Featured Performer

ALASDAIR FRASER & NATALIE HAAS - Sunday, May 11, 2008

Scottish fiddle and cello music of unrivaled beauty, eloquence, and passion is making its way to the beautiful coast of Maine.  The musical partnership between Alasdair Fraser, long regarded as Scotland’s premier fiddle ambassador, and the sizzlingly-talented young California cellist Natalie Haas will be performing an exciting weave of rocking, reeling rhythms, poignant melodies, and exquisite musicianship.  The pairing of fiddle and cello is the fulfillment of a long-standing musical dream for Fraser, whose cutting-edge musical explorations took him full circle to find a cellist who could help him return the cello to its historical role at the rhythmic heart of Scottish dance music.  The duo has created a buzz among Celtic music lovers at festivals and concerts across the US and Europe.    Their debut recording, Fire & Grace, displays dazzling teamwork, driving, dancing rhythms, and the duo’s shared passion for improvising on the melody and the groove of Scottish tunes. The two instruments duck and dive around each other, swapping melodic and harmonic lines, and trading rhythmic riffs. The recording won not only critical acclaim, but also the coveted the Scots Trad Music “Album of the Year” award, the Scottish equivalent of a Grammy.