Daniel Lapp is a fiddler, trumpeter, singer, and teacher from Prince George, British Columbia, who has built much of the fiddle scene in Victoria. He founded the BC Fiddle Orchestra in 1994, the Victoria Fiddle Society in 2001, and Daniel Lapp’s House of Music Society in 2007. He played fiddle at the opening ceremonies of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, and the Canadian Grand Masters Fiddling Association gave him its Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019.
Why Lapp matters
Most fiddlers on this site are known for contests or records. Lapp is known for building rooms where fiddlers gather. His orchestra has taught young players in Victoria for more than 30 years. His monthly jams have run for more than two decades. And he has spent 25 years collecting tunes written by British Columbia fiddlers, more than 1,000 pieces by more than 100 composers. He has given a region a repertoire and a place to play it.
Life and career
Lapp was born Daniel Edward Lapp and grew up in Prince George, British Columbia. His mother played piano and relatives on the fiddle side of the family kept the tradition going at home. He took up violin at age nine. He went on to study trumpet at the University of Victoria and earned a Bachelor of Music there.
In 1988 and 1989 he toured as a member of the Vancouver folk rock band Spirit of the West, though he never recorded with the group. He has since toured with Barney Bentall, Mae Moore, Rickie Lee Jones, and others across Europe, Australia, China, Israel, and the United States. His first solo album, Daniel Lapp, came out in 1994, with Live and Kickin’ in 1996 and Reunion and Closer Than They Appear in 2002. His most recent record, Fishcakes and Oranges, came out in 2013.
The teaching work started in 1994 with the BC Fiddle Orchestra, which he still directs. It now serves about 50 students in three ensembles. He started the Victoria Fiddle Society and its monthly jam in 2001 and his own House of Music Society in 2007. He also leads the Joy of Life Choir, a non-auditioned choir of about 100 singers, and Folkestra, an adult ensemble of about 40 players. In 2014 the Victoria Conservatory of Music named him the first artistic director of its Chwyl Family School of Contemporary Music.
In 2010 he was a featured fiddler in the opening ceremonies of the Vancouver Winter Olympics, playing to a live crowd of more than 60,000. He received the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Service Award in 2012, the Canadian Folk Music Association’s Innovator Award in 2013, and the Canadian Grand Masters Fiddling Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019.
Playing style
Lapp is a trumpet player who fiddles, and it shows in his phrasing. He plays a tune the way a horn player would sing it, with clear breaths between phrases. He does not pack a tune with ornaments. The melody stays in front.
He also works outside the dance tradition. His records mix folk with jazz and electronic textures, and he has cut a Chet Baker tribute, Merry Chetmas. In his trio with accordion player Martin Green and guitarist Adam Dobres he plays old-time tunes with a modern band feel. On stage he sings and switches between trumpet and fiddle in the same set.
Influences and legacy
Lapp’s first teachers were his family. Trumpet study at the University of Victoria gave him the jazz side. His BC tune collection ties him to more than 100 composers from his home province, most of them unknown outside it.
His legacy is the players he has taught. The BC Fiddle Orchestra has been running for more than 30 years, and its alumni fill the Victoria scene. Fiddlers who teach the way he does include Gordon Stobbe in Nova Scotia and Calvin Vollrath in Alberta.
Signature tunes and songs
Commonwealth Polka.
Essential recordings
Daniel Lapp (1994) Live and Kickin’ (1996) Closer Than They Appear (2002) Fishcakes and Oranges (2013)
Awards and honors
BC Fiddle Championship winner Featured fiddler, opening ceremonies of the Vancouver Winter Olympics (2010) Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Service Award (2012) Canadian Folk Music Association Innovator Award (2013) Canadian Grand Masters Fiddling Association Lifetime Achievement Award (2019)
Watch and listen
Lapp plays the Commonwealth Polka on fiddle in a clip from the 1994 Commonwealth Games in Victoria.
Lapp teaches a fiddle lesson at Gavin Lake Fiddle Camp. You see how he works with a class.
What to learn from Lapp
Learn the Commonwealth Polka. Polkas are rare in bluegrass jams, and one clean polka will make you the person who can call a change of pace. The technique to steal is his phrasing. Sing the tune before you play it. Mark where a singer would breathe. Lift the bow at those spots. That horn player’s habit is why Lapp’s fiddle sounds like a voice.
Sources
Daniel Lapp, official site Daniel Lapp, Wikipedia
Related players
See the fiddle players hub and the bluegrass fiddle guide for more Canadian players. Gordon Stobbe does the same kind of teaching work in Nova Scotia. Calvin Vollrath is Alberta’s fiddle teacher and composer. Trent Freeman and Patrick M’Gonigle are two younger fiddlers who came up on Vancouver Island.