Acclaimed songwriter, Lizzy Hoyt is one of Canada’s most powerful Celtic-folk artists.
Known for bringing Canadian history to life with her music, her songs like “Vimy Ridge”, “White Feather”, and “New Lady on the Prairie” have garnered awards and nominations while also connecting strongly with audiences across the country. In 2013, Lizzy was awarded the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal by the Governor General of Canada for her outstanding contribution to commemorating Canadian veterans and Vimy Ridge history through music.
Don’t’ miss the final Quadra Cultural Events performance for the season when Lizzy Hoyt performs at the Quadra Island Community Centre on Saturday, March 16, starting at 7:30 p.m.
A talented multi-instrumentalist, Lizzy toured for 10 years as a side musician before pursuing her own projects. She has been praised for her mastery of the fiddle, guitar and harp by the Edmonton Journal, Calgary Herald, Penguin Eggs, Bluegrass Unlimited, Star News, and more. CBC’s Chris Della Torre calls her “a musician’s musician” and notes “fans that want their artists to play well can find that with [her].”
In addition to this praise, her voice has been described as “otherworldly”, “angelic”, “sweet”, and “pure”, and as a singer, she has been recognized for her clarity and precision.
Hoyt’s fourth album, New Lady on the Prairie (produced by John Reischman and Lizzy Hoyt) demonstrates a mature and refined ‘trans-Atlantic’ sound that blends influences from Celtic, bluegrass and folk traditions. The title track, inspired by Hoyt’s great aunt immigrating to Canada from Ireland in the early 1900s, demonstrates her interest in historical songwriting and her ability to craft songs that are touching, poignant, and lyrically rich. Her talents as an arranger, producer and multi-instrumentalist are also featured in spades (she recorded guitar, fiddle, harp, accordion and harmonies for the project). The album was nominated for a Canadian Folk Music Award, Western Canadian Award and three Independent Music Awards. It was also named one of the Best Albums of 2014 by the Indie Acoustic Project.
Hoyt is a full-time musician who travels and tours throughout Canada during the year with her trio. She has performed at renowned folk festivals (Edmonton Folk Festival, Montreal Folk Festival, Goderich Celtic Roots Festivals), folk clubs (Calgary Folk Club, Nickelodeon Folk Club, Northern Lights Folk Club) and through performing arts networks across the country. Throughout her career, she has released four independent albums and two music videos. Hoyt has enjoyed substantial success at folk radio as an independent artist.
Following the release of New Lady on the Prairie, she was the fourth most-payed Canadian album on FolkDJ Radio playlist and charted as #2 on the Roots Music Report for Celtic Artists. Despite the fact that the album was released in October, it still ranked among the top 20 most played Canadian albums of 2014. Other awards and nominations for Hoyt’s music and projects include International Acoustic Music Award (Best Female Artist), Canadian Folk Music Award Nominee (Traditional Singer of the Year), finalist standing in two international songwriting competitions (John Lennon Songwriting Contest, USA Songwriting Competition) as well as ten awards at multiple international film festivals for her Vimy Ridge Video.
Hoyt holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Sociology from the University of Alberta. She graduated with distinction in 2009. Beyond her own show, she is a sought-after instrumentalist and adjudicator for music festivals. She has toured as part of “Genius of the Violin” and as a classical vocalist with the Centre for Opera Studies in Italy, Manitoba Underground Opera and Flipside Opera.
Advance tickets will be available for $17 at Works of H’Art, Inspirations, The Music Plant in Campbell River and online at Tidemark Theatre. Tickets will also be available at the door for $20.