MUSIC

An evening of elegant and energetic celtic music in the intimate First Parish Church Meetinghouse celebrating the release of Alasdair's and Natalie's new album, Highlander's Farewell.... Scott Alarik wrote in The Boston Globe: "Traditional music has always been a connective tissue between cultures, communities, and generations. Witness the duo of Scottish fiddle star Fraser and cello prodigy Haas. He is from Clackmannan, a small town in Scotland's smallest county. She is a Juilliard grad from California. When they met, he was teacher, and she was student. And yet on a new CD, "In the Moment," you would think they'd been playing together for centuries. While his fiddle dances, her cello throbs darkly or plucks puckishly. Then she opens her cello's throat, joining Fraser in soaring sustains, windswept refrains, and sudden, jazzy explosions. Their sound is as urbane as a Manhattan midnight, and as wild as a Clackmannan winter."... Matt and Shannon (guitar, Irish flute respectively) have been gathering wide acclaim for their updated traditional approach to Irish music. They have recorded several albums together and Shannon recently released her first solo cd, The Blue Dress.