Natalie MacMaster , CM (born June 13, 1972) is an award-winning fiddler from the rural community of Troy in Inverness County, Nova Scotia, Canada. She is one of the best-known musicians in the tradition of Cape Breton fiddle music, and has made a highly successful career as a touring musician, travelling to Europe and Asia and doing as many as 250 shows in a year. MacMaster has toured with many famous performers, including the Chieftains, Faith Hill, Carlos Santana and Alison Krauss, and has recorded with Yo-Yo Ma. She has appeared at many music festivals worldwide, including the Celtic Colours festival in Cape Breton, Celtic Connections in Scotland, and MerleFest in the United States.

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Background

MacMaster is the daughter of Alex and Minnie (Beaton) MacMaster, and the niece of Cape Breton fiddler Buddy MacMaster. She is the cousin of two other well-known Cape Breton fiddlers, Ashley MacIsaac and Andrea Beaton, and also a neighbour of folk-artist Travis MacRae. She was born on June 13 1972. In 2002, she married fiddler Donnell Leahy of the Leahy family band, and moved to Lakefield, Ontario, where she currently resides with her husband and three children. On December 3, 2005 she gave birth to a daughter, Mary Frances Rose. Her second child, Michael Joseph Alexander, was born on June 23, 2007. Her third child, Claire Marie, was born on February 18, 2009.

MacMaster began playing the fiddle at the age of 9, and made her performing debut the same year at a square dance in Glencoe Mills, Nova Scotia. When she was 16 she released her first album, Four on the Floor , and a second album, Road to the Isle , followed in 1991. Both of these self-produced albums were initially released only on cassette, but Rounder Records omitted a few tracks and re-released as A Compilation in 1998.

In recent years she has expanded her musical repertoire, mixing her Cape Breton roots with music from Scotland and Ireland, as well as American bluegrass.

She has received a number of Canadian music awards, including several "Artist of the Year" awards from the East Coast Music Association, two Juno awards for best instrumental album, and "Fiddler of the Year" from the Canadian Country Music Association. MacMaster was also awarded an honorary doctorate from Niagara University in New York in 2006. In 2006, she was made a member of the Order of Canada. ^[1]

Discography

Albums

Year	Album details	Peak chart positions		CRIA
		CAN	US Bluegrass
1989	Four on the Floor Label: Astro Custom Records ACC-4979
1991	Road to the Isle Label: Astro Custom Records ACC-49290
1993	Fit as a Fiddle Label: Rounder Records CD7022			Gold
1996	A Compilation Label: Rounder Records CD7021
	No Boundaries Label: Rounder Records CD7023			Gold
1999	In My Hands Label: Rounder Records CD7025	32		Gold
2000	My Roots Are Showing Label: Rounder Records 11661-7033-2
2002	Live Label: Rounder Records 11661-7048-2
2003	Blueprint Label: Rounder Records CD7056		6
2005	Traditional Music from Cape Breton Island (with Buddy MacMaster)
2006	Yours Truly Label: Rounder Records CD7065

Singles

Year	Single	CAN AC	Album
1996	"Catharsis"		No Boundaries
1997	"Fiddle and Bow" (with Bruce Guthro)
	"The Drunken Piper" (with Cookie Rankin)
1999	"In My Hands"	18	In My Hands
	"Get Me Through December" (with Alison Krauss)	40
2004	"Appropriate Dipstick"		Blueprint

Other appearances

• Traditional Music From Cape Breton Island , Nimbus NI5383, 1993 (two tracks)
• Celtic Colours — The Road Home , 1997 (one track)
• Celtic Colours — The Second Wave , 1998 (one track)
• Celtic Colours — Forgotten Roots , 1999 (one track)
• Roots Music: An American Journey , Rounder 0501, 2001 (one track)
• Songs for the Savoy , 2001 (one track)
• Celtic Colours — The Colours of Cape Breton , 2002 (one track)
• Celtic Colours — Volume VII , 2003 (one track)

References

1. http://www.gg.ca/media/doc.asp?lang=e&DocID=4828 ''Gg.ca'' Retrieved on 05-08-07