The Hastings College Department of Music will host the April Verch Band at 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, March 29 in Perkins Auditorium inside Fuhr Hall. A Lied Arts Across Nebraska event, this performance is free and open to the public.

The April Verch Band, with April at the helm on the fiddle, delivers richly textured phrasing on traditional roots tunes, bluegrass and newgrass melodies, jazz-influenced compositions, and country music. The highly accomplished trio promises to thrill audiences of all ages with their energetic performance featuring breathtaking instrumentals, captivating vocals and spectacular Ottawa Valley step dancing.

The April Verch Band consists of world-class musicians Clay Ross on guitar and Cody Walters on upright electric bass and banjo. Verch leads the band with her own simultaneous fiddling and dancing. Together they have sold out prestigious venues and festivals for years.

April launched her professional career by winning the Canadian Grand Masters Fiddle Champion and the Canadian Open Fiddle Champion titles. She is the first and only woman to win both. April has released seven recordings to date. Her 2001 Rounder Records release earned a JUNO nomination, the Canadian equivalent to a Grammy, for “Best Roots/Traditional Album.”

The Lied Center’s Arts Across Nebraska program is funded in part by Friends of Lied and Sid Dillon. Dietze Music sponsors the Arts Across Nebraska April Verch Band tour. Arts Across Nebraska student matinees and workshops are supported by the Nebraska Arts Council and the Nebraska Cultural Endowment. This presentation is supported by Mid-America Arts Alliance with generous underwriting by the National Endowment for the Arts, Nebraska Arts Council and foundations, corporations and individuals throughout Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas.

Hastings College, founded in 1882, is a private, four-year liberal arts institution affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA). A total of 64 majors in 32 areas of study and 12 pre-professional programs are offered to more than 1,190 students. Hastings College was named among “America’s Best National Liberal Arts Colleges” by U.S. News & World Report, a “Best in the Midwest” by The Princeton Review, and a “Best Buy in College Education” by Barron’s. Visit www.hastings.edu for more information.

For more information, contact the Department of Music at (402) 461-7448.