Thomas Studer is beginning to put himself on the local arts radar.
The Swiss accordion player is coming off a string of gigs in the Sea to Sky area, most notably Artstoberfest: a brand-new Arts Whistler undertaking that took place for the first time Oct. 5. Studer and his polka band performed at the Maury Young Arts Centre on a night it was transformed into a Bavarian-style beer hall.
Knowing first-hand what Oktoberfest is supposed to look, feel and sound like, Studer has given the recent festivities his seal of approval.
"It was a very, very special event," he recounts. "We had the stage in the theatre, where they had a bar and some games going on, like a stein-holding competition and a yodeling competition. There were so many people with a background from Germany or the Czech Republic. They really enjoyed the music and came dressed up for this event. [Arts Whistler] did a very good job, and I think for their first time, the reaction was very good."
Studer held up his end of the bargain, helping his fellow musicians energize guests as they took to the dance floor. Growing up near Lucerne, Switzerland, he started to learn how to play accordion at 10 years of age and developed his own style after half a decade of lessons.
"The cool thing is, you have on the right side [of an accordion] the melody, and on the left side the bass, so you pretty much can play both," Studer explains. "The sound is so rich. You can make a very rich sound with an accordion just as a solo instrument, whereas with a guitar, you maybe would need the bass and the drums [as well] to reach a high volume."
'A good place to perform'
Three years ago, Studer arrived in Canada to experience a different culture. Needless to say, he brought his accordion with him.
For the first seven months, he experienced the lively music scene of Calgary, Alta., with multiple jam sessions to check out every day. Upon getting to Whistler, he sought out local open mic nights where he began to connect with like-minded performers.
The skiing and biking scene certainly doesn't hurt, but what Studer might appreciate even more is the plethora of varying ethnicities and cultural sensibilities in town.
"We have a lot of diversity and different cultures in Whistler," he observes. "It's so funny that when I play my traditional Swiss, German and Austrian polka, there's so many people who react to this music. [I think] they must have backgrounds with it. Then I try to switch things up with modern stuff, like Italian music or rock songs.
"It's cool that people from everywhere are enjoying live music. I feel like they're very open to different styles in Whistler, because they are from everywhere. It seems to be a good place to perform."
While Studer is very passionate about playing the accordion, he also works as a carpenter to pay his bills. In his mind, there can be a few similarities between his favourite hobby and his day job.
"You need to be creative in both [music and carpentry]," he says. "If you build something, you sometimes need to find solutions to a problem. That's kind of similar to music, where you find your way to play something. But carpentry is very physical, [while] with accordions you use your brain more."
Rachel Lewis, the local Music Together frontwoman, has been voice-coaching Studer for a number of months. Consider her impressed by her pupil.
"[Thomas] is really starting to make a name for himself," she remarks in an email to Pique.
