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December 30, 2006
The Rose a hit with East Coast fiddler
By Tina Depko, Brampton Guardian

Natalie MacMaster created quite a buzz when she recently played her first concert at the Rose Theatre. The fiddler has a large fan base here in Brampton, fostered by years of performances at the Heritage Theatre. Her Dec. 15 concert date was the first event to sell out when The Rose's professional entertainment series was announced this summer.

"It is really wonderful to think that people are so excited about down home music," MacMaster said in an interview with The Brampton Guardian. "I'm always amazed at how well the fiddle music translates to people. I think it is because it comes from the heart."

The Juno Award-winning musician said she was happy with her performance, but even more so with the new hall.

"It was a beautiful place to play, no question about it," she said in her thick East Coast accent. "I like that it holds a lot of people, but they are close to you since the theatre is wide and isn't too deep."

It is not difficult to see why MacMaster is such a draw. The 34-year-old has a friendly demeanour and, more importantly, plays a mean fiddle. She breaks down the barriers of traditional concert-going by encouraging the audience to clap and dance along to her lively reels, strathspeys and jigs.

"A big part of a show is audience interaction," she verified. "I want to make them feel like I've been playing with them as opposed to being on stage separated from them."

MacMaster and husband Donnell Leahy have a one-year-old daughter, Mary Frances Rose, who comes along on all of her mom's tours.

The fiddler delighted the Brampton audience with the surprise announcement that she is also three months pregnant. MacMaster said she is "blessed" to be having another child. During the interview with The Guardian, she added that she doesn't foresee setting down her fiddle to raise her family, although the extent of her touring and recording may be have to be altered over time.

"I have to make music - it is in my blood," she said. "Whether it is in a square dance hall or Carnegie Hall, it doesn't matter as long as I'm making music. It is going to get harder as my daughter gets older and she has to be home to go to school. At that point we'll tailor our schedule again for what works for the kids. They are number 1."

MacMaster is taking a month off for Christmas before embarking on an extensive tour of the U.S. starting Jan. 23. She said audiences can't seem to get enough of fiddle music south of the border.

"I think the Americans look at it as something foreign and they get very excited about it because it isn't theirs," she said. "They are a really exuberant crowd down there."

When asked if there is a goal she is working towards, MacMaster replied she already has everything she could ever want.

"If you consider the fact that years ago, all of the fiddlers that I admired growing up had other day jobs, it is amazing what I've been able to do," she stated. "Still, to this day, if I had to plan what I would dream of it all being, I would never come up with something so great."

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December 18, 2006
9 Famous Canadians share their holiday memories
By Julie Hunter, Canadian Living (Jan. 2007 edition)

Excerpt:

"Last year, a few days before Christmas, everyone gathered together at my brother-in-law's place in Lakefield, Ont. The night was spectacular -- it was one of those beautiful, clear nights, where the light of the full moon reflects off the snow and everything looks bright. My brother-in-law hitched up his team of horses with a large sleigh
and took the whole party down into the woods where a large campfire was waiting for us. I had never been on a sleigh ride before, and it was awesome! With the fire, the moon and the night, Christmas was in the air for sure."

-- Natalie MacMaster, Juno Award-winning fiddler.

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December 15, 2006
MacMaster is the real deal
Performance leaves us asking: When will she record an album of seasonal songs?
By Robert Reid, The Record

Peruse the holiday section of any music store and you'll find an inordinate amount of Celtic Christmas music. Look closely at the artists involved and you'll discover that many of the seasonal albums appeal to marketing niche rather than present authentic Celtic music. Ironically, one of Canada's genuine Celtic artists has yet to record a seasonal album, even though she performs popular holiday concerts. Natalie MacMaster, who brought her holiday concert to a multi-generational, sold-out audience at the River Run Centre on Thursday night, is the real deal. Related to Buddy MacMaster, one of the world's greatest traditional Celtic fiddlers, not to mention Cape Breton bad boy Ashley MacIsaac and the recently deceased John Allan Cameron, who began popularizing the music of Cape Breton in the 1960s, MacMaster started playing fiddle and step-dancing when she was a wee lass.
Celtic music pedigree doesn't get any purer.

MacMaster reaffirmed the adage about the show going on with verve, spunk and vivacity. Three-and-a-half months pregnant with her second child and suffering from the flu (which means she can't take medication), she played and danced like a trouper. She revealed her condition to the audience in the event she had to suddenly leave the stage.
At concert's end, she expressed her gratitude.

"I feel like we've been in it together. Thank you for your support tonight."
She also received support from family. Her husband, Leahy lead fiddler Donnell Leahy, drove down from their home outside of Lakefield, Ont. to be on hand in case he had to pinch hit for his wife.

She acknowledged his support by inviting him on stage for a duet of The Anniversary Waltz. It was a lovely moment. But it was also fascinating to compare and contrast the styles of two accomplished fiddlers. Dressed in crimson satin, MacMaster resembled an elegantly wrapped present, flanked by festive Christmas trees on either side of the stage.
Most of the concert consisted of medleys of fiddle tunes from Cape Breton, proving that artists don't have to perform a complete program of holiday music to capture the seasonal spirit. She also performed Volcanic Jig, an original tune from her recently released 10th album, Yours Truly.

This doesn't mean holiday music was forgotten.

She offered a lovely version of O Holy Night - "my all-time, favourite Christmas hymn," she said - in addition to a seasonal medley of It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas, Silver Bells, Let It Snow, Winter Wonderland and Sleigh Ride. She also accompanied guitarist Brad Davidge as he warbled his way through Mel Torme's Christmas Song (chestnuts roasting on an open fire).

MacMaster is a generous performer. She shared the spotlight with her band (which also appears on Yours Truly) including pianist Mac Morin, drummer Miche Pouliot, bassist Shane Hendrickson and Matt MacIsaac on bagpipes, banjo and whistle. Morin received an especially enthusiastic applause when he took centre stage and played a Gaelic song (Alas For Me) and a fiddle tune, The Devil and the Dirt, on the grand piano. The second set opened with MacIsaac demonstrating his mastery of the warpipes with a stirring solo medley.
Given the popularity of seasonal albums - can you name an artist who hasn't recorded one? - coupled with the popularity of MacMaster's holiday concert, the question begs answering.

When will the sweetheart of Cape Breton fiddle music record a seasonal album?
One thing is guaranteed. A seasonal album from the fiddle of Natalie MacMaster would be a winner - whether recorded in the studio or live on stage.

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December 6, 2006
Master of her domain
By Jim Barber, Barrie Advance

Not long after Mary Frances Leahy entered the world nearly a year ago, her mom, noted Canadian fiddler Natalie MacMaster took one look at the cute and cuddly little newborn, then looked up at her father Donnell Leahy and claimed she would never be able to tour again.

The pull of the maternal instinct told MacMaster that she could never bear to part with her child for any length of time.

