MUSIC

RICHARD WOOD http://www.rwood.ca/ "Picture it: A graceful tune to start off a set, with beautiful zippering lines, played while caressing the fiddle to his ear, eyes closed, off in a serene realm in a dance with time, as he lures us there with him. Then a cutting strathspey to kick it into a higher gear as he whoops out loud and smiles at the crowd — a total of six reels in a row, all executed with flawless precision, pounding in rhythm, intoxicating in a firing energy, which brings about numerous fits of spontaneous applause from the crowd who spring to their feet in ovation immediately at the set’s end. Wood simply dropped every single jaw in the house — certainly making us all proclaim he is back, and he is better than ever." - Todd MacLean, Charlottetown Guardian. For more than two decades, 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, “Rita MacNeil and Friends,” 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. In the late 1990s he toured the UK & Europe headlining concert halls and folk festivals. He’s since played at the Lincoln Centre in New York City, Epcot at Disney World, 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 Canadian East Coast Music Awards. MacLean’s Magazine named him one of the Top 100 Canadians to watch in the 21st Century. With a new CD, rejuvenated energy and enthusiasm, Richard Wood, Prince Edward Island fiddler, artist, composer and entertainer has taken on the world once again. Richard has come full circle, not just in his musical career, but from the sheltered innocence as a child prodigy to learning life’s lessons the hard way. "The best or more precisely, the most entertaning fiddler I have ever seen." Shetland Times "Prince Edward Island's Bow shredding Fiddling Sensation." The Scotsman "See him if you can." Toplas "This stepdancing fiddler from Prince Edward Island exudes the qualities which will take him all the way to the top." Aberdeen Evening Express "Celtic Prince Conquers U.S. - Country superstar Shania Twain elevates Richard Wood to the summit of U.S. network TV on the David Letterman Show and Good Morning America." The Toronto Star GORDON BELSHER http://www.guernseycove.ca/ Based in Prince Edward Island on Canada's east coast, Gordon Belsher has been entertaining audiences in Canada and around the world for more than 30 years performing at concerts, ceilidhs, conventions, and pubs. As accompanist and featured vocalist with Prince Edward Island fiddlers Richard Wood and Cynthia MacLeod, Gordon has toured extensively across Canada, in the U.S., the U.K., Europe, Japan and Australia. His solo CD Call Up All the Neighbours was nominated for "Roots/Traditional Solo Recording of the Year" at the 2008 East Coast Music Awards. His previous solo recording Reel in the Flickering Light, was also nominated at the 2003 ECMA's in the same category. 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. Career Highlights 2011-2012 - Woodford Folk Festival - Queensland, Australia - Royal Visit! - Performing for the Duke & Duchess of Cambridge in Prince Edward Island - East Coast Music Awards in Charlottetown performance with Richard Wood & Symphony Nova Scotia - Resident Conductor Martin MacDonald - Opening for "Capercaillie" at the Celtic Footprint Festival - Chichester, England