‘I have been lucky to have help from so many’
Stellarton siblings release fiddle and piano album
Stellarton’s Katey Aucoin was approaching her sixth birthday when she announced she wanted to be a fiddler. Now 18, she has just released her first CD, Fiddle and Hands, performing on piano with her older brother, Pierre.
The 12-set CD represents hours upon hours of practice, planning, networking and learning.
“It is something I really wanted to do. It took a lot of work, but I was so excited to see the box of CDs at our front door. Even when I am holding the CD in my hands, part of me finds it hard to believe,” she said, adding she is grateful for all the people who helped along the way.
BEGINNING HER FIDDLE JOURNEY
When she first decided she wanted to play fiddle, her mother, Jillian Kay Aucoin, suggested she start with the piano, her instrument of choice, which she also teaches.
“I was exposed to a lot of fiddle music whenever we visited Cheticamp. I loved it, and I was desperate to be able to play,” said Aucoin, noting that Cheticamp is her father, Guy Aucoin’s hometown.
When she persisted, her parents agreed to put her in a one-week fiddle camp to test her interest. She emerged more determined than ever and with her own fiddle teacher, Pam Leblanc.
“I went on to start piano lessons when I was eight. I definitely like piano, but the fiddle or violin is the instrument I fell in love with,” she said.
Initially, she played a lot of Cape Breton-style music but gradually added modern, oldtime, jazz, and other genres. She most recently took lessons from Halifax fiddler Shannon Quinn.
Aucoin received two major awards this summer: one from the Treasures of Youth committee in Cape Breton for fiddling and one from the Nova Scotia Talent Trust for classical violin.
“I started as a fiddler, but I’ve come to like both equally. It is the perfect instrument for expressing yourself. Everyone playing the same tune will sound just a bit different.”
She remembers her first public performance at Sharon St. John Church, where she played a well-known tune known by many names, including Cock of the North.
“I was pretty young, and I was very nervous, but when I finished, I was so happy to have done it. I’m still a bit nervous before I play anywhere, but I love seeing that people are enjoying the music, so I get a great sense of accomplishment from that. It encourages me and makes me want to do more, to do better.”
SIBLING DUO
Soon after she started playing, she and her brother, now 20, attended summer sessions at Colaisde Na Gaidhlig.
“Pierre was in piano class with Stewart MacNeil of the Barra MacNeils, and I was in fiddle with Lucy MacNeil instructing. They figured out we were siblings and decided we should play together in the closing concert. From then on, I had a built-in piano player.”
The Aucoins competed in various music festivals and have been regulars at concerts, at New Glasgow Farmers’ Market, and on the ferry to Prince Edward Island. She
has also participated in Ships of 1801 productions for the past eight years.
“We have four nights of sold-out shows, and I get to play, dance, and sing, so it has been a highlight of my summer each year.”
Aucoin jokes that she and her brother developed some sibling telepathy over the years.
“It is a kind of familial bond we have when it comes to music. We groove in together and can just give each other a look and we know what we’re doing next. I wasn’t that conscious of it until I started playing with other people and realized what we have doesn’t happen with others.”
DEVELOPING THE ALBUM
When she proposed making a CD, her brother, an analytics student at the University of Prince Edward Island, agreed to play with her, but it quickly became her project.
“I started making a list of what I’d like on the CD. I love jigs, so I knew I wanted the Golden Jigs, but there is so much to pick from. It took a while to get the right mix of sets. I made a lot of changes, but I’m happy with what we have,” she said.
With a full course load in her first year of music at Mount Allison University, she decided she would have to break her project into manageable steps. One of those early steps was talking to John Meir and Darlene MacDonald.
“They talked about all the logistics, giving me advice and encouragement. I had to get the rights to all the music, and then the next step was talking to Dave Gunning, who produced the CD.”
They did an early test run in Gunning’s studio to familiarize themselves with the recording process. Then, in May, soon after they finished school, they spent two days recording in the studio.
“It was go time for us, and we had to deliver. We’d record and then listen. Pierre would think it was fine, but I’d hear something that was off, and we’d do it again.”
LE PAPILLON
One of the sets, Le Papillon, is Aucoin’s first musical composition.
“I was in my dorm room, and I started to play something. I started recording because I liked it and didn’t want to forget it. When I finished, I played it for my mother, and she’d never heard it before, so I asked some others to listen, and no one had heard it before. Without really meaning to, I created a piece. I called it Le Papillon, French for butterfly.”
She admitted she hummed and hawed about including her own piece on the CD.
“In the end, I decided to include it. Dave Gunning plays guitar on it, so that’s great. It gives people the opportunity to hear something new.”
Once the studio recording was done, Aucoin worked with Karen Corbin to get the photography and graphics right before sending the package to Newfoundland for manufacturing.
“It was hard waiting for the CD to arrive but I have been lucky to have help from so many.”
Aucoin’s summer job has her working as a music therapist at the Maritime Oddfellows Hall in Pictou.
“I’m constantly amazed at how much music means to the residents. People who don’t normally talk will often start singing along. People who are frustrated and tend to be a bit aggressive will calm down. It has been another way for me to see what music gives people.”
Anyone interested in the CD can send a message to the Katey and Pierre Aucoin Facebook page or pick it up at one of their summer gigs.