Bookfield Residents Perform Prior to Nov. 14 Fraser/Haas Concert

Internationally acclaimed Scottish fiddler Alasdair Fraser and dynamic cello player Natalie Haas will perform in the Hallamor at the Irish Cultural and Heritage Center, 2133 W. Wisconsin Ave., Milwaukee, on Saturday, Nov. 14, at 7:30 p.m. Prior to the concert from 2-5 p.m., the duo will conduct an all-ages workshop on their respective instruments.

Free, pre-concert music in Quinlan’s Pub will be provided by the Celtic music trio RiRa from 6:30-7:15 p.m. RiRa includes Brookfield residents Jack Congleton on bodhran and Kathleen Congleton on keyboards. The Congeltons, who are husband and wife, have been performing Irish music for over 20 years. The third member is fiddler Ed Paloucek who lives in Jefferson County. RiRa has invited another Brookfield resident, cellist Suzanne Hayworth, to perform with them on Nov. 14. Hayworth, who teaches cello and is a member of the classical group Terrance Trio, coaches high school groups through the Waukesha Symphony Orchestra.

“The musical chemistry between Scottish fiddle legend Alasdair Fraser and young cello ace Natalie Haas is a rare, felicitous thing.” - Boston Herald

Fraser is regarded as Scotland’s premier fiddle ambassador with a long list of awards, concerts, television appearances, and solo performances on movie soundtracks including Last of the Mohicans and Titanic. Just two of his past guest appearances include being a featured soloist along with violinist Itzhak Perlman at New York’s Lincoln Center and playing a solo tribute to honoree Sean Connery at the Kennedy Center Honors.

Fraser met Haas when she attended his Valley of the Moon Scottish Fiddling School in California when she was 11 years old. They performed their first show four years later. Fraser explains that pairing fiddle and cello is a return to much earlier Scottish music when the cello comprised the rhythm section in dance bands. Haas “unleashes textures and deep, powerful rhythms that drive fiddle tunes,” according to Fraser.

A graduate of the prestigious Julliard School of Music in New York and currently a teacher at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Haas has performed and recorded with Nova Scotian fiddler Natalie MacMaster and the Irish group Solas. She also tours with prominent instrumentalist Mark O’Connor as a member of Appalachia Waltz Trio.

Fraser and Haas have released two CDs, Fire and Grace and In the Moment.

Tickets for the Fraser/Haas concert are $18 in advance and $20 the day of the show. The workshop is $30 and the workshop/concert combination is $45. For concert tickets and information, visit www.ichc.net. Concert tickets may also be ordered by calling (414) 345-8800. For workshop and concert/workshop tickets and information, call (262) 796-0579.