Vic’s Picks

This area of my web site gives future musical events which I currently plan on attending, whether in Cape Breton and the Maritimes or closer to home. Most of these events feature traditional Scottish musicians who play in the Cape Breton style, but there are occasional departures to other genres, reflecting the choices available to me and my tastes.

For information on past events, see:

the Cape Breton area of my web site for events which occurred in Cape Breton
the North-East Music Events area of my web site for events which occurred in the North-East (very broadly defined as those parts of the United States and Canada that lie within ten hours’ drive of New Jersey)

For a listing of current and future events in Cape Breton (including the Antigonish area), refer to the Two-Weeks, Two-Months, and Events-2009 Listings on the CB Choices web site.

For a listing of current and future events in the New England area, consult the Events Calendar on the Downeast Cèilidh web site.

Date: 2009 December 12 (Saturday)
Time: 20h-23h45
Venue: Canadian-American Club, 202 Arlington Street, East Watertown, Massachusetts 02472-2004
Description: Canadian-American Club Dance with Kimberley Fraser, Doug Lamey, and Janine Randall.
Admission: $12 at the door

Date: 2010 January 16 (Saturday)
Time: 19h30-22h
Venue: Private house concert at the Captain Charles Leonard House, 663 Main Street, Agawam, Massachusetts
Description: Sara Michel and friends.
Admission: $14.00 by advance reservation via e-mail to Meg Sullivan at
msullgreen@gmail.com
or by phone at +1 (413) 789-9267; $18.00 at the door

Date: 2010 February 20 (Saturday)
Time: 19h30-22h
Venue: Private house concert at the Captain Charles Leonard House, 663 Main Street, Agawam, Massachusetts
Description: Sonas.
Admission: $14.00 by advance reservation via e-mail to Meg Sullivan at
msullgreen@gmail.com
or by phone at +1 (413) 789-9267; $18.00 at the door

Date: 2010 March 13 (Saturday) and March 14 (Sunday)
Time: 19h30-22h (Saturday) and 14h-16h30 (Sunday)
Venue: Private house concert at the Captain Charles Leonard House, 663 Main Street, Agawam, Massachusetts
Description: J. J. Chaisson.
Admission: $14.00 by advance reservation via e-mail to Meg Sullivan at
msullgreen@gmail.com
or by phone at +1 (413) 789-9267; $18.00 at the door

Date: 2010 April 16 (Saturday)
Time: 19h30-22h
Venue: Private house concert at the Captain Charles Leonard House, 663 Main Street, Agawam, Massachusetts
Description: Zoë Darrow and the Fiddleheads
Admission: $14.00 by advance reservation via e-mail to Meg Sullivan at
msullgreen@gmail.com
or by phone at +1 (413) 789-9267; $18.00 at the door

Date

Three days: 2009 July 17-19 (Friday through Sunday)

Schedule

Friday	19h30-21h30	Youth Evening Concert
Saturday	13h-16h	Afternoon Concert
	16h30-18h	Tune-Writers Circle
	19h-22h	Evening Concert
	22h30-	Old Time Dance
Sunday	12h-14h	Tune-Writers Circle
	14h-17h	Afternoon Concert
	19h-22h	Evening Concert
	22h30-	Old Time Dance

Venue

Rollo Bay Fiddle Festival grounds in Rollo Bay, Prince Edward Island

Description

The Rollo Bay Fiddle Festival in Prince Edward Island is three days of traditional music, both Scottish and Acadian (with some country and folk music in the mix as well), with unscheduled musical events occurring on the festival grounds (and especially the “tuning barn”) all week-end long. The as yet incomplete list of featured artists includes Natalie MacMaster (Sunday only); Mac Morin; Kimberley Fraser; Andrea Beaton; the Queens County Fiddlers; Troy MacGillivray; Richard Wood; Ward MacDonald; Crissy Crowley; Peter, Kenny, and Kevin Chaisson; Cynthia MacLeod; Timothy Chaisson; J. J. Chaisson; Elmer Deagle; Alan MacDonald; Francis MacCormack; Lemmy Chaisson; Urban MacAdam; Donna Marie Peters; Chad Mooney; Mike Hall; and Fiddlers Sons. See the festival’s web site for the definitive list.

