![]() MacMaster began playing the fiddle at the age of nine, and made her performing debut the same year at a square dance in Glencoe Mills, Nova Scotia. Leahy and MacMaster have seven children, and have performed and recorded together as a duo, and occasionally include their children, who also play fiddle, in their performances. In 2002, she married fiddler Donnell Leahy of the Leahy family band, and moved to Lakefield, Ontario. She is also distantly related to Jack White. She is the niece of the late renowned Cape Breton fiddler Buddy MacMaster and the cousin of two other fiddlers, Ashley MacIsaac and Andrea Beaton. MacMaster is the daughter of Alex and Minnie (née Beaton) MacMaster and the sister of Kevin and David MacMaster. And pianist Mac Morin, though his active keyboard playing was sometimes lost in the ensemble’s mix, consistently played with flair.MacMaster & Donnell Leahy performing together at the 2018 Burlington's Sound of Music Festival Drummer Eric Breton was the night’s rhythmic mainstay. Guitarists Ferrer and Rémi Arsenault anchored the concert with, alternately, discreet support and biting, colorful solo episodes. ![]() On their current tour, they’re aided by an excellent quartet that moves seamlessly between serving an accompanimental role and taking the limelight themselves. MacMaster and Leahy are brilliant violinists who know what they’re doing and do it very well, all the while bringing charisma and palpable joy to the proceedings. In all, Friday’s concert was a classic presentation of folk fiddling by two of its finest living purveyors. And the evening closed with a potent medley of reels, capped off by a bustling encore that featured MacMaster decked out in a festive St. Together, they gave a lovely account of Jerry Holland’s “Morning,” intertwining the tune’s echoing grace notes and lyrical phrases with sweet charm. The concert’s final part brought MacMaster and Leahy together again for a series of additional duets that highlighted the similarities and differences of their individual styles. The kids were back at the start of the concert’s second half, now introducing songs singing (in “Welcome to the Ceilidgh”) and, for son Michael, joining parents and band in some mean accordion playing. ![]() To wrap up the first half, MacMaster and Leahy were joined by three of their seven children (actually four: their 10-month-old made a brief cameo) for some nimble fiddling and step-dancing: clearly, these apples haven’t fallen far from the tree. The first, “Indifference,” was like a Gallic gypsy waltz, with a swooning main violin tune and some strong acoustic solos from guitarist Elmer Ferrer.įerrer impressed again in the second, untitled number, delivering wild electric guitar solos that, in intensity and articulation, precisely echoed the character of Leahy’s bent notes and torrid double stops. Leahy followed her with a lively “American Polka” and then two additional pieces. MacMaster played a lilting Irish air in memory of an uncle who recently died, and chased that with a new, three-day-old piece called “Galicia,” which built to a vigorous, rousing cadence. The first half of Friday night’s program offered, after MacMaster’s and Leahy’s opening duets, a couple of sets for each alone. His style draws perhaps a bit more on overt instrumental virtuosity while incorporating some formal dance forms, such as polkas and waltzes.Įither way, the two of them – plus their accomplished band and special guests – add up to a high-octane evening at the theater. Leahy, on the other hand, comes from Ontario (though, as he pointed out during the program, his mother was born in Cape Breton). MacMaster hails from Cape Breton, Nova Scotia her repertoire’s rooted in folk dances (jigs, reels, strathspeys and the like) and, indeed, polished, intricate footwork while playing is a hallmark of her performances. The duo, who, in addition to being musical partners, are married, opened the night with a pair of sets that played up their individual styles. WORCESTER - Canadian fiddlers Natalie MacMaster and Donnell Leahy brought their “Visions from Cape Breton and Beyond” tour to Worcester’s Hanover Theater Friday night, courtesy of Music Worcester. ![]()
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