12 Wings Pipes and Drums Canadian Forces Regular Force Volunteer Pipes and Drums from Shearwater Nova Scotia | |
Amethyst Scottish Dancers of Nova Scotia Known as ambassadors of Nova Scotia, The Amethyst Scottish Dancers have been entertaining audiences worldwide since 1985. The troupe is comprised of highly-trained highland and step dancers, aged 9-21, who blend traditional and contemporary choreography to give audiences an exciting taste of Nova Scotia’s vibrant Scottish culture. Over the course of the group's history, dancers have entertained Royalty, cruise ship passengers and thousands of others at conventions and other public performances both at home and abroad. For more information, visit http://www.amethystscottishdancersns.ca/ | |
Cassie and Maggie MacDonald BIO Cassie and Maggie MacDonald encompass everything you could ask for in a musical act, their talent is only surpassed by the joy with which they so generously share it. Exciting and innovative, they have found the perfect balance between musical integrity, and sheer entertainment. While still staying true to their Celtic roots, they have explored and tested the boundaries of traditional music, bringing a breath of fresh air to the genre with their original compositions and arrangements. Sisters, cohorts and collaborators, Cassie and Maggie have been enchanting audiences far and wide with their infectious energy, driving rhythms and lilting melodies. Born to a family with a rich musical heritage and raised in Nova Scotia, a province steeped in musical culture and traditions, the girls have used their unique up bringing as a springboard for their own brand of Celtic Roots music. Equally at home playing tunes passed down through generations of musicians, as seamlessly weaving themes from the Moonlight Sonata into sets of sure fire reels, Cassie and Maggie are turning heads wherever they go. And the music community has taken note; Galaxie Radio Rising Star award winners, Canadian Folk Music Award nominees for “Young Performers of the Year”, East Coast Music Award nominees for Traditional Album and double Music Nova Scotia Award nominees for New Artist and Roots Album of the year, their accolades and awards speak of a young duo that will surely continue to do great things… http://cassieandmaggie.com/ | |
Cheryl Reid O'Hagan Cheryl Reid O'Hagan, performer, arranger, teacher and entrepreneur, was born in St. Stephen, N.B. into a musical family steeped in Maritime traditions. She holds a degree in Classical music from Mount Allison University and has lived in Bedford, N.S. since 1974. Prior to taking up the Celtic Harp, she had been a freelance singer at the CBC, a classroom and ukulele music specialist in Halifax for Chalmers Doane, a private voice and piano teacher and Director of the Bedford Singers. After taking up the Celtic Harp in 1990, she produced several solo Christmas concerts from which the 1995 winter solstice recording "The Darkest Midnight" evolved. In 2001 she released "SunnyDay", a CD of traditional harp music layered up in her own style. From her top students, she formed the first performing Harp Ensemble in Atlantic Canada, MAEVE. They performed at many cultural and corporate events in Nova Scotia and in 2003 Cheryl produced and arranged their self-titled CD on which professional musicians played with the group. With the vision of bringing the finest Celtic Harps available to Nova Scotia, Cheryl opened the retail store Eastcoast Harpshop in 1997. Soon after, she created The Nova Scotia Harp Ring for the support of budding harpists and kindred spirits. Both are now accessable on Facebook. She has taught Celtic Harp at the Highland Games in Fredericton, N.B., Ceilidh Trail School in Cape Breton, College of Piping in PEI and Re-Jigged in Dartmouth. Her first students have gone on to earn university harp degrees and are now returning to Halifax to teach their own students. She has added her expressive playing to many artists' recordings including Scott Macmillan's Celtic Mass for the Sea and was a member of the neo-trad. group Fancy's Flight. Cheryl gives her talents generously to the Irish Cultural Society, Charitable Irish Society, St. Patrick's Church, many fundraisers, wakes, weddings and corporate events. You may have seen her at the Lunenburg Folk Festival, at the IWK Memorial Service or on a local TV or Radio program. Presently she is collaborating with Saeed Foroughi for his upcoming Persian Rumi concert and currently takes Gaelic Immersion classes, studies Flamenco Dance and is taking a crack at singing Flamenco music. Her plans for the future include establishing Harp Competitions with prizes and scholarships and developing a biennial Harp Festival. | |
