Alasdair Fraser & Natalie Haas – Highlander’s Farewell

March 12, 2021
Don’t miss this spectacular livestream concert called “Highlander’s Farewell” that celebrates a 20-year musical retrospective of one of the most acclaimed duos in traditional music. Blackstone River Theatre is proud to be the sponsor for the 3rd concert in a series of 6 completely different shows with our dear friends, Alasdair Fraser and Natalie Haas! You can watch it in the comfort of your own home with the added flexibility of a 48-hour window to suit your own schedule. Remember: buying a ticket will be supporting both the artists and Blackstone River Theatre! Purchase your tickets at: https://boxoffice.mandolin.com/products/alasdair-fraser-natalie-haas-highlanders-farewell-3-12?oid=49&affid=99
 
 
TECH INFO: Once you make a purchase, you’ll get an electronic “ticket” from Mandolin. Once you get this ticket, you will need to go back into the Mandolin website to create a Mandolin account – this is simple and just involves putting in your name and email address. Having that Mandolin account allows you to log in before the show  – all you’ll have to do at that point is click on the show and it will start at the appointed time. Following the performance, the audience will be invited to jump onto a Zoom call with Alasdair & Natalie so everyone can have a post-concert social gathering! Check your spam and junk folders if you don’t see the email! Mandolin’s help section if needed: https://help.mandolin.com  

The musical partnership between Alasdair Fraser, long regarded as Scotland’s premier fiddle ambassador, and the sizzlingly-talented young California cellist Natalie Haas may not seem an obvious one. Fraser has a concert and recording career spanning 33 years, with a long list of awards, accolades, television credits, and feature performances on top movie soundtracks (Last of the Mohicans, Titanic and more). He has been sponsored by the British Council to represent Scotland’s music internationally, and he received the Scottish Heritage Center Service Award for outstanding contributions to Scottish culture and traditions. 

Haas, a graduate of the Juilliard School of Music, wasn’t even born when Alasdair was winning national fiddle competitions on the other side of the Atlantic. But this seemingly unlikely pairing is the fulfillment of a long-standing musical dream for Fraser, whose cutting-edge musical explorations took him full circle to find a cellist who could help him return the cello to its historical role at the rhythmic heart of Scottish dance music. “Going back to the 1700s, and as late as the early 20th century,” Fraser says, “fiddle and cello made up the dance band of choice in Scotland, with the cellist bowing bass lines and driving the rhythm. Pianos and accordions elbowed out the cello, relegating it to an orchestral setting.” When Natalie was just 15, Fraser and Haas played their first gig together. Natalie is in the vanguard of young cellists who are redefining the role of the cello in traditional music. Their CD “Fire & Grace” won not only critical acclaim, but also the coveted the Scots Trad Music “Album of the Year” award, the Scottish equivalent of a Grammy. “In the Moment” and “Highlander’s Farewell” and their latest CD, “Abundance” continues their incredible musical journey together.

 

Upcoming Concerts

An Evening with Hubby Jenkins
March 30, 2024 7:00 p.m.
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Rock Hearts
April 6, 2024 8:00 p.m.
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Joe Doyle – R.I. Music Hall of Fame Induction Concert
April 7, 2024 3:00 p.m.
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