Fortunately for her, Mary Frances, and the tens of thousands of fans who would have missed her high-spirited live performances, including those coming to see her at Georgian College's Gryphon Theatre on Dec.
8, she brings the youngster along for the ride, meaning she rarely misses a moment with mommy, and mommy is still able to bring the joy of the Cape Breton fiddle to audiences around the world.

"[About two weeks after] she was born, I had some shows coming up in two months, and I said to Donnell, 'I think we need to cancel them.'
And he said 'just give yourself another two weeks, let a month pass,'" she told Orillia Today from her home just outside of Lakefield, Ontario.

"And jumpin, things just kind of changed. I got broken in, so to speak, and adapted, and Mary Frances got a little stronger and better. And I was like, 'okay, I can do this.' And when I actually did go out on the road, I found it almost easier, because I had help on the road ... I had somebody totally dedicated to me and my baby.
Actually, it was my mother."

MacMaster added, though, that if any part of the touring life were to impact negatively in any way on little Mary Frances, she wouldn't hesitate to shut things down.

"So far so good. Everything's been fine and everything's been doable and manageable and enjoyable, but the priorities are still what they should be. My family is first. And if that starts to suffer, or it there is anything negative affecting Mary Frances, then we have to modify it."

MacMaster's swing through Barrie is part of a Canadian tour to support her recently-released album Yours Truly. Full of peppy and emotive reels, jigs and the finest of traditional Cape Breton songwriting, Yours Truly also features a stirring rendition of the classic Danny Boy, featuring the soulful vocals of former Doobie Brothers singer, and noted solo artist, Michael McDonald.

"I met him at a TV special we were shooting with the Boston Pops and Michael McDonald was the other special guest, and they asked us to do something together, so he chose Danny Boy," she explained.

But the evening's show ran over the allotted time for television and the two never had a chance to perform the song.

"And we thought, well gosh, we've worked on it, let's do something with it. So I said that I was recording ... and so I invited him to be on it. And he said yes, and he sent me the tracks about a month later. He's a really nice guy."

There is also a sad lament for the late television newscaster, and native-born Canadian, Peter Jennings, called Farewell to Peter.

MacMaster said she was asked to perform at his memorial services, and wanted something new and original to play for the assembled mourners.

"It was actually written three years ago. Myself and my guitar player, Brad Davidge were in the dressing room at a hockey rink, and we were just noodling around, I was playing some melodies and he was just chording and it actually just came together in five minutes,"
MacMaster said. "And it want nameless for two years ... I always liked it and had it sitting there, and then when Peter Jennings' wife called me and asked me to play at the memorial service at Carnegie Hall, I thought of that tune and said, 'you know, that's going to be Peter's tune.' Because it just sounded like him. It was a sad piece, but very sweet."

MacMaster didn't even know Jennings was a fan until one day, years ago, she came home and found a message from the ABC news anchor on her answering machine.

"He was inviting me to be on his ABC New Year's Eve special and that's how I met him. Apparently he was a huge fan, and he asked me on a couple more things after that. And he even called me a couple of times saying he was coming to Cape Breton with his wife and (asking) where should they go. And I hooked him up with my mom and she hooked him up with all the hot spots."

The memorial service was also quite an experience.

"There was Barbara Walters and Larry King and all sorts of fancy people," she said. "And my God, the musicians there were incredible; Yo-Yo Ma, Alison Krauss and Wynton Marsalis, just amazing people."

MacMaster has always felt compelled to bring the traditional music of her home region of Cape Breton to a wider world.

She and husband Donnell, who still tours and records with his family act, Leahy, started the Internet radio station Cape Breton Live a year ago. Its purpose is to showcase indigenous artists and music on the World Wide Web.

"It's all live, and it's just great for people wanting to hear Cape Breton music. It's different every week. They put a new show on every Sunday and it plays through the week. It's great for all the displaced Cape Bretoners."

A link for the radio website can be accessed at her website.

For her work in promoting her musical roots, as well as for her charitable work, MacMaster, at 34, became one of the youngest people to be named to the Order of Canada. The announcement came last summer, but a date for the ceremony has yet to be announced.

"It's just awesome. It's totally an honour and it's very unexpected.
It's something that you never ever think of or aspire to, and then one day it happens ... I don't know what it all means but I like it,"
she said.

Yours Truly is available in stores now, and tickets for MacMaster's Dec. 8 show at the Gryphon theatre are available at the box office at Georgian College.

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December 2006
Straight from the Heart: Macmaster's album, Your's Truly
By Robert L. Doerschuk, Strings Magazine

When you make your name in a form of music that's based on tradition, every new project poses the same question: Do you respect or stretch the boundaries? Grammy-nominated fiddler Natalie MacMaster's answer on Yours Truly is to do both by drawing from the conventions of Cape Breton while tinkering with details: The opening notes of "Volcanic Jig," for example, come from the incendiary cello of Rushad Eggleston, though the electric guitar that surfaces in the mix toward the end of the track is a cheekier tweak of the formula. On "Matt and Nat's" a synthesizer joins the overdriven six-string and slamming drums. And the breakdown toward the end of "Flea as a Bird," pairing MacMaster with pianist Allan Dewar in a jig-meets-jazz fandango, is a little surprising and definitely delightful.

The constant in all this is MacMaster's performance. A player of wide expression, she stirs emotion through minimal gesture on the plangent "Farewell to Peter," in remembrance of her longtime friend, the late news anchor Peter Jennings. Then, on "Mother Nature," behind a wordless vocal chant, she drives the rhythm section with a precisely articulated ostinato, her bow bouncing on the low strings, which blossoms into a fluid line during the bridge.

Some tracks are more questionable, especially "Danny Boy," featuring Michael McDonald's umpteenth guest vocal this season, this time on a tune that's a little too obvious yet not wellsuited to his furry baritone. And the last track, "Interlude," is cute the first time you hear it, though MacMaster's spoken thanks to her colleagues, family, husband, and God, as well as her sighing assurance that "I just love music," pale upon repetition.

Still, her exploratory instinct, not to mention her infectious brio, is what we've come to
expect­in this regard, at least, it's good to not be surprised.

Yours Truly features: Natalie MacMaster, fiddle; Rushad Eggleston and Natalie Haas, cello; Matt MacIsaac, bagpipes; Jens Krüger, banjo; Brad Davidge, guitar; Allan Dewar or Erin Leahy, piano; Denis Keldie, organ; Alexander Sevastian, accordion; John Chiasson, bass; Michel Pouliot and Tom Jackson, drums; and Mary Frances Leahy, coos and cries. (Rounder, 11661-7065-2)

Excerpted from Strings magazine, 2007, No.145

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November 7, 2006
NATALIE MACMASTER ‘Yours Truly’
CELT IN A TWIST – INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT

Celt In A Twist: Apart from all her marvelous musical gifts, Natalie MacMaster is one of those rare entertainers who makes each of her gazillion fans feel as though he or she has a very personal and convivial relationship with the Cape Breton fiddler. Her new album is a salutation that each of us can take to heart, because, as it always has, that’s where her music is coming from. Natalie joins me by phone to chat a bit about Yours Truly.
It’s great to talk with you again, Natalie.

