Fans of old time fiddling music won’t want to miss the exemplary skills of the Scott Woods Band.

The award-winning musician performs May 26 at Sunnybrook United Church.

Showtime is 7 p.m.

Woods is a mesmerizing genius when it comes to offering up all kinds of fiddling styles, and he’s garnered loads of awards to prove it.

Two-time winner of the Canadian Open Fiddle Contest, two-time winner of the Canadian Grand Masters Fiddling Championships and Canadian Fiddle Entertainer of the Year are some of his most-prized accolades.

He has also won competitions and performed throughout Canada, the United States and Europe. And his stage presence is consistently entertaining and downright incredible — Woods can turn somersaults and step dance while playing the fiddle.

He laughs as he describes first giving such antics a shot while a youngster.

In those days, there was no fear. If he was to start now, well, he’s not so sure.

Meanwhile, rounding out his first-rate band are Carolyn Woods, Kendra Woods Norris, Ivan Felker, Kyle Weymouth and Keayla Woods.

Weymouth is also something of a step-dancing sensation, and will be wowing the audience with his skills during the show as well.

For Woods, the love of music was sparked early on, beginning with his studies in classical violin at age four.

His father felt that a foundation in classical music was critical to any branching out into other genres down the road.

Woods and his siblings were thus all busy with lessons on a variety of instruments, from violin to piano to guitar, and his father was careful to keep his kids inspired.

“He would say, if you practice your scales, I will teach you a jig, or a polka or two-step for fun. It was a really neat way to approach it.”

As the years passed, the kids were also taken to competitions, and Woods recalls the joy of winning cash for a job well done. It was also a source, in a sense, of bolstered inspiration.

Once that started happening, he was practicing upwards of six hours a day – by choice.

The classical training has been critical to his development as an artist, but he always had a penchant for the old-time styles that were so familiar to him growing up.

In fact, his love of fiddling has been passed down through six generations of his family.

But while his style was setting in, his post-secondary studies took him in a different direction – business and marketing.

He’s grateful for those skills as they’re such a help with his career, but music is and has always been at the forefront.

Not that he’s restricted to the fiddle.

He plays lots of other instruments, but the fiddle remains his favourite no matter what particular genre he’s studying — classical, jazz, big band, country, swing, Celtic, or old time music.

For seven years Woods was also the musical director and played the part of Don Messer in Memories of Don Messer’s Jubilee which toured extensively in Canada. It was a magical time for Woods, who clearly admires the legendary Messer’s unique style of fiddling.

“He played tunes in a very melodic style, and that’s how I approach them as well,” he explains. “He really played the violin like it was his voice – he ‘sang’ the melody. It was an approach that was very lyrical as well.”

For ticket information to Woods’ Red Deer show, call 403-347-6073 or 403-347-6539.

mweber@reddeerexpress.com