step-dancing.

“Fiddling came pretty easily for me,” Courtney said. “But I’ve practiced a lot and feel like I’m still improving.”

At first, she studied classical violin with teacher John Clement. “Then I saw Cynthia MacLeod perform and thought, ‘Oh, I want to do that as well’.”

Asked about her “musical heroes”, Courtney mentions MacLeod and Nova Scotia fiddler Natalie MacMaster. “They’re awesome.”

MacLeod introduced Courtney to Celtic-style fiddling, which she embraced. Soon, the star-student joined the Queen’s County Fiddlers.

“At first, I had a violin that had belonged to my great-grandfather,” Courtney said. “Then I went to see Richard LePage, planning to look at his violins and see what he thought of mine. I tried one and loved it, so I asked him to make me one, which he did.

“Later, he invited me to play at a Fiddle Summit. He’d made a brand new fiddle for the event. I tried it, loved that one too and bought it.”

By age 14, Courtney became a music-teacher too. Working with students aged five to 70, she covers the basics, sight reading, types of tunes and theory.

Courtney has a younger sister, who plays classical violin, and an older brother. Her parents, Nancy and Mike, work at the Atlantic Veterinary College in Charlottetown. Nancy’s an X-ray technician while Mike cares for the resident animals.

For more information: www.courtneyhogan.ca


Along with talent and know-how,
Courtney relies on two instruments from
master violin-maker Richard LePage.

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