Scottish fiddle and cello music of unrivalled beauty, eloquence, and passion

Master Scottish fiddler Alasdair Fraser, long regarded as one of Scotland’s premier musical ambassadors, presents the music of his homeland with unsurpassed eloquence, passion and energy. He links bows with vibrant young cellist, Natalie Haas, in an exciting weave of rocking, reeling rhythms, poignant melodies, and exquisite musicianship. The duo has created a buzz among Celtic music lovers at festivals and concerts across the US and Europe. Their performances have been featured on nationally-broadcast radio programs, including Thistle & Shamrock and Mountain Stage.

Fraser and Haas met when, at age 11, Natalie first attended Alasdair’s Valley of the Moon Scottish Fiddling School in California. She began performing in concert with Fraser just four years later. Natalie has since joined the staff at several of Alasdair’s music courses, including Valley of the Moon School, Glasgow’s Celtic Connections, Sabhal Mor Ostaig on the Isle of Skye, and the Ceilidh Trail School in Cape Breton, Canada. As a recent graduate of the Juilliard School in New York, Natalie regularly performs throughout the US and Europe with Fraser, and is a member of American fiddler Mark O’Connor’s Appalachian Waltz Trio. She also performs on Alasdair’s Legacy of the Scottish Fiddle series of CDs, on Culburnie Records.

"She's so simpatico," says Fraser of Haas, "that we can have these wonderfully shared musical journeys that actually very rarely would involve planning, other than to say, 'Here's where we're going to begin, here's where we're going to end up, and we know the material, now let's just connect.' I think that's something a lot of musicians strive for, and I feel very fortunate to have someone I can play with that goes there."

At the 2006 prestigious Edinburgh Festival Alasdair & Natalie's show was SOLD OUT!!

Alasdair’s film credits include feature performances on the soundtracks of several major films, including Titanic, The Last of the Mohicans, and Disney's Treasure Planet. Several of his tunes are now standard in the repertoire for Scottish, Irish, and contra dancing, and can be heard in sessions from Edinburgh to Canberra. His compositions have been featured in new choreography commissioned by the Richmond (Virginia) Ballet and Shiftworks Dance Ensemble.

He has represented Scotland internationally through performances sponsored by the British Council and has been awarded touring support by the California Arts Council, with the ranking of "highest priority for inclusion on the roster; considered 'model' in stature." In the spring of 2004 he was awarded The Scottish Heritage Center Service Award for outstanding contributions to the preservation and perpetuation of Scottish history, culture, and traditions.