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MacMaster, Leahy return to Seacliff Park Saturday
By Mark Ribble
The MacMaster-Leahy family is looking forward to returning to Leamington on Saturday and music fans are certainly looking forward to the same.
Famed East Coast fiddle masters Natalie MacMaster and Donnell Leahy will headline the final concert of the Music Onthe42 Concert Series at the Sunset Amphitheatre at Seacliff Park.
MacMaster spoke to the Sun on Monday about their upcoming show here.
“We’ve had a fairly busy summer,” she said. “and we’re becoming more of a fan of not venturing too far for our performances, so it’s great to be invited back to Leamington.”
The family lives in Douro, Ontario, just east of Peterborough, and she says it’s nice to make the trek down to Leamington.
“Leamington is wonderful,” she said. “The kids had a blast by the water last year. They were excited when they heard we are returning.”
“It’s really nice to go where there are things for them to do,” she said. “It keeps them occupied in a way that’s really good for them and not on their tablets or phones.”
When MacMaster and Leahy married in 2002 –both were already stars in their own right – they could not have predicted their merger would recast what contemporary musical success looks like, or that they would produce a large family and ensure their mantelpiece was jammed with Juno and East Coast Music Awards while creating an inventory of achievements spanning the globe.
Natalie and Donnell have recently released their new album, ‘Canvas’, which is getting rave reviews worldwide.
“When we started creating the record, we didn’t want to be confined by anything,” she says. “You try to keep your ears and heart open.”
She said the result was an album where the music is fresh and has a variety of genres, including one song with special guest musician Yo-Yo Ma.
Expect to hear some selections from that new album this weekend.
Opening for the MacMaster-Leahy band will be their 17-year-old daughter Mary Frances, the oldest of seven children. Mary Frances is a fast-rising musical star on her own and has been performing with her parents for a number of years, as have many of the kids.
The Leamington concert will be her first time opening for her parents and MacMaster says Mary Frances is excited about that.
“She’s very excited and incredibly eager,” she said. “She’s accomplished more at 17 than I had at that age.”
Mary Frances is just getting over a broken wrist. She gets the cast off Thursday, just in time for her opening performance here. She contributed two songs of her own to her parents’ new album and has an album of her own about 90 per cent complete.
Mary Frances has been developing her own style, which is rooted in her Celtic heritage but also heavily influenced by jazz and Latin genres. This new fusion will be displayed on her debut recording featuring all original material.
The concert is presented by the Municipality of Leamington in partnership with The Bank Theatre, with Mary Frances Leahy hitting the stage at 7:30, followed by Natalie, Donnell and their band at 8:30 pm.
All are welcome to attend the free, un-ticketed outdoor event. Bring your lawn chairs, blankets and enjoy the show.
Refreshments are available at the Kinsmen Kanteen. LT-Go on-demand transit hours have been extended to 11 p.m. for the concert.
