By Lizz Bottrell

Don’t let Anne-Julie Caron’s modesty fool you. She’s as beautiful in person as she is in her photos. And her music doesn’t disappoint either.

Mumblings from audience members at the Kipling Community Centre on March 5, not quite sure what to expect, filled the hall during the moments leading up to the performance. “Did you know what you were going to see,” asked one lady to another. “I thought it [the marimba] would be smaller,” the other replied.

Others, obviously impressed with Caron’s extensive experience, chattered amongst themselves about the fact that she comes from Quebec, thus having come a long way to play in Kipling.

Alternating between an intense, passionate performance and softer, sensual music, Caron captivated her audience on the marimba. She played her instrument with four mallets, two in each hand - quite often all moving separately.

Caron engaged her audience with her music and with educational bits about the marimba. “My instrument comes from Africa,” said Caron. People built it a lot different back then, so it didn’t have the same pieces to project sound. “They used to build a hole in the ground to project the sound,” said Caron.

“There is a classical repertoire written for this instrument,” said Caron. But since it’s an instrument newer to North America, much of the music written sounds very modern. Therefore, Caron transcribes classical music originally written for cellos, violins, etc. to fit the marimba.

A couple songs before the intermission, pianist Akiko Tominaga joined Caron on stage. The duo played with emotion that could only come from years of playing together. Yet the two only met a couple years back. “We both sort of excel in different ways. That way when we come together we complement each other,” said Tominaga.

Like any well-rounded couple, when they work on a piece together, sometimes they interpret the music differently. “We are open musically. So if one feels strongly about how to play a piece, we compromise,” said Caron.

Although many people came to the concert not knowing what to expect, Anne Dumonceaux had an idea of what she would see. “Our daughter brought home a similar one [to the marimba], but it was a lot smaller,” said Anne Dumonceaux.

Audience members enjoyed Caron’s performance, the Kipling & District Arts Council’s third in their “Starts for Saskatchewan” concert series.. “It’s relaxing,” said Sylvain Dumonceaux. “Oh I love it, it’s great,” said Dolores Beaujot. “I never heard a marimba player before. I bet she’s very good with the chopsticks.”