Natalie MacMaster & Donnell Leahy

Just in time for St. Patrick’s Day –
Canada’s reigning couple of Celtic music comes to the Garde with their spectacular Cape Breton fiddling.

From a young age, both Natalie MacMaster and Donnell Leahy have had music in their lives so it’s no surprise that it was their passion for the fiddle that first brought them together. The duo married in 2002, and in the years following have welcomed their 7 children – Mary Frances, Michael, Clare, Julia, Alec, Sadie, & Maria — who have joined them on their tours, some of which also being a part of the show with their own exceptional talents.

Both Natalie and Donnell have strong beliefs that the farm they uphold is a key component of their children’s education and “running the farm is a great counterpoint to life on the road” as Leahy puts it. As Canada’s leading duo of Celtic music, MacMaster and Leahy have surpassed many milestones together and achieved a wealth of accomplishments and awards from JUNO’s and the East Coast Music Awards to their very own anticipated Christmas tour, as well as honorary doctorates from Trent University and various other honorary degrees, and a Road Gold Award from the Canadian Independent Music Association.

Their synergy was brilliantly showcased on the pairs first recorded collaboration, 2015’s Bob Ezrin produced album One, a crowning achievement complementing combined album sales of over one million.

Since then, the couple have released two more records, including their most recent album, Canvas, which was released earlier this year. MacMaster explains their journey in the creation of Canvas as “indulging in full musical freedom, throwing patterns of the past aside. With a few challenges along the way, it was a delight from beginning to end”.

With Yo-Yo Ma, Alison Krauss, Bela Fleck, Shania Twain, Michael MacDonald, and The Chieftans as collaborators, to name a few, they have captivated audiences stretching from Sydney, Nova Scotia to Sydney, Australia.