Page 29 - Brandon Sun - Winter Fair 2018

MARCH 26-31, 2018 • ROYAL MANITOBA WINTER FAIR • THE BRANDON SUN 29

» Contest was ‘really important’

Continued from Page 28

“It was really important,” she said of the annual
event. “It was the stepping stone, the building blocks
of starting a career.”
Inspired by her father who was a renowned fid-
dler, Granger took a liking to the instrument early
on.
She took after-school classical training at Bran-
don University and helped guide the Fantasy Fid-
dlers group of teenaged players who travelled
neighbouring provinces and states to play.
Out-of-town fiddlers linked Granger with Bar-
rage, a violin-based modern ensemble, whom she
travelled the world with beginning at the age of 16.
Performing 350 shows a year wasn’t uncommon, she
said.
Throughout her career, she’s played for Prince
Charles, the Saudi royal family and done tours with
Canadian troops overseas. She’s performed along-
side country artists Gord Bamford, Brett Kissel and
Aaron Pritchett.
Granger was nominated for five Canadian Coun-
try Music Awards and won as top fiddler in 2013
for her work touring with Bamford. Allison Granger received the fiddler of the year award at the 2013 Canadian Country Music Association
» Continued on Page 30 awards. (Submitted)