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CARTHAGE – Prince Edward Island’s Festival of Small Halls, in partnership with New England Celtic Arts, will present World famous fiddler Richard Wood with singer/song writer Gordon Belsher; highly acclaimed fiddler and teacher, Ward MacDonald; and Traditional Celtic vocalist Colette Cheverie.
The concerts will take place at the Franco American Heritage Center in Lewiston on Tuesday May 4; at Skye Theatre Performing Arts Center in So Carthage on Wednesday May 5; and at Unity College for the Performing Arts in Unity on Thursday May 6 and at Central Hall in So. Blue Hill on Friday May 7.
The tour is the direct result of two years of planning between Phill McIntyre Director of NECA, Steve Horne Executive Director of the Festival of Small Halls and Ward MacDonald Director of the Prince Edward Island Fiddle Camp. The Festival of Small Halls, www.smallhalls.com running from June 11-20 this year, is a celebration of music, art and dance across PEI, and showcases a stellar line up of Island and Atlantic Canadian performers with 49 shows in 16 small halls throughout the province.
It has long been recognized that Maine is a hot bed of Atlantic Canadian expatriates and a large percentage of those are directly from Prince Edward Island. Future plans include the addition of Maine musicians into the mix of International artists for the festival.
Small Halls director Steve Horne says, “The Maine Celtic Tour, developed by NECA, is the perfect vehicle for us. It uses the same size venues we use in our festival and gives us a ready-made market in which to start our promotion. Maine is our closest neighbor in the US and the “hands across the border” approach makes the most sense.”
“We are very excited to bring a taste of PEI to the New England Region and are looking to expand the program in the years to come.”
Richard Wood has impressed audiences all across Canada, as well as in the US, Europe, and Japan. Highlights include TV guest appearances with Shania Twain on “David Letterman” and “Good Morning America”, Carnegie Hall with Irish legends The Chieftains, a featured performer on CBC’s Canada Day on Parliament Hill, and with Jean Butler of Riverdance on “Celtic Electric.” Richard has played for Canada’s Prime Minister and Governor General, the Queen of England (in Toronto), and for the Emperor of Japan in Tokyo. He’s has played at the Lincoln Centre in New York City, and was a featured performer in the touring fiddle spectacle “Bowfire.” Richard is proud to have entertained Canada’s armed forces in Bosnia and twice in Afghanistan. He has five previous CD recordings and has won three East Coast Music Awards. MacLean’s Magazine named him one of the Top 100 Canadians to watch in the 21’st Century.
Gordon Belsher has been entertaining audiences in Canada and around the world for more than a quarter of a century performing solo at concerts, ceilidhs, conventions, and pubs. Gordon has toured extensively across Canada, in the U.S., the U.K., Europe, and Japan. Whether playing before large festival crowds or in intimate folk club settings, Gordon Belsher’s engaging personality, charming voice, and versatility on a variety of instruments are a recipe for a memorable evening.
Ward MacDonald is one of the most accomplished and well-rounded young fiddlers on Prince Edward Island. With the fiddling gene present on both sides of his family, Ward’s musical roots run back four generations, including his father, both grandfathers, and his great grandfather. Ward has played concerts, festivals, and square dances across the Maritimes and other parts of including Ontario, Quebec, and the Yukon. He’s also taught and performed at music and fiddle camps in the United States. He is an emerging composer having had some of his tunes published or recorded by other well-known Maritime musicians. Ward is the director of the Prince Edward Island Fiddle Camp and a popular teacher at the Maine Fiddle Camp in Montville, Me.
Colette Cheverie is a native of East Point, Prince Edward Island and has established herself as one of PEI’s finest young singers. As a respected interpreter of traditional folksongs, with those rooted in Atlantic Canada and beyond, Colette gives a refreshing and modern slant to ancient songs blending alongside of contemporary works. With her crystal-clear voice paired with stirring ballads and haunting melodies of traditional Scottish and Irish folksongs, Colette entrances her audiences as she recants the stories of lost love, hardships, and tragedies of past immigrants.
The Franco American Heritage Center is located on 46 Cedar Street in Lewiston. Skye Theater is located 3 miles West of East Dixfield village at 2 Highland Drive off Winter Hill Rd and US RT. 2 in South Carthage. UCCPA is at 42 Depot Street in Unity. For reservations at the theater you wish to attend call: FAHC at (207)-689-2000, Skye Theatre at (207) 562-4445, or UCCPA at (207) 948-7469. Tickets are $12.00 at FAHC and $10.00 at Skye and Unity
More information is available at: www.necelticarts.com
