DUNSEITH – The International Old-Time Fiddle Workshop and Contest are scheduled for June 4-6 at the International Peace Garden.

The workshop will be held on Thursday and Friday, June 5, with a concert on Friday evening. The Friday concert this year will feature Ryan D’Aoust, an award-winning fiddler from the Norway House Cree Nation in Northern Manitoba. Ryan learned to play fiddle through the Frontier School division’s Fiddling program offered in his school when he was in grade 6. His exceptional passion, talent, and commitment to his community soon led to his becoming a much sought-after fiddler at a very young age. D’Aoust has played at countless square dancing and jigging contests throughout Manitoba.

His first album “South Side of the Strings,” recorded in 2006 when he was still a teenager, won a Canadian Aboriginal Music Award for best fiddling album of the year. His second album titled “York Boats And Legends” included four original compositions, which drew inspiration from his home community and supportive family.

D’Aoust’s style of fiddling is rooted in the tradition of Metis fiddling, which goes back over 350 years in Northern Manitoba and is also influenced by the classic Canadian fiddle style purveyed by fiddlers such as Don Messer, Graham Townsend and Calvin Vollrath. D’Aoust is a magician with his bow and is known for his musical articulation, tone and danceable style. He is highly respected within the Fiddling community and appreciated not only for his playing but for his sense of humor and warm demeanor.

D’Aoust performs both as a solo artist and as co-leader of the Band Highway 373 with his brother Clayton and has been a fiddle instructor for the Frontier School Division since 2011. He currently teaches in his home community of Norway House. In addition to performing across Canada, D’Aoust organizes and teaches fiddle workshops, arranges out of town performances for gifted players and helps promising students attend summer music camps.

Tradition and legacy have resonated with D’Aoust for his whole career. As both a player and teacher his goal is to transmit the joy and sense of community that comes with the fiddle music. He also is enriching that legacy by creating new compositions that add to the canon of Metis music comprised of traditional music and tunes written by the great Metis fiddlers of bygone era, including Andy DesJarlis, Reg Bouvette, and Marcel Meilleur. His hope is his artistic contributions to the fiddling craft will help inspire and motivate young players in the future.

Workshop Instructors include: Evie Andrus, Shelby Huston and Caitlin Baker, all fiddle; John Andrus, banjo; Steve Burket, guitar; Daniel Koulack, bass and mandolin.

The contest is on Saturday, June 6. Some of the best fiddlers around the region, on both sides of the border, will compete for cash prizes. New in 2026, new contestants will be able to compete in the One-Tune Division.

All events at the International Music Camp are subject to the International Peace Garden Gate Fee. Passports are not required to get in and out of the International Peace Garden but are the recommended form of identification. If you do not already have a passport, you will need a birth certificate for everyone in the vehicle and photo ID if 16 or older to return to the country of origin upon leaving the music camp and Peace Garden. This special exemption applies only to the Dunseith and Boissevain ports of entry.