BRANFORD >> Respected Canadian fiddler, singer and step dancer April Verch will heat the new year up a bit Saturday at the first Branford Folk Music Society concert of 2017.
Verch, 38, will perform songs from her new album, “The April Verch Anthology,” which officially is due out on Feb. 17 on Slab Town Records — but will be available for purchase Saturday.
Showtime is 8 p.m. The concert is in the auditorium of the First Congregational Church of Branford (1009 Main St. on the Town Green). Admission is $25 for non-members, $20 for members and $5 for children 12 and under. For more information, call 203-488-7715 or visit branfordfolk.org.
For a relatively young woman from Ontario’s Ottawa Valley, Verch knows a lot about old music.
She grew up “surrounded by living, breathing roots music,” with her father’s country band rehearsing nearby and music at church and community dances that she went to, according to a Branford Folk Music Society press release.
Later, she played the heck out of old tunes to win a variety of fiddle competitions, which is how she initially attracted the world’s attention.
She learned to step dance at age 3 and to play the fiddle at age 6.
No longer the upstart that she once was, Verch has now been performing and recording for more than two decades. While she may be best known for playing traditional fiddle styles from her native Ottawa Valley, her performances also include old-time American and Appalachian styles, among other things.
Verch’s latest album is an 18-track collection that celebrates her life’s work to date, according to the release.
“She hand-picked the songs on this compilation which offer a mix of regional Canadian, American old-time, bluegrass, country and Americana tracks,” the release says. The compilation “is an excursion through her 1998-2015 recordings, featuring tunes and songs dear to her as well as a healthy dose of fan favorites and two newly recorded tracks.”
Active now for 43 years, the Branford Folk Music Society is an all-volunteer, nonprofit organization devoted to traditional folk music. For its next concert on Feb. 11, it will present Coracree, a New York State band that performs a transatlantic mix of traditional Celtic, old-time, European and original music.