Fiddles and Violins

I have often wondered why I feel more inclined to get out to cultural events when I'm on vacation or out of town. There are so many opportunities around if a person just pays attention!

A couple of weeks ago, I had the chance to see and hear Joshua Bell playing with the Kansas City Sympony. It's difficult to find the words that can describe the beauty he can coax out of an instrument. Of course having a Stradivarius violin doesn't hurt! [By the way, if you have never seen The Red Violin, it's a great movie.]

This past weekend I saw and heard an equally amazing performance by the StepCrew. [A lot of people don't realize how very Irish Kansas City can be!] What these performers are able to do with 'fiddles' is incredible! For two hours, with a short intermission, there was non stop fiddlin', dancing and singing on stage!

Two very different but equally wonderful performances using basically a similar instrument . . .