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OMÉIGWESSI

Oméigwessi Ensemble brings Métis traditional music a unique youthful energy with old-style melodies. Manitoba old-time music artists Lawrence ‘Teddy Boy’ Houle and his brother James Flett join emerging Toronto musicians Alyssa Delbaere-Sawchuk, and her brothers Conlin, Nicholas, and Danton (The Métis Fiddler Quartet) along with Scott Kemp to form Oméigwessi Ensemble. These musicians all share a common thread beyond a love for music; they are all Manitoba born and their aboriginal ancestry is deeply rooted in Manitoba.

Oméigwessi was the nickname of Manitoba old-time fiddler Walter Flett, and it means Ukrainian in Ojibwe. Walter Flett (born in 1906) learned to play the fiddle from his father and older brothers. His fiddling style reflects the musical language of the Métis as far back as the early fur trade. Walter Flett passed on the fiddling traditions to his stepson, Lawrence Houle and his son James Flett. Oméigwessi Ensemble pays tribute to the late Walter Flett for his life long contributions to old-time Métis fiddling in Canada. Shortly after Walter Flett passed away at the age of 80, Toronto based Canadian fiddler and musicologist Anne Lederman compiled his fiddle recordings in his ‘old time’ Ebb and Flow Métis style and other Native fiddlers in the community as a research project. Back in Toronto over 20 years later, Anne shared these old-style tunes to Alyssa. These recordings became a central focus of Alyssa and her brother’s Métis music repertoire development. They all absorbed the music, and The Métis Fiddler Quartet was born as a performing ensemble of old-time Métis music.

After years of studying old-time Métis fiddle tunes with Anne Lederman, Alyssa was awarded an Ontario Arts Council mentorship grant entitled Tracing My Métis Roots to study Métis fiddling and jigging with Lawrence ‘Teddy Boy’ Houle. Alyssa was invited to present her mentorship project along with Lawrence at the Métis Artists’ Collective’s 2006 Louis Riel Day Celebration of Métis Arts and Culture in a showcase of the Métis fiddle.

With Alyssa on lead fiddle, Oméigwessi: Reel Métis, a tribute to Walter Flett was recorded and became available September 2007.

www.metisfiddlerquartet.com

Recent AWARDS:

2008 Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards

BEST Fiddle Album

BEST Instrumental Album

Recent nominations: 2008 Native American Music Awards

BEST HISTORICAL RECORDING

Awards

Toronto Exclusive Magazine

2007 MUSIC AWARDS

Best Folk Instrumental Métis Fiddler Quartet "Hang Man's Waltz"

View Metis Fiddler Quartet's EPK

http://cdbaby.com/cd/adelbaeresawchuk