Fraser Union is currently Roger Holdstock, Barry Truter, and Kathy Griffin. Their repertoire draws heavily from Canadian sources, including their own original songs. Regardless of the source, they choose songs carefully to tell stories of people’s struggles and triumphs and to share the love of music sung in harmony.
Barry plays guitar, octave mandolin, and several other instruments. Roger plays mandolin and guitar. Kathy, the most recent member of the group, has vast experience singing in many vocal groups, including the award-winning quartet Second Inversion. She also plays guitar and percussion. Fraser Union’s vocal arrangements and harmonies shine.
Fraser Union has a long history of performing for audiences in B.C. and beyond, dating from 1983. They’ve performed, for example, at the Filberg Festival, ArtsWells Festival, Vancouver Folk Music Festival, Vancouver Island MusicFest, Seattle Folklife Festival, Islands Folk Festival, Mayworks, Winter Roots Festival, the National Conference of Teachers of English, the Working Knowledge Conference at UBC, and countless folk clubs, benefits, and coffee houses.
Now into its fourth decade, Fraser Union has five albums of songs, some of which have become anthemic to their audiences. Their most recent album, Bridging the Gap, was preceded by B.C. Songbook: Songs of Canada’s West Coast, This Old World, From There To Here, and Hello Stranger. In addition, Barry Truter has released a cd of his own original material and a book that recounts the travels that his songs reflect: Traveller. Some of those songs have made their way into Fraser Union’s current repertoire.
Over the years, Fraser Union has been heard many times on CBC radio: nationally with Max Ferguson and Bill Richardson; locally with Paul Grant, Mark Forsythe, David Grierson, Kathryn Gretsinger, Sheryl MacKay and others.
For more information, recordings, or bookings, please email Roger Holdstock at holdstockroger@gmail.com. Fraser Union is also on Facebook and YouTube.