Natalie MacMaster: Yah, it’s great to talk with you too!

CIAT: How’s your family especially your latest addition, Mary Frances Rose? She’s what, a year old now?

NM: She’s 11 months old now and she’s just wonderful. I’ve been touring with her. She goes with me everywhere (baby gurgles in the background). She’s really good on the road. I actually have her with me now. We’re off to surprise my husband who’s also on tour with Leahy and we just showed up today to surprise him. We have three days off from our own tour so … lot’s of traveling but fun stuff.

CIAT: How does that work, touring with your little girl. Do you get some help with that?”

NM: I do. I have a relative who comes with me on every tour, either my mother, my cousin or my sister-in-law. It works out really well. It’s hard sometimes when Donnell (Leahy, her husband) and I are touring at the same time; we’re apart for maybe two or three weeks. But, you know, time passes and that’s what we do for a living, so it’s totally manageable.

CIAT: Is it too early to say whether she’s showing any musical inclination at this point?

NM: Definitely! When she hears music she gets calm. It makes her peaceful and relaxed and sometimes she’ll fall asleep. Sometimes she will dance to it but she always gets more focused. Whatever she’s doing, she just sort of relaxes and focuses on the music.

CIAT: Congratulations on the new album. There are some real standout tracks which I want to touch on. But let’s start with the delicate tribute to Peter Jennings. How did make known to you that he was a fan?

NM: I was living in an apartment in Halifax and I got home one day and was check my voice messages and there was one from Peter Jennings asking me to come and perform in New York on his ABC New Years Eve Special in 2002. I was just shocked to get a call from him because I had never met him before. But, it turns out he was a real fan and he had us on his show and I met him a couple of times after that and we kept in touch so that was really nice.

CIAT: And, how did the Michael MacDonald treatment of Danny Boy come about? Was that something he just had to get off his chest or was that your idea?

NM: It was my idea, sort of. It was his idea in the beginning. What happened was we were both performing on a TV special for the Boston Pops. We were both guests on that show and they asked us to do collaboration together. He suggested Danny Boy, so we worked out the number for Danny Boy. It turned out that since this was for TV, they ran out of time and that was the number that they cut. So, after doing the preparation work for it and all of that, I said to Michael, “You know, I’m actually working on a record right now. It would be lovely to have you come on as a guest. Would you be into that?” And, he was like, “Sure!” So, he graciously agreed and sent me the tracks about a week later.

CIAT: You’ve got your Celt in a Twist and we’ve got Natalie McMaster online to give us the inside on Yours Truly, not me, the new album. Visit her at nataliemacmaster.com for some cute as a bug baby pictures of Mary Frances Rose. Catch up with Natalie’s fascinating road journal as well.

The thing I always admired about you, Natalie, is the way you seem to anticipate my tastes in contemporary Celtic. In My Hands came out at a time when I was consumed with Celtronica. Then you released Blueprint, when I was starting to explore the cross-influence of Celtic and Bluegrass. Now, I’m really digging the new chamber sound of bands like Nickel Creek and Crooked Still and especially the percussive cello playing of Natalie Haas. And, there she is on your new record. Tell me how that collaboration came about.

NM: Well, I met Natalie Haas at the Mark O’Connor Fiddle Camp many, many years ago. I teach there every year. And, I would say there’s a new breed of cellists out there.

CIAT: Exactly!

NM: Yah, they have all of the skills of a classical musician but they have all the workings of a fiddler, so to speak. They play fiddle tunes on the instrument. They do rhythmic bow movements and they funkify it. So, it’s a great combination and I just love it! I really, really do. I love the class of it and I love the groove. So, I have her on there and Rushad Eggleston, another of those great cellists.

CIAT : Well, the Volcanic Jig that kicks off the album is just amazing. This is a new label for you as well isn’t it?

NM: Yes, it is actually. It’s not your standard label (www.foreignmediamusic.com ); it’s more of a distribution deal. I’ve been through many different labels and all kinds of different structures for my records, and this is a good one. It’s working very well for us right now.

CIAT: We’re going out on one of my favorites from Yours Truly called Matt & Nat’s. I assume you’re the Nat half of that equation.

NM: That’s right! And, the other half is Matt MacIsaac, the piper in my band. Matt & Nat’s was originally just a working title for the tune and I couldn’t come up with anything better, and I thought it was kind of cute so … and it’s just a reel. It’s the treatment that makes it unique. It’s heavy, very heavy … lot’s of electric guitar.

Natalie MacMaster was interviewed November 7th by Cal Koat for broadcast on Celt In A Twist

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October 8, 2006
'Round the world with MacMaster. Troy fiddler joined by artists from U.S., New Zealand, Galicia at 10th Celtic Colours
Stephen Cooke, Halifax Herald

WHEN CELTIC COLOURS called the first concert of its 10th anniversary year Natalie MacMaster: Bringing the World Home, they weren't kidding.

They managed to scour three corners of the globe to find performers who could share the stage with the talented Troy fiddler, and came up all aces with first-time visitors U.S. banjoist extraordinaire Bela Fleck and New Zealand singer Hayley Westenra, and a festival favourite, Galician piper Carlos Nunez.

On Friday night, the Port Hawkesbury Civic Centre rang with the sounds of some of the best musicians in the world, even attracting a few dignitaries like Premier Rodney MacDonald, MP and ACOA minister Peter MacKay and of course Mayor Billy Joe MacLean.

But it was the artistry onstage that had everyone's attention, with nearly 2,000 concertgoers there to see who MacMaster had chosen for her special Celtic Colours kickoff.

The fiddler got things started with a ripsnorting reel, backed by her five-piece touring band, while a battery of cameras captured the show from multiple angles for a PBS TV special.

"I've waited for tonight for a very long time," said MacMaster, catching her breath between numbers. "We're so very proud to be part of Celtic Colours, one of the best festivals in the world.

"They're taping us for PBS, which is very nerve wracking, but very exciting at the same time. I'm just glad to be at home doing it and that all of you could be a part of it.""

Then MacMaster performed a solo stepdance with only drummer Miche Pouliot driving her on with a martial beat towards a hip-swivelling finish. "They're backstage wiping sweat off me, but I don't mind, it feels good to sweat."

"Now to put you guys to work," she grinned, eyeing the band. With that they launched into a minor key jig with a dark, earthy feel, then into a reel with MacMaster driving it with fast cuts of the bow, and finally a dance from MacMaster while piper Matt MacIsaac blew a tune.

"I think I could use that powder now," she adlibbed.

MacMaster talked about how important music was to her home life growing up in Troy, a constant presence in her house and the homes of her friends and family.

"Celtic Colours is an extension of that," she explained, "with the music integrated into the spirit of the people and the beauty of the countryside." With that, she and her band sat in a semicircle and played a downhome ""blast of tunes;"" a set of strathspeys and reels in G, with MacIsaac switching to banjo. Even when she's sitting down, MacMaster can't keep still, as her feet pounded a sharp tattoo to the beat of the music.

