Give them a fishing rod and a brass instrument, and Fish on Five will give you a song with your supper.
The group, featuring five friends who are all brass musicians with the Okanagan Symphony, share two great loves –– music and fishing.
This was no more apparent four years ago, when they discovered their mutual double passion. The five horn players chugged off to the Bella Bella area in tuba player Reynold Epps’ boat. They “just happened” to all take their instruments along.
As a result, their hands were always full – with fishing poles or brass horns.
“No cathedral ever provided the acoustics found in a sheltered cove where we anchored for the night and played to the heavens,” said trumpeter Dennis Colpitts, who plays French horn with the Okanagan Symphony and also co-directs the Youth Symphony of the Okanagan.
Locals will get a chance to hear Fish on Five when they perform at Brass on the Grass on the lawn of the Mackie Lake House Friday.
The event is presented by both the North Okanagan Community Concert Association (NOCCA) and the Mackie Lake House Foundation.
“The event is in memory of Paddy Mackie, the incredible man who protected and made the house so special and created the foundation that now runs it,” said Jan Waldon with the NOCCA.
A proponent of the arts, Mackie frequently hosted musical soirées by local artists at his home, and himself was a credible flutist. He didn’t take up the instrument until he retired as a French teacher at Seaton High School (one of the very few French teachers in Vernon who actually spent a year at the Sorbonne.)
“The idea of a musical evening is carrying on Paddy’s tradition,” said Waldon. “The reason for the brass quintet is that Buzz Brass, the last NOCCA program of the 11-12 season, turned out to be very popular – and these five horn players are extremely talented, local, and available.”
Also performing in Fish on Five is trumpeter Wade Dorsey, who has replaced regular member Jim Howie, who is unavailable this summer, French horn player Edmund House, and trombonist Bruce Dougall.
“(They) offer a wide variety of great music: sing-along, toe-tapping, classical, jazz and more,” said Waldon.
Brass on the Grass takes place at Mackie Lake House, Friday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Patrons can bring their own picnic supper – or just come to listen to the music. Don’t forget to include lawn chairs or a blanket.
The Mackie Lake House is located at 7804 Kidston Rd., Coldstream. Tickets are $15, available at the gate or by calling 250-545-1019.
