Nova Scotia Fiddler/Pianist Troy MacGillivray's British Columbia Tour March 2006

Troy MacGillivray's musical prowess can be attributed to an especially rare combination of commitment and bloodline. By the age of six, Troy was already impressing audiences with his step dancing skills. By 13 he was teaching piano at the renowned Gaelic College of Celtic Arts and Crafts. He has completed grade seven of the Toronto Conservatory of Music for classical piano, spent four years in a stringed orchestra and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in music from St. Francis Xavier University.

Troy has a roots-centered approach to his fiddling and piano playing that has powerfully inspired audiences around the world. On his most recent album, ELEVEN, Troy delivers his musical furor with fiddle, piano, viola, and bass while an international cast of musicians accentuates his artistry with flute, cello, guitar and bodhran. ELEVEN evokes such passion, that the listener is taken on an emotional ride that leaves them wanting more. Whether it’s the playful innocence of Teetotalers, the haunting mysticism of Dream at Dawn, the excitement of Road to Erroigie that leaves you breathless, or the pure tradition of Hughie No. 11, ELEVEN’s decidedly poignant ups and downs are woven together into an innovative, sophisticated creation. ELEVEN first became available at the Celtic Colours International Festival, 2005.

His first two recordings both received East Coast Music Award nominations as well as Music Industry Association of Nova Scotia nominations. BOOMERANG (2003) is a demonstration of the piano and fiddle played in the purist traditional stylings. MUSICAL TIES (2001) is a blend of contemporary and original compositions with two hundred year old melodies played on the piano and fiddle. A collection of uplifting strathspeys, jigs and reels are complimented by the graceful presence of two beautiful Gaelic airs.

Troy's bloodline is equally as impressive. The Lanark MacGillivrays and MacDonalds have been proprietors of the Gaelic tradition in North Eastern Nova Scotia for generations. Troy's grandfather, Hugh A. MacDonald, is a member of the Nova Scotia Country Hall of Fame – an honour bestowed for his contribution to the Gaelic culture of Nova Scotia. His parents, Tony and Janice, and sisters Sabra and Kendra (a two-time ECMA award winner) have all displayed their musical talents joining Troy on the stage and in the studio.

This past year has been an incredibly busy year for Troy MacGillivray. At the age of 24, he was the 2004 recipient of the "Auleen Theriault Young Tradition Award" from the Goderich Celtic Roots Festival in Goderich, Ontario. He embarked on what is arguably the most impressive tour ever attempted by an independent artist, in support of BOOMERANG. This tour started out in Toronto, took him to various locations throughout Ontario, as far west as Victoria, BC and back east to the Maritimes - even making appearances in Iqaluit, Nunavut. He recorded a television program for the Bravo Television Network and provided music for a CBS made-for-TV movie starring Jane Seymour. Other performance highlights include Celtic Connections 2005 in Glasgow, the 2005 East Coast Music Awards, the 2005 Tonder Festival in Denmark, Celtic Colours International Festival in Cape Breton, and the Edinburgh Fiddle Festival - not to mention numerous dances, concerts and ceilidhs throughout Canada and the United Kingdom. Troy is presently enrolled in an Applied Music Technology program, studying recording engineering.

Whether playing piano or fiddle, or showcasing his step dancing capabilities, Troy MacGillivray certainly displays intense commitment to the Celtic heritage he inherited from his Highland ancestors and his artistic genius is not to be missed.

Kimberley Fraser, a 23 year old native of Sydney Mines, began impressing audiences with her step dancing talents at age 3 and soon after decided that she wanted to master the fiddle and piano. Since then, she has been steadily becoming one of Cape Breton’s finest young musicians.

Career highlights include performing for the Governor General of Canada during her visit to Cape Breton in 2000 and receiving the Tic Butler Memorial Award for significant contribution to Cape Breton Culture in that same year. For the past five years, Kimberley has been a featured artist in the Celtic Colours International Festival. It was during this festival in 2001 where she first teamed up with the Danish duo, Haugaard and Hoirup, at one of the after hours sessions. This duo, consisting of two of Denmark’s best folk musicians – violin player, Harald Haugaard and guitar player and singer Morten Alfred Hoirup – made a return to the festival in 2004 and she had the honor of both performing with them in concert as well as recording with them for her upcoming album. She has also appeared on several television productions including CBC’s Street Cents in 1996 and Glace Bay singer Aselin Debison’s special, Sweet is the Melody which aired on both CBC and PBS in 2002. Kimberley is equally in demand for her piano skills. In 2003, she was the accompanist for Cape Breton fiddler Glenn Graham’s tour of British Columbia. She also had the honor of being the pianist for the acclaimed Irish musical group, Cherish the Ladies, during their tour of Sweden in May of 2004.

In addition to performing, Kimberley is a much sought after instructor of Cape Breton fiddling, piano accompaniment and step dancing. For the past five years, she has been an instructor at the prestigious Gaelic College of Celtic Arts and Crafts in St Ann’s, Cape Breton. She has also been an instructor at the Ceilidh Trail School of Music in Inverness, Cape Breton as well as numerous other workshops in Prince Edward Island, Ontario, and British Columbia and Massachusetts.

In 2000, Kimberley released her debut album, Heart Behind the Bow. The project was entirely self-produced. Accompanying Kimberley on this album are some of Nova Scotia’s top musicians including Tracey Dares-MacNeil, Matthew Foulds, Troy MacGillivray, Sheumas MacNeil, Gordie Sampson, and Ed Woodsworth. Plans are now in the works for an upcoming album to be released in the near future.

In addition to a budding musical career, Kimberley has also found success in the academic world. She earned a full scholarship to the University College of Cape Breton after graduating high school in 2000 with the highest aggregate in her graduating class. This past May, she graduated from St Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia with a Bachelor of Arts degree with First Class Honours in Celtic Studies and Jazz Music.

Celebrate St. Patrick's Day Week...Nova Scotia Style!
Troy MacGillivray's British Columbia March 2006

Fiddler/Pianist/Stepdancer from Antigonish, Nova Scotia
2006 ECMA Nominee for "Instrumental Recording of the Year" for "Eleven"
2005 Danny Kyle Stage Winner @ The Celtic Connections Festival, UK
2004 Young Musician of the Year @ The Goderich Celtic Roots Festival

Celebrate St. Patrick's Day Week...Nova Scotia Style! Troy MacGillivray's British Columbia March 2006

Fiddler/Pianist/Stepdancer from Antigonish, Nova Scotia 2006 ECMA Nominee for "Instrumental Recording of the Year" for "Eleven" 2005 Danny Kyle Stage Winner @ The Celtic Connections Festival, UK 2004 Young Musician of the Year @ The Goderich Celtic Roots Festival

Celebrate St. Patrick's Day Week...Nova Scotia Style!
Troy MacGillivray's British Columbia March 2006

Fiddler/Pianist/Stepdancer from Antigonish, Nova Scotia
2006 ECMA Nominee for "Instrumental Recording of the Year" for "Eleven"
2005 Danny Kyle Stage Winner @ The Celtic Connections Festival, UK
2004 Young Musician of the Year @ The Goderich Celtic Roots Festival