2007 Winner in
"Songs from the Heart" Competition for his song "Feather
Fingers"
2008 Featured performer at
North-by-Northeast Music Festival
2009 Canadian
Region Finalist in the Mountain Stage NewSong Contest
2009, 2010, 2011 Featured performer at
Winterfolk Blues and Roots Festival
With
a professional musical career spanning 3 decades, D'Arcy
Wickham brings maturity and depth to his performing and
songwriting talents. "He showcases an exceptional
facility with all styles of guitar picking, from elegant
folk to atmospheric blues, and with his gifts as a composer
of comfortingly retro, acoustic-based pop songs. He's
in fine voice as well - a full, truly pitched baritone
graces his compositions." (Greg Quill, Toronto
Star)
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D'Arcy
has had a wealth of excellent performance and workshop experience over
the past few years. D'Arcy's three appearances at Toronto's
Winterfolk Blues and
Roots Festival in 2009, 2010 and 2011 have seen him share the
workshop stage with such musicians as Wendell Ferguson, Rick Taylor,
Danny Marks, Margaret Stowe, David Gillis and Steve Briggs. As a performer
at the Bruce Cockburn Tribute at Hugh's
Room in Toronto in October of 2009, D'Arcy was in the
excellent company of Jason Fowler, Andy Sheppard, Michael Johnson and
Heather Luckhart, among others. June of 2008 was the occasion of his
first appearance at the
NXNE Music Festival in Toronto.
In April of 2008, D’Arcy was one of three
featured performers and workshop leaders at the
Waterloo Guitar Summit.
In December 2007, D'Arcy showcased for the
Hamilton Folk
Club. On Nov. 17, 2007, he opened for Jon
Brooks, and accompanied Jon on a few tunes, at the
Acoustic Harvest Folk Club in Toronto.
On Sept. 20, 2007, D'Arcy joined Ian North and Clela Errington
to open the first City Roots Presents series at the Cameron
House in Toronto. D'Arcy was the featured
opening act on March 24, 2007 for Oliver Shroer at the
Greenbank
Folk Society. D'Arcy performed to a sold-out
audience at Hugh's
Room in Toronto for the release of his CD,
Feather Fingers, and opened for Tommy Emmanuel there in
2005.
D'Arcy's
first solo recording, "Dust and Loneliness",
which was produced by Ian Thomas and released in 2000,
received critical acclaim. Tracks from the CD were featured
on two composite CD's: Borealis Records' "6 Strings
North of the Border" vol. 2 and "Tears of a
Thousand Years".
In
2005, D'Arcy released another critically acclaimed CD,
Feather Fingers, which was produced by Jason Fowler. Greg
Quill of the Toronto Star was particularly impressed with
D'Arcy's facility and virtuosity on the guitar.
In
August of 2007 the OCFF contacted D'Arcy to congratulate
him on winning the instrumental category in the
2007
Songs from the Heart Contest, for his tune
"Feather Fingers". D'Arcy showcased his tune
at the "Songs from the Heart" awards ceremony
at the OCFF conference on October 13.
In August
of 2009, D'Arcy was selected as one of 10 finalists in
the Canadian Region for the
Mountain Stage NewSong Contest, on the strength
of his song "Malahat Highway".
As
a guitar teacher with some 30 years of instructional experience
and as an award winning composer, D'Arcy has a wealth
of musical background to drawn on in offering workshops:
aspects of guitar technique, song writing, history of
folk and blues, and live performance.
Well
known in folk music circles, an outstanding guitar teacher,
performer and composer, D'Arcy would make a great fit
for any folk festival or roots music venue.