| Dartmouth and District Pipe Band (Association) The band have performed with Rawlins Cross for Her Royal Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II; entertained visitors to Celebration Square during the Canada Winter Games; and performed at Temple Bar TradFest in Dublin. They travel throughout the Maritimes, Canada, and beyond for competitions and festivals, including the 2012 World Pipe Band Championships in Glasgow, Scotland. For the 2013 competition season our grade 5 band was named the Nova Scotia Pipe Band and Atlantic Canadian Pipe Band Champions. Our grade 3 band currently hold the 2013 title of Nova Scotia Pipe Band Champions and placed 3rd at the 2013 North American Pipe Band Championships, taking a 1st place in drumming. For more information: www.dartmouthpipeband.com or www.facebook.com/ | |
| Dave MacIsaac and Louis Benoit BIO Dave MacIsaac  Dave MacIsaac is a musicians' musician. John Allan Cameron once said, if you put strings on a cod he could play it. Dave plays both fiddle and guitar and is known to possess an impressive archive of the older players which he willingly shares. He has performed on numerous recordings and TV programs and is World renowned master of string instruments, Cape Breton legend, and one of the finest Celtic guitarists in the world. Dave’s traditionally-rooted style complements perfectly his “close to the core” sound. Accompanying him is Louis Benoit playing a pure and skillful guitar. | |
Flamenco en Rouge Deeply committed to the purity and elemental intensity of flamenco music and dance, Flamenco en rouge brings together artists who share a unique creative vision. Through the artistry of original solo and ensemble works, ......Flamenco en rouge...... This style combines an auditory and visual display that creates an exhilarating experience. The performance at the Halifax Celtic Festival will be flamenco with a Celtic twist! | |
Jug in Hand BIO Jug in Hand is comprised of Brian England, Lewis MacKinnon and Danny Sutherland. All Nova Scotian born and raised, these boys have been pleasing audiences from all over the world with their musical talents for over a decade.From small, intimate pubs to festival stages, from concert halls to corporate functions, Jug in Hand is all about audience engagement, participation and fun. The band enjoys the opportunity to personally interact with its audience and feeds on that spontaneous energy. Soaring harmonies are at the core of Jug in Hand's sound. This is a band that loves to sing, and strong, earthy vocals are the group's hallmark. Jug in Hand wields an impressive repertoire of the traditional Irish, Scottish and Maritime music that inspires one to laugh, clap or dance along! Combine that with some carefully chosen classic folk, rock and pub tunes, and your kitchen party experience with The Jug is complete! Since its inception in 1994, Jug in Hand has released four recordings: 1997's Dunmore Road, 1999's Skullduggery and Prose, the compilation One For the Road and 2002's Delirium, showcase the fun of Jug in Hand's live show as well as the group's always present "party vibe" and powerful and poignant ballad and original composition performances round off a tasteful musical presentation. Jug in Hand also showcases Lewis MacKinnon's Gaelic repertoire. His 2006 recording A’ Seo contains an ECMA Roots Category nomination. In 2010, Lewis completed a solo, all-English recording titled, Making More Of It. You can pick up copies at any Jug in Hand gig or by visiting www.lewismackinnon.com. | |
Karen Myatt Karen Myatt is a graduate of New York City’s American Musical and Dramatic Academy. She has studied privately with Halifax’s Janice Jackson, and with New York City Opera star Eileen Schauler. In 2008 she was named one of Broadway’s Rising Stars and performed in the Broadway Summer Series under the direction of Tony-Nominated Emily Skinner. She has self-written a cabaret series with the Wunderkind Consortium at New World Stages in New York and Toronto and is a co-founder, director, and performer for the bilingual theatre company; Concordia which tours Mexico with the production Lazos. Halifax credits include;Trudeau: Long March / Shining Path (Vocalypse Prod, CBC National Broadcast), The Drowsy Chaperone, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (TAG),Sweeney Todd and Elf the Musical (Neptune Theatre). Karen has co-written several original cabarets with Wild Abandon Productions including Broadway Without Borders at the Chester Playhouse and the Neptune Studio.http://www.indiegogo.com/ | |
