Many people don’t realize the musical relationship between the Celtic traditions of Ireland and Scotland and the bluegrass lineage that developed when the first immigrants to the United States crossed the Atlantic. But for award-winning ethereal performer Lizzy Hoyt, both traditions inform her repertoire, and often the genre lines between the two are blurred.
“A lot of bluegrass repertoire came from Ireland and Scotland with the first immigrants, but it evolved differently in different places. The melodies will generally change over the generations to represent their location and where they are,” said Hoyt, who will be performing at Shambhala Hall on Nov. 10 at 7:30 p.m.
“I come from a background of Celtic fiddling, but for my most recent album I hired a fabulous bluegrass violinist to co-produce, John Reischman, and the album was an interesting mix between our backgrounds.”
Hoyt will be sharing tunes from her latest album, New Lady on the Prairie, which features song based on stories her grandmother Jean Scott told her as a child.
“I really like going back in history and trying to imagine the personal side of what those people would’ve felt at the time,” said Hoyt.
The title track is about Scott’s great aunt.
“She was a young woman coming over to Canada on her own, and meeting her husband who had already moved. When you imagine it, she took a boat across the ocean, a train across Canada, then a horse and buggy north of Edmonton,” she said.
“Then she finally arrived at a little log cabin where she was going to live, and she sat right down on the porch and burst into tears.”
It’s these sorts of stories Hoyt hopes to share with her audience. She’s also passionate about the battle of Vimy Ridge, which is the subject of both a song and a video project she’s working on.
“I like sharing stories about real real people and real events,” she said.
Hoyt will play alongside Keith Rempel on bass and Chris Taggart on guitar.
She said audiences can expect a musical journey over the course of the evening, with everything from high-energy fiddling to somber, peaceful songs.
Tickets are $15 and are available at Otter Books or the door.