Celtic Colours International Festival - October 9-17, 2020

Celtic Colours International Festival At Home

9 days of lively entertainment streamed directly to you at home!

From October 9th to 17th, Celtic Colours International Festival At Home will celebrate Cape Breton Island’s music and culture with a nightly series of concerts streamed live from the Membertou Trade and Convention Centre.

These concerts will feature a mix of live and pre-recorded performances by artists from Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, PEI, Quebec, Ontario, Scotland, Ireland, and the Isle of Man. Each night’s concert will start at 6:30pm EDT (7:30pm ADT), following a 30-minute pre-show highlighting the Festival’s community partners and Cape Breton Island’s breathtaking scenery.

Select Highlights

October 9th – Celtic Colours Right at Home
They will kick things off with Ashley MacIsaac, always right at home on Cape Breton. For this concert, Ashley will remind us of his incredible versatility when he teams up with Hilda Chiasson on piano and a guest appearance by Steve MacIntyre on vocals. Always a mentor to up-and-coming musicians, Ashley will also share the stage with We’koma’q First Nation fiddler Morgan Toney, Mary Beth Carty, and Stoney Bear Singers from Eskasoni First Nation for a once-in-a-lifetime, cross-cultural collaboration.

October 13th – A Woman’s Heart
Mary Jane Lamond and Cathy Ann MacPhee are wonderful ambassadors of Gaelic song. Representing both sides of the ocean, they show how the songs have travelled and land here together. Nuala Kennedy is an internationally-acclaimed musician who happens to keep great musical company, too. She’ll be joined by Tara Breen (fiddle) and Tony Byrne (guitar) to keep the beat while Irish dancer Siobhán Butler matches the rhythms with her feet. Chéticamp native Nicole LeBlanc performs her own songs as well as those from her Acadian tradition while Emma Stevens has taken her Mi’kmaw language to new heights through song. Nicole and Emma will be accompanied by Carter Chiasson, MusiCounts 2020 Teacher of the Year from Allison Bernard Memorial High School in Eskasoni. Rachel Davis is a fiddler and singer from Baddeck, inspired and guided by her maternal grandfather, Clarence Long. With Darren McMullen, they form half of celebrated Cape Breton band Còig. Their lively, syncopated dance music will punctuate the matching rhythms of noted Highland and Step dancer Jenny MacKenzie. Debuting at the Festival this year is The Fare Thee Well, a new duo featuring Rosie MacKenzie and Shannon Quinn—each equally adept at fiddle and vocals. They will be joined by bass-player Ron Hynes for tonight’s concert.

October 17th – On the Bright Side
The 24th Celtic Colours International Festival draws to a close with Cape Breton fiddler Howie MacDonald. Always in demand for dances, concerts, and recording sessions, Howie never fails to entertain with his inventive playing, thoughtful selection of tunes, and irrepressible humour. Mary Beth Carty and Mac Morin will be right there with him, driving the accompaniment on guitar and piano. With members from Prince Edward Island’s Evangeline region and the most remote reaches of Québec—the windswept Magdalen Islands—Vishtèn has been recognized worldwide as an ambassador of Acadian culture. Their fiery blend of traditional French songs and original instrumentals fuse Celtic and Acadian genres with modern rock sensibilities and indie-folk influences. Tight vocal harmonies, layered foot percussion, and virtuoso acoustic instrumentation define this powerhouse trio’s sound and make them a hard act to follow. Topping off the night will be The Barra MacNeils whose latest album, On The Bright Side, was released in 2018. After more than 30 years on stages all over the world, the venerable family band from Sydney Mines is as fresh and culturally-rooted as they have been since the day they started.