On March 24th four time Provincial Fiddle Champion Mike Sanyshyn, from Surrey, entertained an attentive audience of seniors at the Sagebrush Theatre. The show opened with a few songs from the local Kamloops Fiddlers and they played waltz, a jig and a reel.

The group consisted of three fiddles, two acoustic guitars, an electric bass and a mandolin. They received a nice round of applause from the crowd. Then Mike Sanyshyn took the stage. Throughout his 90 minute performance he played a variety of different styles on his fiddle including, county, bluegrass, swing, and even Newfoundland, Irish and Scottish jigs along with a Ukrainian folk tune. He covered tunes by Al Cherny, Don Williams, Bob Wills, Buck Owens and many others.

Songs played include Cajun Fiddle, Houston on My Mind, Back 40 Rip-off, Redwing, Irish Washerwoman and Danny Boy. Much of the audience sang along to Danny Boy and clapped along to the faster reels and jigs. Sanyshyn’s wife, vocalist and four-time BCCMA Award winner, Tianna Lefebvre, joined him a couple of times, providing lead vocals and mandolin while Sanyshyn played guitar and provided backing vocals. This couple are part of a bluegrass band called Jackson Hollow. The crowd of elders enjoyed the show and were very giving with their applause. The show was presented by the B.C. Old Time Fiddlers’ Association of Kamloops and was also a fundraiser for the Association and the Kamloops Food Bank.