Born in the highlands, now playing in the prairies, nothing has stopped one life-long musician from enjoying everything music can offer, from hard rock to classical orchestra.
George Fowler, a cello and balalaika player with the Lethbridge Symphony, was born in Scotland where he found his love of music at just eight-years-old.
Fowler also plays the guitar, harmonica and occasionally the piano.
However, relating his life to that of Harry Potter, Fowler says the cello was always going to be his instrument of choice.
“The wand chooses the wizard… I like to say the cello chose me,” said Fowler.
The musician also lived in Russia for several years, from 1990 to 1993.
This meant he experienced the turbulent post-soviet era in the eastern European country.
“I bought a cello in [a department store] and on the same day I bought a Mars bar and a book… The cello was the cheapest thing I bought,” said Fowler.
While living in the bleak nation, he played in a balalaika orchestra and took lessons from a man who was a terrible alcoholic, according to Fowler.
“We would work so hard and yet he would sort of have a break to go have a drink in the middle,” said Fowler.
However, in Russia, Fowler learned to adapt.
He knew a fellow musician who broke a string on his balalaika, being unable to repair it professionally, he fixed it himself.
“He somehow managed to tie it together. I don’t know how he did it, but he did,” said Fowler.
Even when Fowler left Russia, the nation followed him.
Well, the orchestra did anyway.
Living in France, but still playing for the Russian balalaika orchestra, the team won an Oscar for their soundtrack to “The Grand Budapest Hotel.”
However, not everything is sunshine and rainbows within the music world.
Fowler went into details about a musical battle between two colleagues to be king of the hill.
According to Fowler, one of the musicians decided to remove himself from their CD cover over the fight.
“He wanted his name taken off the record and he asked to be airbrushed out of the picture,” said Fowler.
He described it as being a very strange scene.
“They all loved the same stuff, but they couldn’t get along,” said Fowler.
After his time in Europe, Fowler decided to try his hand at the Canadian scene.
This is primarily due to him marrying a woman from Manitoba, but Fowler had nothing but praise for Lethbridge.
“I see that Lethbridge punches well above it’s weight musically,” said Fowler.
He says most cities the size of Lethbridge would be unable to maintain a symphony.
However, Fowler does say Lethbridge could still improve the local music scene.
“It would be great if we had a concert hall,” said Fowler.
In Lethbridge, Fowler also sings every Friday for a French kindergarten class.
“I’m like a rockstar for the five to six year old set,” said Fowler.
Beyond his school-singing career, Fowler is also singing in a band when he is not playing for the Lethbridge Symphony.
The many experiences of George Fowler make for a fun and entertaining musician.
To see Fowler live, check out the Lethbridge Symphony.
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