[Classifieds] [classifieds] Woods Hole Folk Music Society presents Cassie and Maggie MacDonald, Sunday, Nov 20

[MBL Classifieds]

----- Original Message -----

From: "msulanowska" <msulanowska at whoi.edu> 


Sunday, November 20, 2016: Woods Hole Folk Music Society presents Canadian Celtic music duo Cassie and Maggie MacDonald . 7:30 PM, Community Hall, 68 Water Street: Doors open at 7 PM. $20, with discounts for members, seniors, youth and children. 



Canadian Duo Brings Celtic Music and Step Dancing to Woods Hole Cassie and Maggie MacDonald are a rising Celtic roots duo from Antigonish in Nova Scotia. The sisters, steeped in Eastern Canada's diverse and vibrant maritime heritage, play fiddle, piano, guitar, banjo and accordion, as well as singing and step dancing together. 

Born into a family with a rich musical heritage, the MacDonalds have performed across North America and Europe. They took to the stage at an early age, after being trained in the Scottish-inspired traditions of eastern Canada. These traditions became the foundation of their music, along with Maggie MacDonald's training as a classical pianist. In addition to piano, she sings lead vocals, plays guitar, banjo, and accordion and is also an accomplished step dancer. Her sister Cassie MacDonald is an award-winning fiddler, harmony singer and Highland and step dancer. 

In performance, the duo seeks to balance musical integrity and historic authenticity with a lively contemporary sound. Their repertoire features original compositions and unique arrangements of traditional material, with a few surprises thrown in. 

Nova Scotia is home to some of the most rhythmically powerful traditional music in North America. The MacDonalds bring that rhythmic punch to tunes of their own compositions, such as “Jimmie’s,” written to honor their uncle and the farm that has been in the family since the 1800s, and “Hurricane Jane,” which Cassie MacDonald wrote as a nickname for her sister. 

Cassie and Maggie MacDonald are receiving increasingly widespread recognition as they tour more widely and become better known. Awards include 2015 Live Ireland Radio “New Group of the Year,” Galaxie Radio “Rising Stars” and Canadian Folk Music’s “Young Performers of the Year.” 

Their 2011 debut album "Fresh Heirs" and 2014 release "Sterling Road," mixing traditional and original material, have also garnered multiple award nominations. They have just released their third album, "The Willow Collection." The title comes from the tradition of placing willow wands beneath one’s pillow when struggling to cope with strong feelings. “The willow is a very emotional, evocative theme in folk music,” reflects Maggie MacDonald. “You can find it in a dozen versions in Appalachia through to the Ozarks, and some in Nova Scotia. At first all the songs we found were quite grim, but the more research we did, the more we learned it can also be a symbol of hope.” 

Equally at home with traditional ballads, original instrumentals and playful juxtapositions, Cassie and Maggie MacDonald bring a fresh and lively twist to the music of their heritage. 

The concert begins at 7:30 PM. Doors open at 7 PM. Admission is $20 with discounts for members, seniors, youth and children. Community Hall is handicapped accessible, and street parking is free after 6 PM. 

Upcoming performances include: January 15, April Verch Band; January 29, Bill Staines; February 26, Hanneke Cassel, Mike Block and Keith Murphy; March 12, Molsky’s Mountain Drifters; March 26, Steve Gillette and Cindy Mangsen; April 9, The Press Gang. 

The Woods Hole Folk Music Society is a nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering enjoyment of folk music in all its forms. Concerts are generally held two Sundays per month from October through April. They are made possible by support from its members, season subscribers, volunteers, and performers. Refreshments are served at intermission and donations of baked goods are always welcome. More information is available at 508-540-0320, woodsholefolk at gmail.com , and www.arts-cape.com/whfolkmusic . 

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://lists.mbl.edu/pipermail/classifieds/attachments/20161117/52af43b0/attachment.html