Nova Scotia's Finest On Display - Celtic Canada's 2nd Annual Cape Breton Ceilidh

The Cape Breton Gaelic College (Colaisde na Gàidhlig), which has an international reputation for its contribution to the promotion and preservation of Gaelic culture, is sponsoring the 2015 2nd annual Cape Breton Island Kitchen Fest (Féis a’ Chidsin) from June 27 thru July 4.  

This year’s festival is being held over 8 days, in 18 venues with 100 separate events and boasts a staggering array of Celtic musical talent with over 150 participating performers.

Among the performers in 2015 are world renowned Cape Breton artists who have made the Celtic music of Cape Breton an international success story. Among the artists performing are the following, but time and space do not allow for a full description of the jaw dropping talent garnered by the festival organisers:

·         Wendy MacIsaac: Wendy is a fiddler/piano player/stepdancer from Creignish, Cape Breton, Canada. Wendy has been touring all over the world for the last ten years with Mary Jane Lamond, Ashley MacIsaac, Beolach and as a solo performer. Cousin to internationally acclaimed Ashley and  Alexis MacIsaac , as well as cousin to the superstar of Celtic Fiddling, Natalie MacMaster, Wendy is Cape Breton Musical Royalty.

·         Rodney MacDonald: Honourable Rodney J. MacDonald, E.C.N.S., is an accomplished Cape Breton musician and dancer who has performed throughout Atlantic Canada, Eastern USA, Central Canada, and Scotland. He is the grandson of the great fiddler and composer, the late Donald Angus Beaton and comes from a family of musicians. He began step dancing at home at a young age and began playing the fiddle at the age of 12 as a result of lessons from his uncle, Mr. Kinnon Beaton. MacDonald recorded his own solo recording in 1995 entitled "Dancer’s Delight", "Traditionally Rockin’" in 1997 (with Glenn Graham), and was included on the 2004 Smithsonian release of "The Beaton Family of Mabou: Cape Breton Fiddle and Piano Music". MacDonald is a former Premier of Nova Scotia and Cabinet Minister. He is presently the CEO of Colaisde na Gaidhlig/ The Gaelic College.

·         Joe MacMaster: Joe is a piper and fiddle player from Troy, Cape Breton. Since a very young age he has been surrounded by music and culture, which sparked his interest early on. He grew up in a musical family, to whom he credits as his greatest influences on his playing. Joe has learned from quite a few different instructors, such as; Kenneth MacKenzie, Wally Ellison, Matt MacIssac, his grandfather and aunt Alex and Natalie MacMaster, as-well as few others here and there. Only relatively new to playing publicly, he continues to be involved in many different musical and cultural events and programs, and in 2015 completed the Gaisgich Òga program, which aims to develop functional fluency in the Gaelic language.

The Cape Breton Gaelic College (Colaisde na Gàidhlig), sponsors of the Festival, is located in Englishtown, Nova Scotia on Cape Breton’s northeast coast. The Gaelic College was founded in 1938 by people from the local community who wanted to create a memorial for the Gaelic speaking pioneers of Cape Breton. Today the Cape Breton Gaelic College is a modern and innovative institution which has gained an international reputation for its contribution to the preservation and development of the Scots Gaelic language and culture of Nova Scotia. The College curriculum reflects the legacy of a thriving Gaelic speaking Celtic nation and includes a program in Gaelic Immersion and Gaelic language instruction in Gaelic drama, Gaelic song and Gaelic storytelling.  Emphasis is also placed on Cape Breton’s rich musical heritage with courses in the Bodhran Celtic drum, Cape Breton Fiddling, Cape Breton Piano Accompaniment and the Celtic Harp.

It is widely accepted that at the high point of Nova Scotia’s Gaelic culture that there were approximately 100,000 Gaelic speakers (some estimate approach twice this number),  residing in the Canadian Maritime with Cape Breton Island as the linguistic stronghold.  Cape Breton Island is today home to world’s only Gaelic speaking population outside of Europe. The 2011 Canadian census reported 1,300 Gaelic speakers, with an additional 2,000 enrolled in Gaelic language programs around the province. The Celtic tongue of Nova Scotia is experiencing a remarkable comeback and the credit in large part can be attributed to the role played by the Gaelic College, and events like the Kitchen Fest, in nurturing a culture and language which has made its way back from the precipice.

• Kitchen Fest  - Cape Breton Island Ceilidh

  • When: June 27 - July 4, 2015
  • Where: Multiple Venues - Sponsored by The Gaelic College of Cape Breton
  • Website: www.gaeliccollege.edu/kitchenfest

http://www.capebretonpost.com/Living/2015-05-23/article-4157084/Kitchenf...

http://www.transceltic.com/scottish/cape-breton-gaelic-college-beacon-of...