New faces at Irish hall
Ward MacDonald hosts New Faces of Fiddling
A ceilidh on Friday, Sept. 15 at the Irish Cultural Centre at 582 North River Rd. will welcome New Faces of Fiddling, featuring fiddlers, pipers and step dancers – some young and some middle generation Island performers.
The event is hosted by fiddler Ward MacDonald, who comes from a long line of Scottishstyle fiddlers and is known for composing tunes as well as performing. MacDonald is also the originator of the P.E.I. Fiddle Camp held annually in July, as well as one of the originators of the Island-wide Festival of Small Halls.
Joining MacDonald for the evening entertainment will be new faces, Matthew Read, Thomas Harrington, Jenna Cyr and Cailyn MacAulay.
Reid has been fiddling for 17 years and is a regular at Island ceilidhs and concerts. He has also performed at the Rollo Bay Fiddle Festival, QEH Eastlink Telethon, Atlantic Fiddlers Jamboree.
He began fiddling at age seven studying with Cynthia MacLeod and Aaron Crane and then went on to teach at National Music for 10 years. His first CD, “Born to Fiddle” was released in 2012 and received nominations at the 2013 Music P.E.I. Awards and 2014 East Coast Music Awards in the roots/traditional categories.
Harrington is from Glenholme, N.S., and currently lives in Stratford. He plays fiddle, bagpipes and whistle. He played his first P.E.I. square dance last month. He has played with various groups such as the 78th Highlanders Halifax Citadel Pipe Band, Squid Precision Drumming, and folk band Finnan Haddie.
Jenna Cyr is a 14-year-old fiddler from Stratford who has been playing for six years. She plays traditional music and has performed on many stages throughout P.E.I. and Nova Scotia. Jenna released her debut album entitled “Promise” at age 11. Jenna teamed up with fellow musicians Cailyn MacAulay and Annie Kitson this past summer to showcase a true Celtic experience of fiddling and step dancing.
Friday night’s ceilidh will include a 50/50 draw during the evening and a light lunch is served during the intermission. The doors open at 7 p.m., and the show starts at 8 p.m. Admission price is $12 at the door. Children 12 and younger admitted for $5. Everyone is welcome. For more information call 5663273.