Posted: 19 Jul 2004
Gaelic College Hosts Festival of Cape Breton Fiddling - August 21 and August 22
It is said that a Cape Breton Fiddler speaks many languages ... all through the music in the fiddle. The music in the Cape Breton Fiddle is magical as it transcends all barriers...language, culture, and distance. When the fiddler draws the bow across the strings, the audience is no longer diversified or separated; for that moment, they are one, enjoying a tradition that reaches back two hundred years to Scotland. The 31st festival of Cape Breton Fiddling 2004 will bring people together, physically and figuratively, this August on the grounds of the historic Gaelic College of Celtic Arts and crafts, overlooking St. Ann’s Bay.
For two hundred years, fiddlers from this majestic Isle have been crafting their skill which has beco9me commonplace around the world. Cape Breton Fiddlers have captured the hearts and imaginations of many generations as they continue to attract the “new” breed of fiddler–one who is young, adventurous, and above everything else, true to their roots.
The annual two-day musical event will take place on Saturday, August 21, and Sunday, August 22, 2004, sponsored by the Cape Breton Fiddlers' Association. Each year, the festival plays host to performers of local, national, and international reputation. The Festival is enhanced by fine piano players, dancers, pipers, singers, and instrumentalists.
The weekend enfolds on Saturday, August 21, with accomplished fiddlers, piano players, stepdancers, and fiddle makers conducting workshops from 12:00 p.m. until 3:00 p.m. Due to its popularity, the Lecture Series entitled “building the tunes” will return on Saturday and Sunday from 10:30 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. at the Gaelic College. The traditional Saturday evening outdoor concert will run from 4:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m., with the final two hours featuring the youth division of the Association. The grand concert takes place on Sunday, August 22, from 2:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m., spotlighting the very best in traditional Cape Breton music. The crowd favourite group numbers, which in the past, have featured more than two hundred fiddlers, will be a focal point of this concert.
“This festival never gets tired,” states one of the organizers, Betty Matheson. “We all enjoy the music so much! To see the fiddlers take to the stage makes you proud to be part of this tradition.”
Full concession facilities will be available throughout the weekend with plenty of free parking. For further information, visit our website “capebretonfiddlers.com.” You may also call 902-849-8476 or 902-295-3411.
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