Fiddle group to hit the San Juans on farewell tour

Submitted by event organizers

The fiddle group Childsplay will visit the San Juans on their national farewell tour to promote their album “The Bloom of Youth” at 8 p.m., Nov. 10, at the San Juan Community Theatre. Contact the theater for ticket information at 360-378-3210.

This album is the first step in a final farewell tour for the band, many of whom have been in the band for 30 years.

Led by violin maker Robert Childs, Childsplay is made up of over 20 musicians from around the United States and Ireland, with each member of the string section playing a violin or viola handmade by Childs himself. To imagine what is unique to Childsplay, picture what a family that sings together sounds like; all the voices of the violins have a familial tone. Add in 30 years of touring, a film on PBS and the recent release of their seventh album.

It is said that of all the musical instruments, the violin is the most like the human voice when played soulfully. Karan Casey, one of the most celebrated voices in Irish traditional and folk music, sang on the album and will be joining Childsplay for their farewell tour. Childsplay is made up of a cast of 12 incredible fiddlers, ranging from all-Ireland and national Scottish fiddle champions to members of the Boston Symphony, and also includes nine all-star instrumentalists, singers and dancers who altogether create the sound that is truly Childsplay.

“Since our first gig in 1988, our band of talented musicians has strived to take fiddle music beyond mesmerizing repetition and into the realm of harmonies and counter rhythms — traditional fiddle sounds in a contemporary world,” Childs said. “We are so grateful to all of our fans for their continued support as we tune our strings for the final time, and hope to meet new fans along the way.”