THE North Shore Celtic Ensemble was on stage, fiddling as their audience brimmed with excitement.
For violinist and future music teacher Jesse Kazemir, it was his first big show with the youth group.
In the audience, watching intently, was his future violin student Phaelen Wheeler.
Following the concert, Kazemir headed back to the Lower Mainland while Wheeler returned to his home in Penticton.
The paths of the two like-minded musicians wouldn't cross again for nearly five years until Wheeler's family moved to Surrey and Phaelen was looking for a teacher.
After seeing the concert, the inspired 10 year old requested a violin for subsequent Christmas and birthday gifts, but it wasn't in the family's budget.
"Just this last summer, Phaelen got handed a violin from a second cousin who had passed away," said Angela Wheeler, Phaelen's mother. "I knew that once he had the violin in his hands, we had to get a teacher right away."
Kazemir, 17, had helped his sister learn a few things on the guitar, but hadn't done much teaching.
A mutual friend introduced Kazemir and Phaelen and their lessons began with neither party aware of their first meeting at the concert years earlier.
"That same guy who had introduced us mentioned that I was from the North Shore Celtic Ensemble," Kazemir says. "Neither of us had realized before then that it was the same group."
"They hit it off beautifully, right from the get-go," Angela adds.
Because the violin relies so much on a fine touch, it is not the easiest instrument to learn.
"For the first month or two it never sounds very good and it's always a lot of scratchy noises," Kazemir says. "It's very unpleasant before you start getting a good tone."
Gaining a sense of the instrument and just where your fingers should be at all times can be a lifelong pursuit.
Despite the relative inexperience of both parties, their union seems to be a success.
"He's progressing very fast," Kazemir says. "He's quite musical, also I think it's because he's wanted to play violin for so long. He's very eager, and as a result of that, practises quite a bit."
Having played the violin for more than a decade, Kazemir has come to enjoy the role of teacher.
"I remember when I was learning and it's kind of fun going back over those early, simple songs," he says.
Wheeler has been performing those simple tunes for his toddler sibling, possibly moving toward a bigger stage.
"He's looking forward to, one day, possibly joining up with the Celtic Ensemble," Angela says.