Admission

The Friday Youth Evening Concert ticket is $5 for all. A one-day pass is $14 for adults and $12 for students. A week-end pass is $24 for adults and $20 for students.

Note

Full camping facilities are available on the festival grounds; see the festival’s web site for further information.

Date: 2009 July 26 (Sunday)
Time: 15h-21h
Venue: St. Margaret’s Church Grounds in Broad Cove
Description: The 53rd annual Broad Cove concert features Scottish traditional musicians and dancers from all over Cape Breton. A square dance has, at least in recent years, followed at the parish hall in Dunvegan (close to the junction of routes 19 and 219); I assume that this tradition will continue this year.
Admission: If memory serves, it was around $10 last year.

Date: 2009 August 1 (Saturday)
Time: 14h-18h
Venue: Highland Village, Iona
Description: The 48th annual Highland Village Day concert features Scottish traditional musicians and dancers from all over Cape Breton. It takes place in a beautiful natural amphitheatre overlooking the Barra Strait, with gorgeous views of the Bras d’Or Lake. See the Highland Village Day web page for more information.
Admission: The ticket price is not currently posted on the web site; if memory serves, it was around $10 last year and includes admission to the Highland Village buildings as well as the concert.

Date: 2009 August 15 and 16 (Saturday and Sunday)
Time: 19h-21h (Saturday)
14h-19h (Sunday)
Venue: Gaelic College, St. Anns
Description: The 2009 edition of the annual Cape Breton Fiddlers’ Association Festival takes place on the grounds of the Gaelic College in St. Anns, in a beautiful outdoor amphitheatre if the weather is good and in the Great Hall of the Clans otherwise. It consists of workshops, Saturday’s Youth Concert, and Sunday’s Grand Concert featuring 100 fiddlers performing together to produce a massive fiddle sound. Many of Cape Breton’s most noted musicians perform. Photos from last year’s concerts can be found here. For further information, see the Cape Breton Fiddlers’ Association web page.
Admission: The ticket price is not currently posted on the web site; if memory serves, it was around $12 per day last year. If you join the Association (it is open to non-musicians), the annual dues of $20 include free admission to the festival.

Date: Nine days: 2009 October 9-17 (Friday through Saturday of the following week)
Venue: Communities all over Cape Breton Island
Description: The Celtic Colours International Festival in Cape Breton, whose theme this year is “The Irish are Coming!”, is a nine-day celebration of Celtic music. The festival’s web site does not yet have the programme, which is still under development—it should be released on or near 22 June 2009. There will be many other unofficial events occurring on Cape Breton Island during the festival—see Mike Little’s web site for details on these events as the festival dates approach.
Admission: Tickets go on sale 6 July 2009. Prices vary with the event; once the schedule has been released, consult the festival’s web site for ticket prices and to order tickets.

Date: 2009 November 14 (Saturday)
Time: 20h-23h45
Venue: Canadian-American Club, 202 Arlington Street, East Watertown, Massachusetts 02472-2004
Description: Canadian-American Club Dance with Andrea Beaton, Hilda Chaisson, and Remi Arsenault.
Admission: $15 at the door

Date: 2009 November 21 (Saturday)
Time: 19h30-22h
Venue: Private house concert at the Captain Charles Leonard House, 663 Main Street, Agawam, Massachusetts
Description: Andrea Beaton, Hilda Chaisson, and Remi Arsenault in concert.
Admission: $14.00 by advance reservation via e-mail to Meg Sullivan at
msullgreen@gmail.com
or by phone at +1 (413) 789-9267; $18.00 at the door