Foot stompin' traditional fiddle music will be celebrated on Wednesday, June 21, beginning at 7 p.m., when the Don Roy Trio from Maine performs as the latest performers in the popular GNWCA at the Country Club Concert Series. Hosted by the Great North Woods Committee for the Arts, GNWCA President Charlie Jordan said, "We are delighted to bring Don and his group back to Colebrook for what is sure to be a fun night of top-notch old-timey music." The Don Roy Trio features Maine's own Don Roy on fiddle, his wife Cindy on piano and Jay Young on upright bass. The night will also feature some old-time step dancing.

Don hails from Franco-American ancestry. His grandparents came from Quebec and emigrated to Maine with the work available. At age six, Don learned guitar under the tutelage of his uncle Norman Mathieu during many house parties held at various uncle's and his grandparent's homes.

Soon after, another uncle, Lucien Mathieu, became a mentor of many things to him, particularly fiddle playing. Lucien, a well-noted fiddler, would stop by during business trips to play tunes with Don, thus sparking his interest in learning the fiddle.

In 1975, when Don was 15, uncle Lou gave him his first fiddle and a recording of Monsieur Pointu, a Montreal fiddler whose playing became a strong influence. At age 16, Don won his first fiddle competition and began one year of formal training to learn how to read music (but he still prefers to learn by ear).

From 1975 through 1987, Don won many fiddle contests, including the Massachusetts State Championship and the Maine State Championship multiple times, as well as placing in the top three at the Northeast Championships in Barre, Vt.

In 1994, the Don Roy Trio was created which includes Don, Cindy and Jay Young, who has been playing bass with Don and Cindy since 1987. In the fall of 2000, Don started teaching a free session in Portland. Once a month players gather to learn tunes and soon the group Fiddleicious was created. Today Fiddleicious has over 140 members and is now a non-profit organization with a complete staff of teachers and administrators donating their time. In his spare time, Don also makes and plays on his own violins. He published a book of fiddle tunes, Notes From My Mind, complete with bowings, harmonies and chord progressions.

Tickets are $15 and available at Fiddleheads, 110 Main St., Colebrook, online at www.gnwca.org or at the door. For more information on this and other GNWCA shows, find the Great North Woods Committee for the Arts on Facebook, visit www.gnwca.org or you can call 237-9302 or 246-8998.


Posted 6/10/17