A somewhat unlikely duo of instruments is set to make beautiful music together at the Northern Arts and Cultural Centre (NACC) on Friday, Feb. 28.

The sounds of a digital accordion and a clarinet will interweave in a performance by Canadian performers Bridge and Wolak, who will celebrate Bach to Benny Goodman.

SA国际影视传媒淰ictor Borge was a big inspiration for us,SA国际影视传媒� Michael Bridge, who plays the digital accordion, said of the 20th century, pianist, actor and humorist who gained worldwide popularity for his comedy and music.

Clarinet player Kornel Wolak said Borge was an iconic entertainer who inspired the pair to connect with their audiences by adding humour and storytelling to their performance.

SA国际影视传媒淎nd now we took it a step further, and we add all sorts of videography, graphic design and even dance in some of our shows,SA国际影视传媒� Wolak said.

Friend connection

And what makes their performance so genuine and cohesive goes deeper than what happens onstage, Bridge said.

SA国际影视传媒淚 think the comedy and humour comes naturally out of our friendship. We are 15 years now working together as a duo, and it's not just a professional thing.

SA国际影视传媒淲e're great friends, and that's a good thing when we spend so much time travelling and creating programs together. We have a lot of fun, a lot of laughs, and so we actually just put that on stage.SA国际影视传媒�

While both performers hold doctorate degrees in music, each has their own interest in terms of their artistic tastes in music and how they approach their work SA国际影视传媒� with Bridge being witty and flexible and Wolak being sardonically funny and focused.

This diverse and unique approach during their performances has won them the worldwide ability to connect with their audiences, Bridge said.

SA国际影视传媒淥ne main feature of our performances is that we are very interactive with our audiences. We actually have a Q&A in the middle of the second half of the show in every concert we do, and that's an opportunity for a lot of humour and banter with the audience,SA国际影视传媒� Bridge said.

SA国际影视传媒淏ut even from the beginning of the show, we really acknowledge the audience's presence and we love to surprise them and play off of them and tease them. So it's very interactive.SA国际影视传媒�

Wolak said the audience response is consistent regardless of where they travel in the world.

SA国际影视传媒淥therwise, we wouldnSA国际影视传媒檛 be doing it. It's very inspiring, because it feels like everybody wants to laugh and everybody wants to share stories with us, especially when they are genuine.SA国际影视传媒�

Instrumental success

And while the two instruments they play are different SA国际影视传媒� not unlike the performers themselves SA国际影视传媒� they too have similarities, Wolak said.

SA国际影视传媒淲hen you think about it in technical terms, about how the sound of an accordion and the clarinet is produced, I'm talking about acoustic accordion and acoustic clarinet, they are both woodwind instruments. The accordion uses air or wind to move the reed to vibrate, and the same happens with the clarinet, except the clarinet has only one reed, so the sound waves are very similar, and that's why they play very, very well,SA国际影视传媒� Wolak explained.

During their upcoming performance at NACC, Bridge said the audience can expect to hear music from the Baroque era and their unique version of it, Parisian jazz and tunes from the New York nightclub era, featuring the music of Benny Goodman.

SA国际影视传媒淪o, it's a real musical journey that touches on a lot of different genres, wrapped up with comedy,SA国际影视传媒� Bridge said.

Chance encounter

Carmen Braden, a member of the Longshadow Music Society, said the Bridge and Wolak performance is presented by NACC as a co-production with the Longshadow Music Society.

After meeting and hearing Bridge perform in Banff during the Yellowknife wildfire evacuation of 2023, Braden said she felt a SA国际影视传媒渞eal affinitySA国际影视传媒� for his style.

SA国际影视传媒淚 felt he would be a great person to bring to a Yellowknife audience. And then I found out about his various projects, one of them being this, this crazy duo with the clarinetist.

SA国际影视传媒淚 think what really drew me to them was their humour and just their vivacity of everything they did that seemed like it was done with joy and openness.

SA国际影视传媒淎nd I was like, SA国际影视传媒榯hat sounds like what we need after leaving town,SA国际影视传媒橲A国际影视传媒� she said of the vibrant and funny performers, intended to bring joie de vivre back to Yellowknife after the trauma of the evacuation experience.

SA国际影视传媒淚 think (the audience) can expect to see a lot of fun by the musicians on the stage and a real passion for whatever genre of music theySA国际影视传媒檙e playing, and of respect for the history that it comes from, but also, in true Longshadow fashion, a way of looking forward,SA国际影视传媒� Braden said.

Expanding horizons

Both Bridge and Wolak said they are looking forward to visiting the territory for the first time. While here, they will also perform during the opening day celebration at the Snowking's ice castle on March 1.

As they are avid promoters of music among youth, they also have several informative engagements lined up to meet local musicians, including a free workshop for musicians called 'Artistic Career Moves for Part-time Musicians,' which will offer information about setting fees, valuing your time and the current music industry.

That workshop is set to take place on Wednesday, Feb. 26, at 7:30 p.m. at Carmen Braden's studio. For more information email: director@longshadowmusic.ca.

SA国际影视传媒淪o, it's going to be a cultural exchange, and we're going to take away some really cool memories SA国际影视传媒� and that's a huge privilege to have the career and the jobs that we do,SA国际影视传媒� Bridge said.