PEI Fiddle Camp Masters at Skye

REGION -- New England Celtic Arts will present The Prince Edward Island Fiddle Camp Roadshow with Master instructors Ward MacDonald, Pastelle LeBlanc and Pascal Miousse.

Three Maine youth groups will open for the Masters at Skye Theatre Performing Arts Center in South Carthage on Wednesday, May 4, and at Unity College Center for the Performing Arts in Unity on Thursday, May 5.

Curtain at Skye is 7 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. in Unity. Pre-show jam sessions at Skye and Unity start one hour prior to curtain.

Ward MacDonald grew up in the Scottish fiddling traditions of Prince Edward Island. His playing reflects four generations of family fiddling and is spiced with a unique blend of Cape Breton, Acadian, and Irish influences. As an emerging composer, he has been featured at concerts, festivals, and square dances across Atlantic Canada and has traveled with his music as far as Cuba and the Bahamas. Over the last decade, Ward has worked to promote the traditional music scene on Prince Edward Island and develop new performing and learning opportunities. Along the way he created PEI’s Festival of Small Halls, initiated workshops at the Rollo Bay Fiddle Festival, and founded the PEI Fiddle Camp.

Pascal Miousse is one of the Magdalen Islands’ finest fiddle players. He has developed his own style using a unique bowing technique rarely heard anywhere else. He left the islands in his late teens and since then has been performing in concert halls and festivals around the world. A natural improviser on any string instrument, he brings out his many musical influences and creates a fresh and exciting sound. He is a skillful composer and has created many melodies and tunes. Pascal and his style of playing has become a musical anchor of the Acadian group Vishtèn since 2002.

Noticed at a very young age by a local dance professor who wanted to form a group dedicated to preserving Acadian dancing, Pastelle LeBlanc learned and mastered several styles of step dancing. She’s taught and created many dance choreographies, crafting her own style of percussive and stylistic dancing. As a multi-instrumentalist, Pastell favors the accordion. At the age of 10, she started playing the piano and accompanying fiddle tunes. It is only many years later that she picked up the piano accordion and hasn’t looked back since. She has truly developed her own style and is pushing the boundaries with her powerful and honest playing. Pastelle is also a great tune composer and has composed many new tunes since her late teens. She is one of the founding members of the well-known Acadian group, Vishtèn and has been touring the world sharing her culture.

Skye Theater is located three miles west of East Dixfield village at 2 Highland Dr. off Winter Hill Road and Rt. 2 in South Carthage. UCCPA is at 42 Depot St. in Unity. Ticket price is $15 at the door. For reservations call Skye Theatre at 562-4445 or UCCPA at 948-7469.