After the stirring melody of Blue Bonnets Over the Border, with the added texture of Wendy Solomon's cello and Bob Quinn on keyboards, MacMaster could barely contain her excitement at being able to ""bring Bela to Cape Breton."

The famed banjo explorer didn't disappoint, with a solo medley that stretched from bluegrass to the clear blue sky of his own blend of folk and jazz, with his lickey-split picking tossing in a refrain from The Beverly Hillbillies just to keep listeners on their toes. Then Fleck, MacMaster and pianist Mac Morin performed as a trio, with the two stringed instrument players engaging in playful counterpoint, with Flecks syncopated plucking meshing with MacMaster's smooth bowing. Thank goodness the PBS cameras were there to capture it for posterity.

Then, to celebrate the fourth anniversary of their wedding at Stella Maris parish, just up the highway, MacMaster performed a duet with fiddling husband Donnell Leahy on - what else? - the Anniversary Waltz, with the familiar melody soaring in the hands of the two master musicians. As an added surprise, their mothers Minnie MacMaster and Julie Leahy performed an impromptu stepdance to the hearty whoops of the crowd.

Announced by MacMaster as someone "I'd like to adopt as the sister I never had," Westenra dazzled the crowd with a gorgeous rendition of Ave Maria, backed by MacMaster and Solomon, and Joni Mitchell's Both Sides Now, accompanied by Fleck. Her rich tone and impressive note control, with no excess filigree or window dressing, explain why the New Zealand teen has been consistently wowing crowds since her debut.

After a brief intermission, MacMaster and her band returned with two songs from her brand new CD Yours Truly, Volcanic Jig and Flea as a Bird introducing rock and jazz elements and showcasing guitarist Brad Davidge to good advantage.

Piper Nunez, delayed earlier by a bomb scare in Paris, proceeded to blow listeners away with his seasoned blend of musicianship and showmanship. He started with a mournful air, with an almost Arabic feel, before tearing into a furious jig, his fingers a blur on the chanter, letting out a series of whoops in a display of pure musical abandon. Next was an all-star trio of Nunez with MacMaster and Fleck, with their three distinct tones coming through loud and clear, a tribute to the sound crew on duty that evening.

As the show built to a climax, the musicians gathered in the centre of the stage for a set MacMaster titled Madness where "we'll just do whatever we want to do and see what happens." What happened was dynamic, with MacMaster playing a reel with her own personal flair, Morin taking a deft piano solo, Nunez playing the wooden flute with the speed of a hummingbird's heartbeat, Fleck contributing a flow of nimble triplets and MacIsaac blowing a lively jig on the tin whistle.

Then Westenra generated whoops of recognition with the first few bars of Kenzie MacNeil's Cape Breton anthem The Island, and it's hard to imagine the familiar melody ever sounding lovelier.

As if that wasn't enough of a finale, MacMaster was joined by Judique fiddling icon and uncle Buddy MacMaster for an emotional duet backed by 90 members of the Cape Breton Fiddlers' Association.

The theme of the concert was bringing the world to Cape Breton, but this heartwarming moment was a strong reminder that Cape Breton is also a world unto itself.

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October 6, 2006
Natalie MacMaster: She's got the whole world in her bow hand
Natalie MacMaster kicks off Celtic Colours tonight with ‘the biggest show’ of her career
Laura Jean Grant - the Cape Breton Post

PORT HAWKESBURY — She’s performed at Carnegie Hall, the Tonight Show with Jay Leno and with Luciano Pavarotti.

But it’s tonight’s Bringing the World Home show that Natalie MacMaster is describing as the “biggest show” of her illustrious career.

The performance at the Civic Centre in Port Hawkesbury kicks off the 10th edition of the Celtic Colours International Festival.

MacMaster says the original idea came more than two years ago from her husband, Donnell Lahey, who envisioned Natalie “bringing the world home” now that she’s taken her own music to the world.

Although she loved the idea and felt Celtic Colours would be an ideal setting, the timing wasn’t quite right for last year’s festival as she was expecting her first baby.

This year, everything came together and MacMaster is excited to be back in Cape Breton for a few days, not only for the show, but to celebrate some family milestones. Earlier this week, daughter Mary Frances turned 10 months old and she and Donnell celebrated their fourth wedding anniversary.

“This time four years ago I was excited for my wedding and it’s funny to be here at this time again, doing probably . . . the biggest show of my career,” she said. “It’s pretty neat.”

The show, which will be televised on PBS at a later date, features MacMaster, her band and a number of special guests.

“The world is being represented by three artists: Béla Fleck from the (United) States on banjo, Carlos Núñez from Spain on pipes and Hayley Westenra from New Zealand on classical vocals,” she explained, adding that there will also be “a few surprises.”

MacMaster says Celtic Colours organizers should be commended.

“I think it’s a wonderful festival,” she said. “It’s very well thought out and I’m very proud to be a part of it.”

MacMaster isn’t the only one brimming with excitement today. Celtic Colours organizers are thrilled to have one of the festival’s strongest supporters headlining their opening show.

“Natalie has been with us from the first year and every second year, at least, she’s played the festival,” said festival co-director Joella Foulds. “It’s a big 10th anniversary project for us to be part of this and because it’s going to have coverage on PBS with millions of viewers across the U.S. , it’s a very good thing for Celtic Colours.”

The Celtic Colours International Festival includes concerts, shows, workshops and special events in communities across Cape Breton. Some of Cape Breton’s finest singers, musicians and dancers will be joined by artists from as far away Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Denmark, Spain, New Zealand, England, the United States and across Canada for the nine-day celebration of Celtic music and culture.

Visit www.celtic-colours.com for a complete schedule.

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October 4, 2006
Bringing the world home
Natalie MacMaster returns home to Cape Breton with some musician friends
to open the 10th Celtic Colours International Festival.
By STEPHEN COOKE. Halifax Herald

Natalie MacMaster kicks off the 10th anniversary on Friday night at the Port Hawkesbury Civic Centre.  In it's 10 years of existence, the Celtic Colours International Festival has become one of the most impressive traditional music events in North America, bringing talent from around the world to this remote corner of the continent.

And every year, visitors from all over come to hear the brilliant musicians, enjoy the breathtaking autumn scenery and feel the warmth of Cape Breton hospitality.

And it's impossible to imagine any of it happening without the groundwork laid by Cape Breton musicians and international ambassadors like the Barra MacNeils, the Rankin Family, Ashley MacIsaac or Natalie MacMaster, who kicks off this 10th anniversary on Friday night at the Port Hawkesbury Civic Centre.

A native of Troy on Cape Breton's western Ceilidh Trail, MacMaster returns to the festival from her current home in Ontario with husband Donnell Leahy to perform shows and catch up with musical friends. Usually she appears on the Celtic Colours roster every couple of years, and she knew there was something special about the event from the very first time she stepped out onto the stage of one of its many concerts.

