Fiddling champ comes with strings attached

Elizabeth Ann Seton Sullivan, a freshman at Bethlehem High School, lifts her fiddle under her chin, puts her bow to the strings and disappears into the music....

Ten years ago, as she listened to the Irish tunes her great-grandfather had on the radio, she would play along with chopsticks and cola cans. She was only four when she decided the fiddle was for her.

Now, the parishioner at St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Delmar is one of only two U.S. fiddlers in her age group who will go to Ireland this month to compete in a traditional music competition.

"I just love the music," Betsy said. "I'm drawn to it."

Fiddling around

She plays in the tradition of fiddlers in County Clare, an even-flowing, highly ornamented and decidedly traditional style that is not "flashy and showy," Betsy said.

She learned the art as many traditional musicians do: less through written music than by sitting in on sessions with experienced players.

The sessions, which involve Irish musicians who get together in concert or just for fun, are "about sharing music with other people," she said. "It's as much about listening as playing."

Lost chords

"When I play, I don't really think about it," Betsy said. "I get lost in it."

Her mother, Ann, noted, "I know how she's feeling about life, or the day, by her music."

Mrs. Sullivan added that many people compliment her daughter on her "lonesome" tone.

Going green

This summer, Betsy will spend eight weeks in Ireland with her family (her mother Ann, her father Sean and her younger sister Mary) and her teachers, participating in music festivals in Limerick, Brittany and Donegal. She will study the particular styles of each area.

"In my wildest dreams, I never thought this would happen. It's nice playing music here," she said. "But, in Ireland, it's amazing. I am very lucky to have these opportunities."

To do well at the Mid-Atlantic competition that led to her Irish trip, Betsy cut down on sports and other activities in order to devote more time to practice.

On the day of the competition, "I didn't think I had made it at all," she said. "Most of the time, I can tell whether I played well, but I was so nervous that I didn't know. When they called my name, it took me ten seconds to realize that I had won."

On her toes

Betsy has also resumed Irish dance lessons after a three-year hiatus.

Because music and dance are so tightly interwoven in the Irish cultural tradition, she explained, dancing has given her an advantage by helping her better understand the music.

When she plays, she noted, she imagines dancers: colorful, brisk, lifting and falling to the rhythm. It's that spirit that she would like to capture in her music.

"You want people to feel that they want to get up and dance, or want to watch dancers," she said. "Music and dance are such a part of each other."

More than music

Betsy is also involved in the junior division of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, where she's been helping out with Special Olympics competitions.

She also serves as a teacher aide in her mother's sixth-grade religious education class, is involved in Confirmation activities and hopes to join the St. Thomas youth group after she is confirmed.

She wants to encourage other teens to become more active in their faith, through teen Masses, retreats, and other events that mix faith and fun.

"I just like being in a group with other young Catholics," Betsy explained. "It's good to be with kids who believe in their faith."

Plans

Betsy hopes to go to college in Ireland. In a "perfect world," she said, she would be able to support herself by playing and teaching the fiddle. She would also like to explore career opportunities in business and medicine -- and perhaps record a couple of CDs.

As she goes into the fiddle competition in Ireland, she plans to pray -- and work hard at the same time.

"I always look to God for help," she said. "A lot of people ask God for stuff: 'Make me win this game.'

"I want to ask God to give me the strength to do my best and help me have the discipline to do well. You have to meet God halfway. I think this is what God wanted me to be."

(The fiddle competition is sponsored by Comhaltas, an Irish organization promoting traditional arts. Betsy won first place in Comhaltas' Mid-Atlantic competition, qualifying her for the finals in Ireland. Betsy and her mother make regular trips to Boston for lessons with Seamus Connolly, a ten-time winner of the Irish National Fiddle Championship and a professor of Irish studies at Boston College. Betsy's other Boston teacher is Laurel Martin.)

(8/10/06) [[In-content Ad]]