Alasdair Fraser and Natalie Haas

Two-time winner of the open competition of the Scottish National Fiddle Championship, Alasdair Fraser continues to expand the musical traditions of his homeland with his expressive and virtuosic playing. In addition to performing more than 50 times on BBC radio and television shows (and, in the U.S., on “A Prairie Home Companion”), Fraser has been featured on the soundtracks of such films as Titanic, Braveheart, and The Last of the Mohicans. His 1996 album, “Dawn Dance,” which represented his first all-original recording, received a NAIRD award as best Celtic album of the year. The album’s success inspired Fraser to form a band, Skyedance. Fraser and Skyedance released their first album as a band, “Way Out to Hope Street,” in 1997. The album included 13 group composed instrumentals and a reworking of a medley of traditional dance tunes.

With recent Juilliard School graduate Natalie Haas accompanying Fraser, music fans are treated to dazzling teamwork and driving, dancing rhythms. Their album “Fire and Ice” is a compelling mixture of traditional Scottish fiddle tunes with an edgy, very modern bowed cello effect. Haas’s addition to Fraser’s impeccable fiddling has done even more to enhance this already legendary musician’s reputation. “People may be familiar with the gorgeous, melodic cello sound,” says Fraser, “but they’re surprised to learn that the cello used to comprise the rhythm section in Scottish dance bands. Natalie Haas unleashes textures and deep, powerful rhythms that drive fiddle tunes. We can ‘duck and dive’ around each other, swap melody and harmony lines, and improvise on each other’s rhythmic riffs. She has such a great sense of exploration and excitement for the music; it’s a joy to play with her. We’re releasing the cello from its orchestral shackles, and unleashing its rhythmic power; it’s very exciting!” “Fire and Ice” was awarded Best Album in the Scots Trad Music Awards in 2004.

Fraser and Haas have played to great acclaim in numerous concert halls and festivals across the U.S., including the “Scotland at the Smithsonian” Festival in Washington, DC, and in Europe, at Glasgow’s Celtic Connections, the Festival Interceltique in Lorient in France. Fraser and Haas met when, at age 11, Natalie first attended Alasdair’s Valley of the Moon Scottish Fiddling School in California, and she began performing in concert with Fraser just four years later. Natalie has since joined the staff at Alasdair’s several music courses, including the Valley of the Moon School, at Celtic Connections and at Sabhal Mor Ostaig on the Isle of Skye. Natalie regularly performs throughout the US and Europe with Fraser, and is a member of American fiddler Mark O’Connor’s Appalachian Waltz Trio.

Jennie McAvoy

Jennie McAvoy opens the show for Fraser and Haas. Jennie’s music combines the magic of the traditional ballad singer with the intimacy of the folk-chanteuse. Her voice — she’s a trained mezzo- soprano — is at once angelic and wise. Her musical background is that of a cellist turned guitarist. McAvoy has an impeccable ear for collecting songs — and an uncanny knack for making them her own. Her vast repertoire spans decades — even centuries — and finally, at the encouragement of her many fans and friends, she has recorded eleven of her best and favorite songs. The resulting CD, “So Long On The Flood,” is an eloquent collection of traditional and not-so-traditional folk songs.

 
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Alasdair Fraser is recognized throughout the world as one of the finest fiddle players Scotland has ever produced. [His] name is synonymous with the vibrant cultural renaissance which is transforming the Scottish musical scene. SCOTS Magazine
… the expressive gamut from deep Celtic melancholy to joyful jig, his fiddle imitations of the bagpipe almost unbelievable, the whole rendered with a humble sincerity, flawless virtuosity and just about the sweetest sound since Fritz Kreisler. L.A. TIMES
Natalie Haas is a 19-year old cellist who has traditional music very much figured out, has grasped it by the short-hairs, and is helping to lead it into new territory. She is among the first of a very new breed of young musicians who are approaching music traditions with the highest level of virtuosity and respect for the old-fashioned styles, but at the same time breathing into them the new life that will ensure they remain with us. Natalie makes the tunes her own. She plays with solid rhythm, warmth of tone and depth of feeling…I know we’ll be hearing more about Natalie. Bruce Molsky, Appalachian Fiddle Master
Haas can switch just as effortlessly as Fraser from a gentle singing tone to driving, dancing melody; and more than once she showed (gasp!) rock’n’roll influences bordering on the sinful. Brian Miller, Celtic Roots, BBC Radio Scotland