"My favourite moment at Celtic Colours was the concert I did with Sharon Shannon," says MacMaster, citing the famed Irish accordionist. "It was in Port Hawkesbury, the first year of the festival, and it was a Gaelic Women show. I just really enjoyed playing with Sharon Shannon, she's amazing.

"Celtic Colours is great, it's a celebration of music, and our culture, and the best part about it is how it takes place all over the island. People from away, and even locals, get to go around the island, and they're not just stuck in one place all the time. And of course there's always good music, and interesting ways of pairing up musicians to keep it sounding fresh."

For her hand-picked roster of guests on Friday night in Port Hawkesbury, MacMaster has included U.S. banjo innovator Bela Fleck, who appeared on her 2003 CD Blueprint, in his Nova Scotia debut; Galician bagpipe virtuoso Carlos Nunez, whose jaw-dropping performances have been a Celtic Colours favourite for the past few years, and chart- popping Australian soprano Hayley Westenra.

"We've got some surprises too, I've got some surprises up my sleeve," says MacMaster excitedly about the show, which will also be recorded for broadcast by PBS. "They're going to be... you know what? This is such a corny term, but it's so true, there will be some magical moments. And I mean it, it's true!"

The surprise up MacMaster's other sleeve is her new CD Yours Truly, which landed in record stores yesterday. Recorded largely with her touring band, it features vibrant, road-tuned performances with Brad Davidge's guitar bursting forth on Volcanic Jig and the sound of Matt MacIsaac's pipes dancing with MacMaster's nimble fiddle on Matt and Nat's.

Over the past few albums, MacMaster has managed to give each record its own singular taste, from completely traditional to contemporary Celtic blends. On Yours Truly, it's a more balanced sound thanks to the use of the musicians she knows best.

"I don't always think they're going to be as unique as they turn out to be," says MacMaster. "I did the Buddy and Natalie record, and that was totally trad, so this year I had a lot of tunes that I was writing that weren't so traditional, and believe it or not I actually liked them. That's rare for me, I usually toss them."

There are special guests on the record, including sister-in-law Erin Leahy and aunt Betty Lou Beaton on piano, First Nations entertainer Tom Jackson on vocals and former Doobie Brother Michael MacDonald on a stirring rendition of Danny Boy, that came about after the two performed on a Boston Pops TV special.

But the best guest clip of all is a cute vocal contributed by 10-month-old daughter Mary Francis on the final track, an instrumental piece that closes out the album.

"It's not really a tune, it's more of a mood piece, and Donell said I should make it a little thing at the end where I say thanks to everyone who helped out with the record.

"It was really hard at that point to get anything out of her, she was so young - just over a week old. So it was hard to get her. There's a bit of crying, you don't want the wail where she's going 'WAAAAAH!' you just want a cute little cry, so it was fun picking the clips."

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September 27, 2006
Yours Truly, Natalie MacMaster
By: ChartAttack.com Staff

Fiddle mistress Natalie MacMaster, who in many ways has become the face of Celtic music from Atlantic Canada, will release her Yours Truly album via KOCH Records on October 3.

MacMaster's instrumental prowess has made her an international music ambassador, and she's moved beyond the traditional Celtic tunes of her youth to add her own contemporary spin to music that still respects its roots. Such respected musicians as Alison Krauss, Bela Fleck and Jerry Douglas have contributed to her albums, four of which have been certified gold for selling more than 50,000 copies in Canada.

The squeaky-voiced MacMaster is the niece of famed Cape Breton, Nova Scotia fiddler Buddy MacMaster, with whom she recorded a tribute album last year. She became one of the youngest people ever to receive the Order Of Canada in July, and has numerous other awards and honours to her credit. She's shared the stage with the likes of Santana, Paul Simon, Luciano Pavarotti, Faith Hill and Don Henley, and has performed on Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien's late-night talk shows.

MacMaster married another fiddle whiz, Leahy's Donnell Leahy, in 2002. They had their first child last year, but that hasn't slowed the new mother down.

Leahy and MacMaster co-produced Yours Truly, her 10th album. It features a mix of traditional numbers and originals, including a rendition of "Danny Boy" sung by Doobie Brother Michael McDonald and "Farewell To Peter," which MacMaster wrote to pay her respects to her friend, the late Canadian newsman, Peter Jennings.

Rounder will release Yours Truly in the U.S. on October 10.

MacMaster will support the new album with an Ontario tour in December that will include these dates:

December 02 - Mississauga, ON @ Living Arts Centre
December 04 - Brantford, ON @ Sanderson Centre
December 06 - North Bay, ON @ Capitol Centre
December 08 - Barrie, ON @ Gryphon Theatre
December 9-10 - St. Catharines, ON @ Brock University
December 14 - Guelph, ON @ River Run Centre
December 15 - Brampton, ON @ Rose Theatre
December 16 - Markham, ON @ Markham Centre
December 18 - Oakville, ON @ Oakville Centre For The Arts

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August 27, 2006
Happy birthday, Saanich!
Fiddler Natalie MacMaster teams up with symphony at UVic concert
By Amanda Farrell, Victoria Times

A modest but appreciative crowd helped Saanich celebrate 100 years at UVic's
Centennial Stadium Saturday.

While the large track field and empty bleachers seemed to dwarf the crowd
during parts of the festivities, they proved to be a fitting backdrop as the  sun set and the music of the Victoria Symphony and Juno award-winning fiddler Natalie MacMaster filled the stadium.

The audience was treated to performances from jugglers, clowns, and the Greater Victoria Police Pipes and Drums Band as well as a round of Saanich trivia before the symphony took the stage and opened with Also Sprach
Zarathustra, a.k.a. the theme from 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Maestra Tania Miller drew some chuckles from the crowd by dedicating the opening piece to the recently demoted planet Pluto. But it was Cape Breton native MacMaster who stole the show.

Wearing a sparkling tank top, the energetic fiddler and her golden curls
bounced and bobbed seamlessly between soulful pieces such as If Ever You Were
Mine and upbeat numbers like Carnival Medley.

MacMaster's performance was greeted with lengthy bouts of applause and the
Order of Canada recipient took the time between tunes to banter with the
audience and offer a glimpse into the history behind her music.

The evening marked the end of Saanich's centennial festivities, which kicked
off in March.

Photo: Fiddler Natalie McMaster and Victoria Symphony Orchestra play to an
appreciative crowd at Centennial Stadium in the finale of Saanich Centennial
celebrations on Saturday. Photograph by : Debra Brash, Times Colonist

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August 25, 2006
Famed fiddler performs
By Amy Dove, Oak Bay News

There might not be an eloquent way to describe the marriage between Cape Breton fiddle music and an orchestra, but the message comes across loud and clear on stage.

"You don't hear orchestras playing fiddle tunes very often," said Natalie MacMaster with her twangy Cape Breton accent.

MacMaster takes the stage with the Victoria Symphony Saturday, Aug. 26 for the grand finale of the Saanich centennial celebrations. Playing with a trio of piano, guitar and fiddle from her own band backed by a full orchestra is nothing short of powerful, MacMaster said.

