For over twenty years the Saline Fiddlers Philharmonic have impressed their audiences with their musical and dancing skills and wide-ranging repertoire, which includes American folk fiddle, blue grass, jazz, swing and Celtic songs. While entertaining local audiences in the Greater Detroit area, the Fiddlers have also acquired a national and international reputation. They’ve given over a thousand performances in the US, including three times at the White House and twice at the Kennedy Center. They’ve also toured abroad, performing in several cities throughout Great Britain during the summer of 2013.

This year the group is going on another summer tour in the U.S., while in 2017 they are planning to embark on an international tour, considering countries such as Ireland or Israel. This is an ambitious goal, which will take not only fine-tuning their performances but also an intensive fund raising campaign. Given how much the Fiddlers give back to the local communities–in energy, fun and entertainment–and how much the students themselves benefit from the experience of practicing and performing music, they are hoping to find a lot of support for these journeys in the Saline and other local communities, among family, friends and many other fans and spectators.

The appeal of their music is almost universal, uniting people of different age groups, ethnicities and nationalities.  Music adds so much to our lives. I have previously written about some of the reasons why we love classical music, which apply equally well to the music of the Saline Fiddlers Philharmonic. 

1. Classical music soothes the mind and delights the senses.

“I had to listen to the Classical Music because it calms me down, calms my nerves down. “Novak Djokovic

2. Classical music supports the continuity of culture, in an age of mass media onslaught, when we risk losing the best achievements of past cultures.

“In these confused times, the role of Classical Music is at the very core of the struggle to reassert cultural and ethical values that have always characterized our country and for which we have traditionally been honored and respected outside our shores.” Lorin Maazel

3. Much of modern music, such as jazz, rock and pop, is influenced by classical music.

“Many fail to realize this great recording industry was built by so-called jazz artists. And at the other end of the spectrum, a base in European classical music as well.” Ahmad Jamal

“In a way, the history of jazz’s development is a small mirror of classical music’s development through the centuries.” Mike Figgis

4. Not surprisingly, many of the best contemporary musicians have some training in classical music.

“When I was younger, studying classical music, I really had to put in the time. Three hours a day is not even nice – you have to put in six.” Alicia Keys

5. Classical music is international, absorbing influences from diverse cultures and appealing to people across the world. It’s as close to a universal language as we have. In that sense, it’s a unifying force for humanity.

“Music has always been transnational; people pick up whatever interests them, and certainly a lot of classical music has absorbed influences from all over the world.” Yo-Yo Ma

6. Classical music appeals to our sense of symmetry and order.

“I don’t know if it’s a sign of all the chaos that is happening out there or not, but I’ve lately craved the structure and order of classical music, the balance and symmetry.” Helen Reddy 

7. Classical music is evocative. It provokes the imagination and facilitates introspection.

We hope you will enjoy another year of great music and  fun performances by the Saline Fiddlers Philharmonic. 

Claudia Moscovici, Romanticism and Postromanticism