When two of Canada's brightest stars wed in late 2002, audiences waited with bated breath for the concert of a lifetime.
Donnell Leahy and Natalie MacMaster, with well-deserved Juno Awards and Grammy nominations to their credit, are finally giving fans what they've been waiting for.
Billed as Two Fiddles, Two Pianos, the duo will perform at Vic Juba Theatre in Lloydminster Nov. 8 and 9.
Donnell has been a driving force in Canadian music since his early youth. His blend of traditional, Celtic and contemporary fiddle, with influences of gypsy, bluegrass, rock, jazz and classical, has made him a hallmark among musical maestros.
"Donnell Leahy is quite likely the greatest fiddle player in the world right now," said Geoff Kulawick of Virgin Music.
Working with eight of his 11 siblings, Donnell has led Leahy since they arrived on the music scene in 1996, winning three Junos, including Best New Group, Best Instrumental Group and Best Country Group. Leahy was also hand-picked by Shania Twain to perform as the opening act on her 175-date World Tour in 1998-99 and appeared on her two U.S. television specials.
Natalie MacMaster is well-known to international audiences as one of Canada's major fiddle talents. She has been an ambassador of traditional East Coast music and credited with exposing the style to contemporary prominence. She is also widely-acclaimed for taking Celtic music to lofty new heights with a creativity and range that pushes back the boundaries of the genre.
With albums like In My Hands (1999) and the Grammy-nominated My Roots Are Showing (1998), Natalie has proven time and time again that she is ever-widening her mark on Canadian music history. Natalie and Buddy MacMaster (2005) was recorded with her uncle, a Cape Breton fiddle-legend. Composed solely of traditional fiddle pieces and recorded with the simple beauty of two fiddles and a piano, the album is a tribute to her family and musical roots.
Released in October 2006, Yours Truly was produced by MacMaster and Leahy and finds the "fiery fiddler" continuing to ingeniously incorporate new sounds and concepts into her rich Cape Breton musical heritage.
McMaster had an eventful 2007 winning an East Coast Music Award, was nominated for a Juno, received the Order of Canada, and she and Donnell were happy to welcome their second child in June.
Performing a full-out concert together is the logical outcome for a pair so wedded to music and to each other. Donnell and Natalie have appeared on-stage at each other's concerts before, and continue to do so, but their shared billing in a select number of performances each year is something they find particularly special. There is no question that the musical progeny of this pairing will be remembered a long time.
