| Jessica Gal is a professional fiddle
player / violinist born and living in Montreal. Jessica started playing the violin
at the age of four. She has been teaching since 1998.
Jessica studied classical music with Johanne Arel and Raymond Dessaints at
the Conservatoire de Musique de Montreal until 1991, at which time she
began learning Irish and Scottish traditional music on her own and by
attending the lively sessions which were thriving in Montreal at the
time. She began performing as a substitute in several different
Celtic groups at the city's major Irish pubs (McKibbins, Hurleys,
Claddagh, Cock n'Bull, etc.) but always preferred to play at priviate
occasions such as weddings, ceilis and parties, often with fellow Siamsa
teachers Belfast Andi and Peter Senn. She later became the fiddle
player for their group known as MacFinn, which has performed at the
Montreal Celtic Festival, the Brockville festival and Chambly Bière et
Saveurs festival.
Since late 2002, she has been learning a new musical style: East
European and Gypsy music. She began studying with Romanian
violinist Carmen Piculeata (violinist for Cirque du Soleil's Varekai
production), and since 2003 has continued with her new husband,
Moldavian accordionist Sergiu Popa. They have been playing
together as a duo and with a larger ensemble for concerts, weddings and
private occasions for the past year. For more information about Sergiu
and Jessica, or to check their calendar of upcoming public performances,
see their website:
http://www.sergiupopa.com/.
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