Gorham residents Don and Cindy Roy have received a prestigious National Heritage Award from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) in Washington D.C. The couple was recognized for their contributions to preserve the Franco American and Scots Irish musical traditions of Maine. This distinguished award is given to only nine recipients each year and includes such luminaries as BB King, Bill Monroe, and Michael Doucet.
Recipients received a $25,000 award and were honored in Washington, D.C. at an awards ceremony, reception and concert on September 26-28.
The Roys, married for 37 years, have been playing music together that entire time. Don is a master fiddle player while Cindy excels in piano accompaniment, foot rhythms, and step dancing. They credit their family heritage for their musical talent – Don comes from a Franco family in Quebec and Cindy is from an Acadian family in Prince Edward Island.
They are both deeply committed to preserving their traditions and passing their musical culture on to future generations. Don teaches fiddling, makes fiddles, and plays various engagements with the Don Roy Trio. Cindy plays piano accompaniment and keeps the beat with foot tapping unique to the Quebec style of music. In the past, they played with the Maine French Fiddlers, which performed at Carnegie Hall and the Lincoln Center in Washington, D.C.
Photo credit Molly HaleyDon and Cindy Roy of Gorham have been named National Heritage Fellows for 2018.
Don is the musical director and founder of Fiddle-icious, Maine’s largest fiddle orchestra that has been playing autumn concerts for 15 years. The group plays tunes from a variety of traditions and is a very egalitarian group that welcomes players of all levels. The goal of the orchestra is to share these musical traditions with the Maine community, to engage local musicians, and to have fun in the process.
For the Roys, this award is strong affirmation for all their hard work over the years and verifies their efforts to preserve the traditions of a culture that has largely disappeared. Music was the center of their family experiences and reflects the cultural traditions and practices of another time.
The national recognition enables the couple to expand their scope into other ventures. Fiddle-icious has grown from 25 core members to a group that now includes 100 musicians. The future may include spinoffs such as the Fiddle-icious Traditions program – planned for April 2019 – which will feature an intensive weekend of learning, teaching, and playing with others with similar interests. There may be other opportunities to expand the group with activities in other parts of the state or in New England.
When you see Don and Cindy at the local grocery store or the gas station, stop, say hello and congratulate them on this unique honor. Come to the next Fiddle-icious concert scheduled for Saturday, October 27, at 7 p.m. at the McCormick Performing Arts Center at Gorham High School and experience the results of their hard work.