LINDSTROM, Minn. — When we last checked in on Christopher Ebel, he was a 7-year-old drumming phenom in a polka band.
Now, 10 years later, he’s just been recognized as the nation’s most promising young polka musician.
“Every gig he plays with us is a treat,” says Craig Ebel, father of now 17-year-old Chris.
Once strictly a percussionist, Chris now also plays concertina, accordion and clarinet in DyVersaCo, his father’s band.
He also lends his singing voice to the group.
That talent and range helped Chris earn the United States Polka Association’s “New Horizon Award” presented Memorial Day weekend in Cleveland.
In 2012, Chris and his missing front teeth were featured in Boyd Huppert’s Land of 10,000 Stories.
This week, he’ll begin his senior year at Andover High School, balancing his studies with regular performances with DyVersaCo.
By all indications, there’s more to come musically for Chris.
“He surprises us every time he plays,” his father says.
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