Frontier Fiddles: Soundscapes of the Wild Southwest

The Sedona International Film Festival presents “Frontier Fiddles: Soundscapes of the Wild Southwest” concert live on Sunday, May 17 at 4 p.m. at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre.

Enjoy an evening where history, storytelling, and high-energy music meet on stage, in a special concert that brings together acclaimed violinist Arvel Bird and the Wild West Fiddle Project for an immersive performance filled with rhythm, images, and shared discovery.

The concert blends masterful fiddle and guitar with projected images that reimagine history and immerse us in landscapes from across Arizona. The music moves through Celtic, Hispanic, frontier, and Indigenous sound worlds that shaped the region’s cultural life, while stories and visuals reveal the people and places behind the tunes. The result is lively, welcoming, and designed for listeners of all ages, with moments of audience participation and musical dialogue.

Classically trained as a violinist, Arvel Bird’s compositions and performances are a confluence of styles from Celtic, bluegrass and his original Native American folk and Celtic rock orchestrations. As he worked to develop his own music style and build a large following, Arvel went wherever the music called him, which led him away from classical and towards Bluegrass, Appalachian, Folk and Celtic. From 1986 to 2000 Arvel toured with Glen Campbell, Loretta Lynn, Tom T. Hall, Ray Price, Louise Mandrell, and Clay Walker.

The Wild West Fiddle Project researches, recreates, and revives historic musical traditions of Arizona and the Colorado Plateau, bringing them to life through concerts, workshops, and community dances. By combining archival research with performance, the project reconnects audiences with the vibrant musical crossroads that once flourished across the Southwest.

Dr. Kate Rose is a fiddler, scholar, and the founder of Wild Steps. Trained in traditional music in County Clare, Ireland, she now researches historic Southwest traditions and performs them in dynamic programs that bring history to life through music and storytelling.

Armand Ramirez is a versatile guitarist whose deep experience in Latin, folk, and roots traditions gives the music a powerful rhythmic drive and stylistic range. His playing bridges cultures and eras, bringing warmth and groove to the Wild West Fiddle Project’s sound.

The program will also feature multimedia projections (historic photographs, landscapes, and archival materials) woven with the music to create a vivid journey through Arizona’s musical past and present. The evening offers exceptional, immersive music and an improvisational synergy that journeys into creative process behind the music. Together, the artists invite the audience into a shared celebration of sound, history, and place.

“Frontier Fiddles: Soundscapes of the Wild Southwest” will take the stage at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre on Sunday, May 17 at 4 p.m. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door. All tickets include a meet-and-greet with the performers in the lobby after the show.

For tickets and more information, please call 928-282-1177. Both the theatre and film festival office are located at 2030 W. Hwy. 89A, in West Sedona.