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The Zeiterion Performing Arts Center presents the fierce fiddling duo of Natalie MacMaster & Donnell Leahy on St. Patrick’s Day, Sunday, March 17, at 7:00 p.m. Known as the reigning couple of Celtic music, they are now on tour with a full band for a world-class performance of traditional fiddling, dancing, and singing. This spirited evening highlights the unique talents, influences, and stories of the first family of traditional fiddling. Tickets range from $35 to $49 and can be purchased by calling 508-994-2900, online at https://zeiterion.org/, or at the Zeiterion Box Office at 684 Purchase Street in New Bedford. Group sales of 10 tickets and more are available by calling 508-997-5664 x123.
MacMaster and Leahy bring the audience on a musical and personal journey with their current North American tour, Visions from Cape Breton & Beyond. For this special appearance on St. Patrick’s Day, they’ll share the legendary musical traditions of their hometowns of Ontario and Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, alongside their musically gifted children. It’s an explosive celebration of raw energy and passion that infuses their traditional heritage with their taste for the contemporary.
When two of music’s best fiddle players married in 2002, the proverbial mantelpiece was instantly crammed with JUNO and East Coast Music Awards. Though MacMaster and Leahy followed different trajectories – she a Cape Breton native who could step-dance before she could walk; he the oldest brother of acclaimed family group Leahy – both had assuredly crested the traditional music peak.
Their first recorded collaboration, 2015’s Bob Ezrin-produced album One, which was followed by 2016’s A Celtic Family Christmas (and which cemented the couple’s status as powerhouses on the seasonal circuit) confirmed MacMaster and Leahy were as dynamic working together as they were working apart. Their combined album sales exceed one million, and past collaborators include Yo-Yo Ma, Alison Krauss and Béla Fleck, to name a few.
MacMaster and Leahy’s Zeiterion performance will open with special guests from The Kanaley School of Irish Dance to perform a set of traditional sets, jigs, reels, and group ceili dances. The evening will kick off with a special performance by the Old Time Fiddle Session Community Group in the Zeiterion Member Lounge from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m.
The Zeiterion Performing Arts Center is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with a mission to provide New Bedford and the region with performing arts programming of excellence that inspires, educates, engages and entertains. Tickets are available for purchase at www.zeiterion.org, by calling 508-994-2900, or in person at the box office at 684 Purchase Street, New Bedford, Mass. Zeiterion Box Office regular hours are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Thursday 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., and two hours before each performance.
