Natalie MacMaster, Donnell Leahy & Family

Description

Since marrying in 2002, two of Canada’s brightest stars have been captivating audiences all over North America with their exceptional musical skills and obvious joy at playing the fiddle together. Natalie MacMaster and Donnell Leahy have received both industry acclaim and a loyal fan base by combining their magnificent individual talents, giving audiences an unforgettable musical experience every performance.        

 Being part of musical families, Natalie and Donnell were born into their musical careers. Hailing from Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Natalie received her first fiddle at the age of nine, launching a career that has lasted for over 30 years. Her first recording was released when she was only 16, and she has never looked back. Natalie has received numerous awards in the US and Canada, recognizing her dedication, musical talent and importance to Cape Breton’s fiddling tradition and international identity.

 Donnell’s lifelong devotion to playing and performing began with his 10 siblings in the much-fêted group Leahy (of which he was front man and business lead). Now, alongside Natalie, he has cemented his reputation as a peerless instrumentalist able to synthesize traditional influences with more contemporary Celtic/folk sensibilities. His Irish/Cape Breton lineage (from his father and mother, respectively) also weaves its way into the sonic mix.

 The couple could not have predicted their merger would recast what contemporary musical success looks like. Or that they would produce a large family and ensure their mantelpiece was jammed with JUNO and East Coast Music Awards while creating an inventory of achievements spanning the globe. They certainly couldn’t have imagined capping off what they jokingly refer to as their combined 83 years as performers with milestones including another successful Christmas tour, an accompanying TV special, a pending third instalment of their Greenbridge Celtic Folk Fest, a recent Road Gold Award from the Canadian Independent Music Association, and last but certainly not least, the arrival of Maria, newest sib to Mary Frances, Michael, Clare, Julia, Alec and Sadie.

        Though MacMaster and Leahy followed different trajectories to this point — both have confidently crested the traditional music peak.   Their synergy was brilliantly showcased on the pair’s first recorded collaboration, 2015’s Bob Ezrin produced album One, a crowning achievement complementing combined album sales of over one million, a CV listing cellist Yo-Yo Ma, bluegrass star Alison Krauss, and banjo ace Béla Fleck as past collaborators (and Shania Twain and The Chieftains as fans) plus a devoted audience stretching from Sydney, Nova Scotia to Sydney, Australia.