Acclaimed singer and songwriter, Lizzy Hoyt is one of Canada’s most powerful Celtic-folk artists. Known for bringing Canadian history to life with her music, entwining traditional and contemporary elements, Lizzy Hoyt delivers a diverse performance of music with soaring melodies rooted in Celtic and folk traditions. Her songs have garnered awards and nominations while also connecting strongly with audiences across the country. Creston Concert Society is pleased to be bringing Lizzy, backed by the guitar and mandolin of Chris Tabbert and the upright bass of Keith Rempel, to the Prince Charles Theatre for a Sunday matinee on March 24th, 2019.
A talented multi-instrumentalist, Lizzy toured for ten years as a side musician before pursuing her own projects. She has been praised for her mastery of the fiddle, guitar, and harp by the Edmonton Journal, Calgary Herald, and more. CBC’s Chris Della Torre calls her “a musician’s musician” and notes “fans that want their artists to play well can find that with [her]”. In addition to this praise, her voice has been described as “otherworldly”, “angelic”, “sweet”, and “pure”, and as a singer, she has been recognized for her clarity and precision, which audience members find comparable to Eva Cassidy and, especially when she pairs them with a Celtic harp, “evokes a bit of Loreena McKennitt.” [Calgary Herald]
Based on repertoire from her acclaimed album, “New Lady on the Prairie”, (produced by Hoyt with John Reischman) Hoyt’s show is a lyrical nod to the past — a collection of songs about Canadian history, immigration, women, war, love and family, and demonstrates a mature and refined ‘trans-Atlantic’ sound that blends influences from Celtic, bluegrass and folk traditions. Lizzy finely crafted songs for this album inspired by her maternal grandmother’s stories about their family tree, and her great aunt’s immigration to Canada from Ireland in the early 1900s. Due to her strong personal connection with the stories, Lizzy was able to create timeless songs that are touching, poignant and lyrically rich. For her work on this project, Lizzy was nominated for Songwriter of the Year (Western Canadian Music Awards), Solo Artist of the Year (Canadian Folk Music Awards), and Story Song of the Year (Independent Music Awards).
As a performer, Lizzy dazzles audiences with her diversity. Not only an accomplished songwriter, her gifts as a vocalist are highlighted as she sings with lyricism, gentleness, and passion. Her talents as an instrumentalist are featured in spades: blistering fiddle sets, finger-style guitar, ancient melodies for Celtic harp and some percussive Cape Breton step-dancing.
Her personal story songs are mixed with favourites from her previous albums, some traditional Celtic songs, instrumental sets, including Irish favourites like “Star of the County Down” and the traditional Quebecois folksong ‘V’la l’bon vent’, as well as a few covers by artists who have influenced her musical development (Dolly Parton, Rankin Family, Alison Krauss). At a recent performance at Burns Lake, moved “audience members were so silent it seemed they were barely breathing, and seemed so moved they almost could not bring themselves to applaud at the end. Lizzy and the band know how to keep the tempo and moods changing, however; at other times the audience was clapping along enthusiastically, and concluded the second set with cheers and applause, and a heartfelt standing ovation.”
Other awards and nominations for Lizzy’s music and projects include International Acoustic Music Award (Best Female Artist), Canadian Folk Music Award Nominee (Traditional Singer of the Year), finalist standing in two international songwriting competitions (John Lennon Songwriting Contest, USA Songwriting Competition) as well as ten awards at multiple international film festivals for her Vimy Ridge Video. In 2013, Lizzy was awarded the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal by the Governor General of Canada for her outstanding contribution to commemorating Canadian veterans and Vimy Ridge history through music.
Lizzy holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Sociology from the University of Alberta, graduating with distinction in 2009. Beyond her own show, she is a sought-after instrumentalist and adjudicator for music festivals and has toured as part of “Genius of the Violin” and as a classical vocalist with the Centre for Opera Studies in Italy, Manitoba Underground Opera and Flipside Opera.
Praised for her depth and diversity, you will love this powerful Celtic-folk performer! Tickets available at Black Bear Books, Kingfisher Books and Fly in the Fibre for $22 adult, $10 youth or $25/$12 at the door. The show starts at 2:00 p.m. at the Prince Charles Theatre. Check out Creston Concert Society’s Facebook page for videos and more information.