"There is also a delicateness and a sweetness and a strength. There are so many different levels."

Each show is tailored to the audience: Saturday's offering will feature more traditional music. MacMaster started fiddling at the age of nine, but is now breaking out from traditional Celtic music to add jazz and Latin influences to her sound.

One thing is for sure however - she is sticking to her roots.

"The last thing I want to be is a rock band and there is always a tendency of that if you don't watch it," she said.

With plans to take the music back to a more traditional fiddle tone, working with symphonies continues to be a highlight in her tour schedule.

"I don't do many of them. They are very much a treat."

MacMaster and her band will perform with the Victoria Symphony Saturday Aug. 26. Gates open at 6 p.m. with the show scheduled for 7:15 p.m. at the University of Victoria Centennial Stadium. Tickets were still available at the UVic Ticket Centre Wednesday. The centre is open Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and will remain open all day Saturday. For more information contact 721-8480 or www.auditorium.uvic.ca.

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August 24, 2006
Concert a family affair for new mom MacMaster
By Sarah Petrescu - Victoria Times Colonist

For Natalie MacMaster, the joy of touring now includes stepping off the stage and having her nine-month-old daughter, Mary Frances Rose, there to greet her.

"It's the best thing in the world," says the Cape Breton fiddle sensation. "I couldn't imagine leaving her behind for any length of time. She loves the music, too."

MacMaster is taking a well-deserved break at the Lakeside, Ont., home she shares with husband, Donnell Leahy, a fellow fiddler and Cape Bretoner, and member of the popular group Leahy.

Summer is usually a busy time for musicians, with flurries of music festivals across the continent hungry to book a toe-tapping fiddle dynamo.  With a new baby and two touring schedules to manage, MacMaster says it's tricky to keep the season a family affair.

"I try to make summer not so busy, but it's a bit inevitable," she says. She's looking forward to her concert in Victoria this weekend because it will be a rare occasion when the whole family will come along -- and take a few days to relax here afterward.

"We never take time off, so this is a very special little vacation for us," MacMaster says.

She will play with the Victoria Symphony at Centennial Stadium Saturday to mark the final hurrah of the Saanich Centennial celebrations.

MacMaster compares having a full orchestra as her backup band to being on a luxury cruise ship. She recently played the Hollywood Bowl with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and has played with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. 

"My little 10-piece band feels like a speed boat in comparison; we can zip around a lot," she says. "But having all those extra musicians can feel very powerful and wonderful."

They will play MacMaster's own tunes and a mix of traditional Cape Breton Island music, which Victoria Symphony Maestra Tania Miller is very excited about.

"I already adore her music and fiddle music in general," says Miller. "As a conductor, what I love about it is that she's leading us. It's her music and our job to feel her groove. It's great to be able to work with artists, pop stars or not, in that way."

MacMaster's career is not of the typical pop star -- and she would probably deny she is one. Like many other kids from her small town of Troy, Nova Scotia, she took up the fiddle young, at the age of nine. Music and dancing were a constant presence in her home. MacMaster's uncle is renowned fiddler Buddy MacMaster.

"Music has always been part of my life and culture," she says.

Few fiddlers/step dancers can claim two spots on the Billboard World Music  Charts, five certified gold records here in Canada (meaning each album sold 50,000-plus copies) and two Juno wins. This July, MacMaster was awarded the Order of Canada, an honour she was not expecting.

"I was in complete shock when I found out," MacMaster says. "You just do your thing, live your life and try to do well in music. Then something like this surprises you and it does feel wonderful."

MacMaster has been called an ambassador for the east coast, bringing Cape Breton culture to the masses through her high-energy shows and cross-genre musical appeal.

Last year, she and Leahy started the [online] radio show Cape Breton Live which features live concert recordings from the island. 

"People from around the world listen online. Whether they're from Cape Breton or not, they enjoy a glimpse into the culture," MacMaster says.

She will release her 10th recording, Yours Truly, this fall. The album is the first to be dominated by MacMaster's own tunes.

"It's exciting and it was time," she says.

"I've never gone after a radio hit. That's not my appeal. I think the people who like my music and concerts will be very pleased."

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August 14, 2006
Fiddler Natalie MacMaster brings Irish energy to Egg
By Michael Lisi, Times Union

ALBANY -- Natalie MacMaster is kinetic.
The Cape Breton Irish fiddle master doesn't stand still on stage. She can't. It's as if she's the human equivalent of a Jolt soft drink. She stops her feet, shouts and dances while she fiddles, all with a big smile on her face. Even when she sat down during a solo by pianist Mac Morin during her Sunday night performance at The Egg, she quietly bounced her foot to the beat.

MacMaster was engaging, entertaining and, of course, energetic at The Egg, romping through a nearly two-hour performance that left fans in the Hart Theatre shouting for more.

MacMaster and her five-piece band wrapped up their current tour -- part of which was spent opening shows for Bela Fleck -- in fine style on Sunday night, stomping through a mix of reels, jigs, strathspeys and clogs that had many of the 450 fans at The Egg tapping their feet and clapping along to her bouncy sound.

She embraced the small but lively crowd, opening the show with a pair of lively reels that showcased her unique musical mix, an amalgam of traditional Irish music, bluegrass, folk, jazz and rock 'n' roll -- the latter driven by drummer Miche Pouliot and bassist Shane Hendrickson.

The fiddler didn't stray too far from her traditional Irish music roots, at one point playfully warning fans that a set of songs called "The Silver Spear" would "bring the Irish out of you."

It was almost impossible to sit still while MacMaster and her band played the quick, bubbly, selection of reels and jigs.

For her part, MacMaster was a bundle of energy. She bounded around the stage while she sawed at her fiddle, wearing a big grin as she showcased the Cape Breton sound.

That sound, MacMaster explained, has at its core piano and fiddle. She and pianist Morin proceeded to play a set of jigs and reels in the Cape Breton style that were as infectious as they were beautiful.

MacMaster is an amazing fiddler, moving easily from a delicate air to a jig that she slowly accelerates to breakneck speed. She's connected to the traditional sounds, yet she's been able to adapt them to her rock band setup.

She put down her fiddle to do a little dancing, mixing tap with Irish step dancing as she went beat-to-beat with drummer Pouliot. MacMaster shared the spotlight with each member of her band, joining guitarist Brad Davidge on a soulful rendition of "Danny Boy" and jamming with Hendrickson on a Celtic instrumental.

Natalie MacMaster is always fun to listen to and watch. Her show at The Egg on Sunday night was no exception. Michael Lisi is a freelance music critic from Clifton Park and a frequent contributor to the Times Union.

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August 13, 2006
After Dark: 'Planet' concert was out of this world
By Geoffrey Gevalt - Burlington Free Press

SHELBURNE -- Picture this: It's late Thursday night on the Shelburne Museum grounds. The rain has come and gone, the sun has returned and set with only a faint last glow in the darkened west behind the stage. On stage right is Future Man.

