Strings will sing in Qualicum Beach this month when Scottish fiddle-player Alasdair Fraser and American cellist Natalie Haas return to town for a concert on Jan. 15.
“They are world class musicians,” said concert promoter Joyce Beaton.
Fraser has a long list of credentials. According to his website, his music has been included on top selling Celtic and New Age compilation albums, totalling nearly two million in combined sales. He also has been featured on over 100 television and radio shows in the UK, and on several nationally-broadcast programs in the U.S., including CBS Sunday Morning, NPR Morning Edition, A Prairie Home Companion, and The Thistle & Shamrock.
Fraser has made guest appearances with groups such as the Los Angeles Master Chorale, The Waterboys and The Chieftains, and as featured soloist along with Itzhak Perlman at New York’s Lincoln Center. His film credits include solo performances on the soundtracks of several major films, including The Last of the Mohicans and Titanic.
Now based in California, he also directs the 100-member San Francisco Scottish Fiddlers orchestra.
While the younger of the duo, Haas also has plenty of experience playing Celtic music. According to her website, this graduate of the Juilliard School has appeared on over 50 albums, including those of Cape Breton fiddler Natalie MacMaster, Solas and Liz Carroll and Americana icon Dirk Powell. She has also taught at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. She is currently based out of Montreal.
Together, Fraser and Haas have toured throughout Canada, the U.S. and Europe.
The concert is Jan. 15 at the Qualicum Community Baptist Church and starts at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $25 and available at Divas Vintage Kandy & Kakes.
According to Beaton, there is also a workshop in the afternoon on melody and rhythm instruments. For more information on either event, call Beaton at 250-752-1162.