Submitted by:
Nancy McLennan

The finale of the 2011-2012 Home Routes House Concert series went well. Attendance was thirty, precisely the size of crowd Home Routes hopes we will achieve, enough so the artists can pay their expenses and earn a bit on this tour.

Harley House was the perfect venue, as always. It can comfortably fit forty. Fifty would be a sell-out there.

During the intermission Puffed Wheat Cake was served, and it was announced that Swan River can be found on Google as the Puffed Wheat Cake capital of Canada. There was a discussion abut the facebook page for the illustrious Canada-only snack food. But the hit of the evening, by far, was the music.

Anne Lederman and Emilyn Stam mesmerized the audience with their virtuosity and repertiore, across cultures and generations. Piano, 2 fiddles and some complicated sing-alongs, because the stories were real. Many authentic regional fiddle composers had their tunes performed. Folks came from Grandview and Camperville just for this show, and there were many new faces in the Home Routes crowd. An impromptu jam after the show trilled Anne. She and Emilyn shared some tunes with Tiara Davy (now aged 12) and they really shook the place. It was so exciting.

Valley House Concerts is looking forward to next season’s Home Routes Series. Anyone interested in hosting a show can contact them on facebook.