He is 48 years old; a pirate hat with a white feather tops his longish locks. Hanging from his neck, and embraced by his arms, is his unique invention -- a box with buttons that looks as though it's put together with duct tape, with a fret-like thing poking out its left side. Future Man calls it a Drumitar, a computer synthesizer that creates percussion sounds that depend on where -- and for how long -- Future Man touches the box or
the "fret." The sounds range from cymbals to congas to bass drum to, well, sounds that certainly I hadn't heard before.

So there he is swaying, gyrating, his fingers playing his computerized drum set. He's doing a polka. And a good one at that. Center stage is Del McCoury, a good deal older than 48, with a hairdo reminiscent of the Ozarks in the '50s, almost all white hair combed back and poofed up -- no baldness on this man -- dressed in a light tan suit, tie and dark shirt, strumming a brown guitar and leaning forward to croon closer to the microphone.

Stage left is Victor Wooten, 41-years-old with mini-locks who looks maybe 17 or 18 at the most, who happens to be Future Man's younger brother and, also, one of the best bassists in the country. Wooten has his electric bass resting upright on a stool and is playing it like an acoustic, the rhythm simple, the notes almost humorous, but wait, there's something else. He's doing a polka, too. Sort of.

The complexity of his dance is this: Alan Bartram (dark suit, tie, blue shirt, black hair slicked back), acoustic bassist for McCoury, is rotating around the stool with Wooten and is, at various moments, taking over on the bass from Victor, without missing a note or beat as at times one of them strums while the other does the fingering and vice versa.
They're smiling.

But wait, there's even more, in fact 11 more musicians on stage: the rest of McCoury's band -- mandolin, fiddle, banjo players, two of whom are McCoury's sons; Natalie MacMaster, master fiddler from Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, and her band including a distant relative on pipes; Bela Fleck, extraordinary fusion/bluegrass/blues banjo player and the other member of his band The Flecktones: Jeff Coffin playing, on this number, a
soprano sax. Future Man and Wooten are, of course, the other Flecktones.

On stage then is the entire Acoustic Planet Tour -- a BELA, 4D melange of races, ages, backgrounds, musical genres -- and they're all doing the first encore, some kind of Tennessee blues/polka/Celtic/funk/bluegrass/jazz fusion number. It's awesome. And so is the final encore, a traditional reel played like never before. And so you have the picture of the end of a four-hour concert that began (shortly after the rain stopped) with MacMaster, segued into McCoury and ended with the Flecktones. There was no break between bands; as one band finished up with its final song individuals from the succeeding band came up and took over, one player at a time, and finished out the song long after the first band had finished. Flawless, fascinating transition.

Each band was superb, MacMaster and her band made you dance, Scottish traditional with Cape Breton drive. McCoury made you smile, the band's tight bluegrass mixed with McCoury's plaintive, twangy voice. The geographic range of the music can be imagined -- from Scotland to North Carolina, Africa to Cape Breton, Nashville to Chicago -- Celtic, bluegrass (with only a hint of Old Timey), jazz, R&B and, well, Future Man. Example? One of the Flecktones' numbers, "P'Lod in the House."

Future Man explained: He wrote the song in a dream. He dreamt that Jeff Coffin, who is also a composer, wrote a new song and it was good. It was about a P'Lod which, Future Man, explained, is "a good alien" who comes to visit on election years and is photographed shaking hands with the future president and the photographs appear all over. "They are never wrong," he said of the P'Lod's ability to choose the winner.
Go figure. The song was just as wigged out, but was also, at the same time, breathtaking. As was Bela Fleck who stretches the range of a banjo like no one in the world.

Some concerts are concerts. Some are good, and some are not so good. And then there are musical experiences, like Thursday, when the audience got something more, something unique. On this night a group of extraordinary musicians -- brought together because of their talent, their eclectic range and their ability to embrace each other's styles -- got together and explored, entertained and made music on a beautiful Vermont evening with no bugs and a gorgeous sunset.

If you were on hand to witness the Acoustic Planet Tour, you know.If you weren't, well, make sure that the next time you have an opportunity, you go.

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August 13, 2006
Natalie MacMaster at the Cape Cod Melody Tent
TED Blog online

Every summer I escape California for Cape Cod in hopes of injecting my kids with a little bit of the East Coast. After settling in with the troupes, I quickly check the local papers to see what music and theater is playing during our stay. I've gotten pretty lucky in past years and this year was no exception. What did I see was playing? A double bill of two of my favorite performers -- Bela Fleck and Natalie MacMaster. I have seen Bela Fleck play live a number of times before and am always blown away by his creativity and versatility (on the banjo, no less).

But as virtuosic as Bela Fleck is, the star of this show was Natalie MacMaster. As she did at TED2002 and TED2003, Natalie won over the audience with her charm and exuberance (and a little bit of step-dancing) and then blew everyone away with her astonishing bowing technique, engrossing melodies and the pure musicality of her joyous music. If Natalie comes to your town, you must drop everything and go hear her play. You will thank me.

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August 11, 2006
MacMaster waltzes off with 'Highland Fling'
Don Heckman, Los Angeles Times

Natalie MacMaster strode on stage Saturday night with the confident gait of a performer accustomed to commanding a venue — even one as large as the Hollywood Bowl. And she proceeded to do precisely that as the guest performer in a program appropriately titled "The Highland Fling: A Celtic Celebration."

In recent, the Cape Breton-based violinist (she prefers "fiddler") has become one of the principal exponents of the traditional music of the Canadian Atlantic Coast, while crossing over comfortably to other areas in recordings with the likes of Alison Krauss, Bela Fleck and Edgar Meyer. This time, she stayed fairly close to tradition with a spirited collection of reels and jigs, accompanied by her own group, as well as the Los Angeles Philharmonic, conducted by Bramwell Tovey.

Although her violin work was lively and articulate, enhanced by the intricate melodic ornamentation typical of the Celtic fiddle style, it was MacMaster's overall presentation that was most impactful. Constantly moving, continuing to play as she broke into a spirited step dance at a climactic moment, she offered a complete package of audio and visual delights.

Her version of "The Anniversary Waltz" in a Celtic transformation with the Philharmonic was both unexpected and entrancing. And her energetic duet with concertmaster Alexander Treger combined Bach with a traditional hornpipe, "The Devil's Dream."

The program opened with the orchestra, under Tovey's direction, performing music with Celtic overtones. Mendelssohn's "Hebrides Overture" (also known as "Fingal's Cave"), for all its maritime qualities — he composed it while visiting Scotland's Hebrides Islands — still sounds more European than Celtic. Peter Maxwell Davies' "An Orkney Wedding, With Sunrise" gave the Philharmonic an opportunity to have fun with its depiction of a whisky-drenched wedding party and its early-morning alcoholic aftermath.

Tovey's spontaneous commentaries, filled with wit and whimsy, were an enormous asset — as they could surely be to future Hollywood Bowl concerts.

