Canadian Celtic-folk songstress, Lizzy Hoyt, comes to Kimberley with her trio for a Live at Studio 64 concert on Saturday, March 23. This award-winning singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist has garnered glowing praise as she has toured across Canada. Praised as a master of the fiddle, mandolin, guitar and harp by reviewers across the country, her main claim to fame has come as a singer “with the voice of an angel” who combines lyricism, gentleness, and passion, and who has brought Canadian history to life with her songs ‘New Lady on the Prairie’, ‘Vimy Ridge’, and ‘White Feather’, for which she was awarded the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2013 by the Governor General of Canada.
Lizzy Hoyt toured for 10 years as a side musician before going it on her own. Since then she has toured, mainly in Canada but also abroad, bringing her self-styled “mash-up” of Celtic/folk music to venues large and small. She and her trio have performed at the Edmonton and Montreal folk festivals, at the Goderich Celtic Roots festival, and at the Calgary, Nickelodeon and Northern Lights folk clubs to mention just a few of the better known venues. She has four independent albums and two videos to her name. Her fourth album, ‘New Lady on the Prairie’, produced in collaboration with acclaimed bluegrass musician John Reischman, demonstrates her refined trans-Atlantic sound, blending Celtic, bluegrass, and folk. UK reviewer, Tom Franks of Folk Words, said of the album: “She expresses a fine feel for lyric and melody that makes ‘New Lady on the Prairie’ a definite winner.” CBC’s Chris Della Torre said: “It would be safe to call her a musician’s musician. Fans that want their artists to play well can find that with her.”
Among her achievements are nominations for the Canadian Folk Music Award for Traditional Singer and Solo Artist of the year, for the Western Canadian Music Award for Songwriter of the year, and for the Independent Music Award for Story Song, World Beat, and A Capella Song of the year. She won the International Acoustic Music Award for Female Artists of the year and was a finalist for the Indie Music Project Multi-genre Album of the year, the John Lennon songwriting contest, and the USA songwriting compwetition. She has received 10 awards at international film festivals.
Hoyt’s repertoire for this show includes some of her story songs mixed with favourites from her previous albums, some traditional Celtic songs, instrumental sets and a few covers by artists who have influenced her musical development, including Dolly Parton, Rankin Family, and Alison Krauss. She might also include some step-dancing!
Lizzy Hoyt and her Trio will be on stage at Studio 64 at 8 p.m. Tickets for this show are available at Centre 64 (250-427-4919 or info@kimberleyarts.com) or online at eastkootenay.snapd.com.
This is the first concert in 2019’s Live at Studio 64 spring series. It will be followed on April 19 by the bluegrass quintet, Rotary Park, and on May 25 by what is rumoured to be a tribute to the Rolling Stones, performed by Calgary bass player Tommy Knowles and friends. Knowles has appeared with a variety of bands and artists previously at Studio 64.
