Oliver Schroer
Toronto critic Robert Everett-Green described his style as a "fusion of Ontario fiddling traditions with the kind of architectural, string-crossing music of Bach's solo violin works."[3] Schroer's music also frequently employs violin harmonic and double stop techniques to create distinctly modern sounds.During his time as a music educator, Schroer established a series of groups of young fiddlers and other musicians that he called The Twisted String.He carried his instrument wrapped in a sleeping bag in his backpack, "like my own precious relic, carefully packed in its reliquary of socks and underwear."[3][4] The album features solo playing, occasionally against a background of local sounds such as church bells, birds, and monastic voices.The fundraising effort was broadcast on CBC radio, and unbeknownst by Oliver who was confined in the hospital, the group's visit remained a secret to Schroer until just days before the concert.He asked that his sold-out audience clap, not cry, and apologized for not being his normal glad-handing self; the risk of infection from personal contact would have been much too great.