To say his gift is God-given might not be fair to Max Francis.
“If I have a big event, I’ll practice five or six hours a day,” says the 12-year-old student of the Young Artists Collegium Program at the Victoria Conservatory of Music.
Francis’ instrument of choice is the fiddle. For the uninitiated, a fiddle is a violin, only played differently. But according to Francis, you don’t play it at all.
“You don’t play the violin, you play the bow,” he says.
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The genre he’s growing to master is traditional fiddle music. Its roots trace back to Ireland and Scotland, and the destination is the dance floor. “Most fiddle music should make you dance if it’s played right.”
Francis is fresh off a fiddling triumph at the National Old Time Fiddlers’ Contest and Festival in Weiser, Idaho.
“It’s a big gathering of musicians of all genres and styles. Especially folk and country music,” he says.
Francis says about 5,000 musicians were part of the festival, and he came home with a first. He captured the title of Junior Swing Fiddle Champion, as well as a second-place finish in the overall junior category.
It’s no surprise to Mickey Stirling. The animateur of the Young Artists Collegium Program at the Victoria Conservatory of Music says exceptional status was given to Francis when he applied to the program at eight years old. He was accepted to the program, which is meant for gifted classical musicians 12 and up.
“Having not done any classical music, and in a couple of years, he’s composing a sonata that won prizes at the national level,” she says.
As for his immediate future, Francis will be performing at the Canada Day festivities at the Gorge Waterway, and you can catch him busking summer nights in Victoria.
Long term, Francis’ goals aren’t all musical. “I’d like to go to medical school.”
For now, it’s all music, and it’s a gift he wants to share.
“My favourite thing to do is play music,” he added.
Jordan Cunningham
