natalie macmaster a celtic family christmas

Normally, with our Christmas concert, we take home onto the stage. Q: What can people expect with the virtual concert?Ī: It’s in our home. It’s not as simple as loading up the bus and going on tour. We homeschool by necessity, but we don’t want them to be isolated, so they’re also into soccer and other activities that we have to make sure they get to. We have a 2-year-old and that is a challenging age to be traveling.

Q: What are some of the challenges of touring together?Ī: The challenges include being everything at the same time - teacher, music teacher, disciplinarian and mentor. It just feels right, it’s more than music, it’s family and togetherness. Siblings’ voices are melded together, and they know one another and sense one another. Seeing the kids play with us is beautiful. Mary Frances, our oldest, is a crackerjack on piano. The kids are cute when they first perform, but then as they continue to perform, they become more experienced. Q: What is the joy you find in working together?Ī: The joy of being with the family and traveling and living together while on tour. It’s a way to get into the community and raise money, and a way for us to keep in touch with the theaters. They are selling the tickets and say they are presenting Natalie and me.

Theaters are presenting the tour almost like we were coming to town. Natalie and I have been touring together for five to seven years.Ī: We recognized that theaters were struggling and decided to do a tour to help them out. I and my 10 siblings toured as the group Leahy and I still tour with my own groups. I grew up in Ontario, but my mother was from Cape Breton and my father was from Ireland. She comes from Cape Breton Island, off Nova Scotia, which has an unique culture in Scottish music that came from the 1600s, and grew up playing traditional music. Leahy took some time out his busy schedule to answer a few questions, which are lightly edited for clarity.Ī: Natalie has been playing fiddle since she was 9. Speaking from their home in Ontario, Canada, Leahy said the virtual concert will include their children: Mary Frances, 15 Michael, 13 Clare, 11 Julia, 9 Alec 8 Sadie, 6 and Maria, 2, “causing a lot of mischief” in addition to showing off their talent on fiddle, accordion, piano, guitar, and song and dance.

Natalie macmaster a celtic family christmas