Albany Fiddler featured in Owego Christmas Contradance

George Wilson and Selma Kaplan, from Albany, is the featured band for the Contradance with some Squares on Dec. 17, from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Countryside Community Center, located at 9 Sheldon Guile Blvd. in Owego. 

George, fiddler extraordinaire, and keyboard virtuoso, Selma, bring dynamic, high energy, music to the contradance scene. 

George’s lifelong career in dance music started as a youth playing bass in a rock band. He moved on to become an often sought after fiddler for such groups as Fennigs All-Stars, Whippersnappers, and Spare Parts. 

His over 500 tune repertoire, displaying his wide variety of traditional and folk styles, including tunes from New England, Quebec, Cape Breton, Scotland, Ireland and Shetland, shows the strong influences of Cape Breton and French Canadian sources. 

Accents and ornaments characterize his rhythmic and bouncy style. When George picks up his fiddle, it’s hard to keep your toes from tapping and your feet from dancing. 

He has put out three CD’s: Northern Melodies, Royal Circus, and A Collection of Northern Tunes. George is in demand wherever the best dance music is desired.

Bob Nicholson from Syracuse will be teaching and calling contradances and some square dances to the music of George and Selma. Contradancing, like square dancing, is done to a walking step and is easy to learn. Both beginners and experienced dancers alike happily share same set. No partner is required.

General admission is $7, students and seniors 55 and older are $5, and the family maximum is $15. 

For more information, call Stu Johnson at (607) 687-4034 or Dean Thelen at (607) 654-3185.

This project is made possible, in part, with public funds from NYSCA’s Decentralization Program, administered regionally by The ARTS Council of the Southern Finger Lakes.