Band inspires and entertains

Music students at Sisters middle and high schools experienced a rare opportunity last week as the five member Celtic group Scottish Fish spent time with the Americana and Outlaw Strings students in a workshop and concert. 

After spending over three hours with students on Thursday, the group played a sold-out show at The Belfry Friday night, December 6, in which the middle school fiddle players performed as the opening act. 

Photo by Jack Turpen

Scottish Fish spent hours will local students before playing a sold-out performance at The Belfry last week.

The visit from the Boston-based quintet came about through SFF Presents' Artist in Residency program, according to Brad Tisdel, the talent coordinator for SFF Presents. 

"The artist residency from Scottish Fish, combined with the sold-out concert at The Belfry was an inspiring experience for our kids and community," said Tisdel. "The band sharing their experience with our kids, the kids opening the show, the parents being there to support their kids, and the concert itself was extraordinary." 

Outlaw Strings is led by Sisters Middle School science teacher Melissa Stolasz who is operating the group as a club before school. Currently more than 30 middle school students are involved and most are playing fiddle in the "Continuing Fiddle" program, though some students are working together with piano and cello as well. At the high school level, students are learning fiddle, guitar, cello, piano, and bass through electives taught by Steven Livingston, Kayla Golka, and Stolasz. Dance band groups are forming at both levels, according to Stolasz. 

Stolasz and her husband Jeff hosted the five young women - Ava Montesi (fiddle), Caroline Dressler (fiddle), Giulia Haible (cello, piano), Julia Homa (fiddle, piano), and Maggie MacPhail (fiddle, piano) - at their home. 

"Having them at our home was an absolute blast and we discovered we have a lot of mutual friends through our long years of involvement with fiddle camps," said Stolasz. 

Four of the five members of Scottish Fish have known each other since age five and have been playing together since they were no older than the middle school students they got to work with. 

"I think that's part of why this visit was so successful, " said Stolasz, "since the kids could so easily relate to these women, who are still only in their early 20s."

On Thursday the group spent over three hours with about 40 middle and high school students at the middle school. 

"Our time with them started with an awe-inspiring one-hour mini concert," said Stolasz. "They played some of the Christmas mash-up tunes that are part of their Christmas show, and they took requests from us, which meant we got to hear some of our favorites, and then they played some tunes from their new album that they recorded last week. When they were done they revealed they had just debuted those new tunes live for the first time with us! It was amazing."

Stolasz continued, "After this hour of being inspired, we got to pick up our instruments and get into small groups with them. We split into a chord crew and 3 different fiddle levels and focused into learning a tune with them." 

As for the musicians themselves, they appeared smitten with their experience in Sisters. 

"It's super special what you have here in this community and in the schools," said Julia Homa. "It actually makes me sort of envious and if I had this going in my hometown in my school,  I would have been totally immersed in it."

Caroline Dressler said, "It's amazing how there is sort of a 'liquid border' between the schools and the community and it shows in how well they communicate with adults."

Stolasz said she had as much fun watching the audience at the concert as she did listening to the musicians. 

 "There were a lot of kids in the audience and all ages present were having such a good time, " she said. "I think adults understood how meaningful it was for our kids to have gotten to spend time with Scottish Fish."

Tisdel concluded, "It's been wonderful to see Outlaw Strings blossom under the direction of Melissa Stolasz and our high school program and be inspired with mentorship by artists like these young women."