| Lewis MacKinnon Festival Host and Master of Ceremonies  | |
| RCMP Pipes, Drums and Highland Dance Troupe of Nova Scotia | |
| Roger Stone and Anthony Rissesco BIO Roger Stone  Raised in St. Peters, Richmond County, Cape Breton Island, Roger is an accomplished singer, songwriter, and musician. Former lead singer and songwriter for the band Breakin' Tradition, Roger has two albums featuring original music to his credit that have received extensive air play in Canada, the United States, Russia, England, and Australia. His original song "Rollin' on the Sea" was adopted by the Summertime Revue as part of their stage show, and reached audiences all over Canada. Roger plays lead guitar and enjoys a reputation as one of the finest banjo players in Nova Scotia.Roger has over 25 years teaching experience, starting in 1982 with the Ryerson music program in St. Catherines. He returned to Nova Scotia and taught for almost 20 years at the Halifax Folklore Centre. In 2005, Roger taught at the Canadian Conservatory under the leadership of director Cindy Grantham. In 2006, Roger opened his own Halifax studio, The Little Zen Music Dojo, helpings students learn while developing their own personal style. http://zencaper.com/ Anthony Rissesco  A versatile violin player and teacher, experienced in all styles of playing from classical violin to traditional fiddle. instructor at the Halifax Folklore Centre, Anthony plays with the prominent local band, Breton, and also appears regularly at O’Carroll’s Restaurant and Pub, The Old Triangle Ale House and The Split Crow Pub. He can be seen on television playing fiddle in a well known brewery commercial. As a music student at Dalhousie University, Anthony studied classical violin under Phillippe Djokic. Anthony has played with Symphony Nova.Scotia. | |
Scaip na Cleiti: Nova Scotia Irish Set Dancers Scaip na Cleiti* is the Irish Set Dancing group in Nova Scotia. We have two weekly activities, a Sunday afternoon dance music session at the Old Triangle and a Monday evening class. We also meet bi-weekly for sean nos step classes. Irish Set Dancing is sweeping the world. To put it simply, eight people create a square formation, and follow a series of movements using simple footwork. More than that, it's cultural, musical, social and good exercise. This article, The Joy of Sets, by Bill Lynch, explains set dancing to non-set dancers. http://www.setdancingns.com/ | |
The Gig Dogs BIO DARREN MCMULLEN is a highly sought after multi-instrumentalist based out of Halifax, Nova Scotia. His list of on-stage weapons includes mandolin, bouzouki, tenor banjo, whistles, guitar and bass.Darren has been behind one instrument or another since the age of four – first a piano then a guitar then anything he could lay his hands on. His first regular gig was with the hugely popular Halifax band “The Cornerboys”. He chorded his way through the audition, told the band he was a trad music fanatic, got the gig, and swiftly went home to start teaching himself some trad music! Once he found the genre, there was no going back. One job rolled into the next as Darren learned new instruments along the way. It was in the early days of his next band, “Hair of the Dog”, when Darren and the band’s fiddler Martin St.Maurice realized their common love of traditional instrumental music. In 2001, they recorded their album “Fingerboard Grooves” which went on to be nominated for an East Coast Music Award for the 2002 Instrumental Album of the Year. Hair of the Dog played relentlessly for the next three years; 2003 saw them play 207 shows. With the exit of the band’s lead singer, Hair of the Dog morphed into “The Gig Dogs” in 2004, and remains one of Halifax’s most celebrated pub acts. | |
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Dartmouth & District Pipe Band is based out of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, drawing members and students from across the Halifax Regional Municipality and the province. The organization currently consists of a 2 competition bands, a parade band, and a well-established bagpipe and drumming school that offers introductory to advanced lessons throughout the school year.
