Kate Turner | Sep 21, 2016


On September 18, Maberly Hall hosted an afternoon of music as part of the Festival of Small Halls, which started on September 14 and runs until October 2. The festival was inspired by the spirit of small hall festivals in PEI and Australia and is now in its third year. It has grown from three shows in 2014 to 24 venues and over 35 artists this year. Top-rate performers like Breabach, Elliot BROOD, Jim Bryson, Devin Cuddy Band, and Sherman Downy will take a break from the big stages and perform in small towns from Pembroke to Maxville to Gananoque, thus fulfilling the organizers’ vision of bringing Big Music to Little Places.

Sunday was no exception and fantastic performances were brought to the audience by the Lanark Fiddlers Guild, Change of Step, and Breabach, a Scottish five-piece folk band.

The Lanark Fiddlers Guild opened the show with their unique mix of traditional Celtic music with a bit of a Lanark accent - a sound they have become known for over the past 15 years. Cindy McCall, who took over the reins as conductor from Carolyn Stewart, proudly showed off the group's talents and introduced the two newest members of the group, Natalie and Lukas Reynolds.

Change of Step, a group of world-class dancers from Nova Scotia and Ontario, shared the stage with Breabach for many of the faster-paced numbers. They performed powerful and graceful original choreography of traditional Highland dancing with a modern twist. They have won international titles and have performed at such prestigious events as the Canada Day celebrations on Parliament Hill and the Vancouver Olympics.

When Breabach took to the stage, they did not disappoint with their high-energy, unique brand of contemporary folk music, which has earned them international recognition in the music scene. Their awards include Best Live Act 2013 and Best Folk Band 2012 at the Scots Trad Music Awards. Breabach consists of Calum MacCrimmon (pipes/whistles/bouzouki/vocals); Ewan Robertson (guitar/vocals); James Mackenzie (pipes/flute/whistles); Megan Henderson (fiddle/vocals/step-dance); and James Lindsay (double bass). The traditional sounds of bagpipes with beautiful vocals, whistles, fiddle and guitar were often layered by James Lindsay, using loop pedals for both the double bass and the fiddle. This created a warm, swelling feel to their music and brought the crowd to their stomping feet.

They have recently released a new album titled Astar and performed three times for the Festival of Small Halls. They have three more shows coming up, including in London, Peterborough and Saint John, NB to wrap up the Canadian leg of their tour.

The Festival of Small Halls will continue to bring big music to the small halls in the area for the next two weeks, including Jim Bryson with Melwood Cutlery on Friday, Sept. 30 at McDonalds Corners Agricultural Hall, and Devin Cuddy Band with Keegan Carr on Sunday, Oct. 2 at ABC Hall in Bolingbroke.

Not only can you enjoy the incredible music, but if you go the festival website, you can find information about community dinners being hosted prior to many of the shows. For more information and tickets visit www.thefestivalofsmallhalls.com or call 613-791-3476.

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