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August 9, 2006
Bela Fleck strings together nonstop Acoustic sensation
By Daniel Gewertz - Boston Herald

At this brilliant, genre-bending show, the best touch of all may have been the set changes. In a maneuver of technical and musical mastery, the three acts of the Acoustic Planet Tour switched sets without a dropped note or a moment’s silence.

Playing a sprightly Cape Breton instrumental, each member of the Natalie MacMaster Band was smoothly replaced mid-tune by a musician in the Del McCoury Band. By the time the groups had changed places, the geography of the music had altered from MacMaster’s Nova Scotia to McCoury’s Tennessee without a missed beat. When the Flecktones took over, the magic act was repeated.

The nonstop three-and-a-half-hour show ended with everyone onstage for the most intricate multicultural hoedown imaginable.

Bespectacled banjo wizard Fleck led his crew in a typical bravura set. ‘‘Kaleidoscope,” one of many tunes from their new CD, ‘‘The Hidden Land,” combined flamenco, Dixieland, bluegrass, modern jazz and Middle Eastern music. Later on, the Beatles’

‘‘Come Together” and the Surfari’s ‘‘Wipe Out” dipped in and out.

The Flecktones are always both supertight and spacey, yet their music’s emotions are growing more apparent. When Jeff Coffin got a bit outside on saxophone, Fleck reined things back in, sometimes all the way to the back porch.

McCoury’s quintet was also in sensational form, mixing songs by Richard Thompson and John Sebastian with gospel and bluegrass. Even Shawn Camp’s cliched ‘‘My Love Will Not Change” was ennobled by hot and impeccable extended instrumental sprees.

If McCoury’s band was the most tradition-bound, MacMaster’s was the most theatrical. Nobody step-dances and fiddles simultaneously with as much verve as MacMaster, who tapped, stepped and high-kicked with post-"’Riverdance" pizzazz.

Her band goosed tradition with just enough rock spirit. And when Fleck joined her for a duet, MacMaster looked as thrilled as any of the 3,500 happy fans attending.

Bela Fleck & the Flecktones, with The Del McCoury Band and Natalie MacMaster. At the Bank of America Pavilion, Monday night.

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July 25, 2006
MacMaster named to Order of Canada
Halifax Herald / Canadian Press

OTTAWA - Fiddler Natalie MacMaster, retired Maj.-Gen. Lewis MacKenzie, former newspaper columnist Michele Landsberg and sociologist Reginald Bibby are among 77 people named to the Order of Canada.

Gov. Gen. Michaelle Jean named 25 officers and 52 members to the order Monday. Recipients will accept their insignia at a later ceremony, Jean said in a statement.

The Order of Canada was established in 1967 to recognize outstanding achievement and service in various fields of endeavour. It is Canada's highest honour for lifetime achievement and has three different levels of membership: Companion, Officer and Member.

Three Nova Scotians were named officers to the Order of Canada. They include Constance R. Glube, Halifax, law; Norman Horrocks, Dartmouth, heritage; and Denis Stairs, Halifax, education.

Among the Nova Scotians named as members of the Order are MacMaster, Lakefield, Ont., and Troy, arts-music; Walter Ostrom, Indian Harbour, arts-visual; and Elizabeth Pacey, Halifax, heritage.


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June 28, 2006
Celtic Colours welcomes Bela Fleck
Banjo whiz joins global lineup for 10th anniversary of Celtic Music Fest
By Stephen Cooke, Halifax Herald

Global stars of traditional and progressive folk music, as well as a host of local legends and up-and-coming performers, are on tap for the 10th anniversary of Cape Breton’s Celtic Colours International Festival, taking place Oct. 6 to 14.

Multi-Grammy Award-winning modern banjo whiz Bela Fleck, Scottish guitar prodigy Anna Massie, Spanish bagpipe virtuoso Carlos Nunez, stirring singer-songwriter Karine Polwart, balladeer Archie Fisher and the Danish duos Haugaard & Hoirup and Karen + Helene are just a few of the headlining acts that will draw listeners from across the country and around the world to the rainbow-hued splendour of Cape Breton in the fall.

The festival kicks off on Friday, Oct. 6 with the gala concert Natalie MacMaster: Bringing the World Home at the Port Hawkesbury Civic Centre. Featuring the famed Troy fiddler, the show will also include Fleck, Nunez and New Zealand talent Hayley Westenra. Across the island over the next nine days there will be 40 concerts and over 100 workshops, including a collaboration between artists in residence Glendale’s Mary Jane Lamond and Scottish Gaelic singer Mairi MacInnes, tributes to Cape Breton fiddlers Carl MacKenzie and Dr. Winnie Chafe, and the musical blend of the all-star The Unusual Suspects  project.

Other international visitors include British quartet Flook, Scottish trio Bachué, U.S. string trio Ferintosh, the unique Welsh ensemble Crasdant, the Irish-American duo Liz Carroll and John Doyle, the Irish team of Brian OhEadhra and Nuala Kennedy and the irrepressible Scottish duo of longtime festival friend accordionist Phil Cunningham and fiddler Aly Bain.

As always, Celtic Colours serves as a prime showcase for Cape Breton talent, with a lineup of artists that ranges from familiar faces like Jerry Holland, J.P. Cormier and Hilda Chiasson Cormier, Gordie Sampson, Howie MacDonald, Beolach, Buddy MacMaster and the Barra MacNeils to young acts like Dawn and Margie Beaton, multi-instrumentalist Krysta MacKinnon and fiddler Meagan Burke.

From off the island come performers like P.E.I. singer-songwriter Lennie Gallant, Antigonish pianist/fiddler Troy MacGillivray, Newfoundland’s A Crowd of Bold Sharemen, Vancouver stringmaster Daniel Lapp, and Nova Scotian guitarist extraordinaire Dave MacIsaac.

Tickets for Celtic Colours’ 10th Anniversary season go on sale on July 10. They can be purchased by phone locally at 567-3000 or toll-free at 1-888-355-7744.

For more information, call 562-6700 or toll-free at 1-877-285-321 or visit
www.celtic-colours.com for details about artists and events. For accommodation
information, phone 1-800-565-0000.

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May 24, 2006
Route 57, With Natalie MacMaster, at Zankel Hall
By JON PARELES - New York Times

Natalie MacMaster rarely stands still. She's a fiddler from Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia, carrying on her family's musical tradition with a showmanship that has made her a folk-circuit star. She's light on her feet, kicking up her heels, twirling across the stage and sometimes putting her fiddle down to do some clattering, percussive step dancing. On Monday night she headlined a double bill of Celtic music, along with the Scottish ballad singer Norman Kennedy, in the first of four nights of "Route 57: A Festival of American Roots Music" presented by Carnegie Hall at Zankel Hall.

She knows the old reels and jigs and the techniques that turn dance tunes into accelerating, ever more complex variations. She can make her fiddle sing a gentle air, as she did in an elegiac tune she wrote for a memorial to the newscaster Peter Jennings, or play up the contrast between a smooth and scratchy attack, or surround a melody with more and more ornamentation each time it recurs. Her band includes another traditional virtuoso: Matt MacIsaac on