Natalie MacMaster Story aired: Thursday, September 18, 2003
Since she was just a wee one, 30-year-old Scottish-Canadian Natalie MacMaster has carried on Cape Breton's 250 year tradition of fiddling with amazing grace and skill.
Vibrant, free-wheeling, steeped in its Scottish roots, maybe one reason Cape Breton fiddling has endured is how isolated the place is. Cape Breton is a small, exquisite region of Nova Scotia, where fiddle music pours from pubs, kitchens and house parties.
Fiddle music courses, head to toe, through Natalie MacMaster right down to her uncannily agile fingertips. In the past she's blended conventional fiddle styles with contemporary sounds, in albums and concerts, playing with artists as diverse as Carlos Santana, The Chieftains, Paul Simon, and Luciano Pavarotti.
With her new CD, MacMaster forges a musical bridge spanning Cape Breton and Appalachia.
