Saving Celtic Culture With a Fiddle

Canadian fiddler Ashley MacIsaac picked up the fiddle at the age of nine and has never looked back. Blending hard-edged traditional Cape Breton fiddling with his own flare for experimentation, MacIsaac has delved into genres as diverse and exciting as folk, electronica, and metal. Since breaking onto the Canadian music scene in the mid-‘90s, he’s shown an uncanny ability to ensnare and entertain audiences across the globe, and his ability to morph and adapt has made him an ideal collaborator for great acts as varied as Phillip Glass, David Byrne, Paul Simon, and the White Stripes. He’s sold over half a million records and released more than 10 albums.  "Ideacity.com - Linked Below"

In a 2013 interview with Transceltic the importance of passing along Celtic musical traditions through fiddling was cited by Allan Dewar, Music Director of the Celtic Music Interpretive Centre (Judique, Nova Scotia), who commented on the Gaelic cultural traditions highlighted in the festivals of Cape Breton: “Fiddling is a solo tradition, the Cape Breton style is centered on individual interpretation of the music…In the old Gaelic speaking days this was through informal gatherings at the pub, at the Ceilidh (traditional social gathering where Gaelic music and dance was performed) or in the home.   There is quite a resurgence going on with recent changes having led to a stronger commitment to the culture, language and the music of Gaelic culture. A growing recognition that the music is very closely tied to the language, that music comes from the language.”

Ashley MacIsaac is emblamatic of the resurgence of Gaelic culture in Capre Breton, driven by the rich cultural traditions of Scottish immigrants to the Canadian Maritime.

Read the Full article here: http://www.ideacity.ca/speaker/ashley-macisaac/