Natalie MacMaster and Donnell Leahy Play The Jorgensen
Natalie MacMaster and Donnell Leahy, two of the world's most celebrated fiddlers, also happen to be married. Together, these Masters of the Fiddle will create a whirlwind of Celtic music, dance, and song at 8 pm, Friday and Saturday, March 19 and 20, at Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts on the UConn campus in Storrs. The foot-tapping rave-ups, heart-wrenching ballads, and world-class step dancing of this Celtic collaboration will leave onlookers breathless from the moment the duo hits the stage.
Donnell Leahy is eldest of the eight musical siblings of the Canadian powerhouse that bears the family name. Each of the Leahy children learned to play fiddle from their father, while their mother, a champion step-dancer, taught them to sing, dance and play piano in their rural Ontario home. Donnell's Irish background is evident in his fiddling, mixed with influences from Quebec and Cape Breton.
Natalie MacMaster's impressive musical lineage includes a cadre of amazing fiddlers, including her uncle, prodigy Buddy MacMaster, and the great Canadian folk icon John Allan Cameron, and she is firmly grounded in the Cape Breton style. However, she began to forge her own sound with a concert debut at age nine-and-a-half. "I am a very musical person," MacMaster declares. "I love music, and I don't just love Cape Breton fiddling, although it's my favorite...I guess culture and tradition never go out of style."
MacMaster and Leahy push the pedal to the floor as they roar across the musical terrain with jigs, reels and strathspeys. Their fiery energy brakes only occasionally for a delicate air or a keening ballad, making a timeless tradition as fresh and new as a sunrise on Cape Breton's rocky shore. Their music combines the influence of their Irish and Scottish roots with their inherent desire for new sounds. The Intelligencer Journal called their "dual fiddle wizardry a refreshing breeze over the crowd even as the... pair heated up the stage." Their amazing synergy produces infectious, can't-sit-still melodies.
Hear the Masters of the Fiddle at the Jorgensen Cabaret. There's nothing like it for sheer enjoyment and relaxation, with light dinner fare and dessert ($3-$10; cash bar), and the best entertainment around in a cozy, candlelit nightclub setting. Doors open at 7 pm. Tickets are $34, $38 and $45. For information, call the Box Office, Monday through Friday, 11 am to 5 pm, at 860.486.4226, or order online at jorgensen.uconn.edu. Enjoy free parking across the street in the North Garage.
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