Virtuoso Cape Breton Fiddler Natalie MacMaster, 8/5
Canadian-born Natalie MacMaster is considered a virtuoso Cape Breton fiddler but that shouldn’t come as a surprise. Fiddling is in her blood; her uncle is fiddle prodigy Buddy MacMaster and she is related to the late Canadian folk icon, John Allan Cameron. So it is safe to say that when she makes her second appearance at Meijer Gardens Amphitheater, the audience will be in for an incredible experience.
In case you have never heard Cape Breton fiddling, it sounds like something you would expect to hear in Lord of the Dance. MacMaster just adds some stylistic dimensions to it.
MacMaster performed her first concert at age nine and put out her first album by the time she was 16. Ten albums and 27 years later, she has earned numerous awards and distinctions as well as the respect and admiration of her peers. In fact, Yo-Yo Ma invited MacMaster to be a guest performer on his 2008 holiday album, Songs of Joy & Peace. She has also performed on stage with The Chieftains, Paul Simon, Faith Hill and Luciano Pavarotti plus on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Late Night with Conan O’Brien, and Good Morning America.
MacMaster is passionate about music as a whole and doesn’t limit herself to just Cape Breton fiddling. Her sound also encompasses jazz, pop, rock and country with splashes of flamenco, bluegrass swing, Gaelic singing, folk, new age, traditional and a little step dancing. Performing over 100 shows per year, she has garnered a reputation as one of Canada’s most captivating performers. Her commitment is not only to her music but also to her audience. She says, “I always get the sense from them that they deeply understand the unspoken essence of what I do.â€
For ticketing info visit the Natalie MacMaster event page.