Celtic Colours Festival: Heritage and Heart on Cape Breton

On Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia, there are times when music seems to rise out of the landscape. One of those times occurs every October during the Celtic Colours International Festival, when the people of Cape Breton invite the world -- including tradition bearers from cultures which have shaped the island’s life -- home for celebration and sharing.

This year, Celtic Colours takes place from 11 through 19 October. Music is at the heart of things; music is woven into the fabric of life on the island. In addition to headline concerts, of which there are a generous number each day, there are many other things explore, see, create, taste, and enjoy. More about those in a bit. First, though, a few highlights of what to expect with the music (and read on to learn how you may hear some of the concerts even if you will not be making it to Cape Breton during the festival).

Beolach and Brebach are artists in residence this year. Often those posts are held by solo artists, but the two bands, Beolach, who are Mac Morin, Wendy MacIsaac, Mairi Rankin, and Matt MacIsaac from Cape Breton and Breabach, who are James Lindsay, James Duncan Mackenzie, Ewan Robertson, Calum MacCrimmon, and Megan Henderson from Scotland, have been talking about working together for some time, and shared the stage for a Celtic Colours gig last year.

Each band has pipers and fiddle players, members of both have been known to step dance, and there are other instruments and singers in both Gaelic and English involved. When Beolach was in Scotland this summer for the Piping Live Festival, the musicians got together to plan what they’ll do in their concerts Kicking Ash and Causeway Ceilidh. The latter is the festival’s finale, where they will share the stage with top Gaelic singer Julie Fowils, who will be making her only appearance at the festival.

The First Nations Mi’kmaq people have long history on Cape Breton, and love fiddling and dance as much as their Acadian and Gaelic neighbors. One way this will come together is at Unama’ki Mawio’mi/A Cape Breton Gathering, where local Mi’kmaq group Stoney Bear will sharing singing, dancing, and drumming, and rising Mi’kmaq singer Emma Stevens will raise her voice. Cape Breton fiddlers Mooney Francis and Anita MacDonald will add in a Celtic flair, and the Ivan Flett Memorial Dancers will bring their Metis dancing to what sure to be a lively afternoon concert.

Another lively time is sure to be had when Kaia Kater brings her soulful songwriting, Appalachian ballads, and high energy banjo playing to the Cow Bay Ceildih, where she’ll be joined the very high energy Scottish trio Talisk and hometown favorites Tracey Dares MacNeil, Patrick Gillis, and Ian MacDougall.

Another sort of energy will pervade the stage at Close to the Floor. That’s a term often used to explain the style of Cape Breton step dance. There will be a dozen or so artists with dance steps from Cape Breton and other regions to share, among them festival favourite Nic Gareiss and top fiddle player, dancer, and singer April Verch.

Fiddler Jenna Moynihan and harpist Mairi Chaimbeul come up from New England to make several appearances during the festival. One of the more unusual will be their gig at the Chapel at the Fortress of Louisbourg. The concert is called Step into the Past. Audience members will have done that, as they’ll have enjoyed a traditional 18th century meal served by candle light and have walked through cobbled, lantern lit streets of the Fortress to reach the chapel. Joining Moynihan and Chaimbeul on stage will be Cape Bretoners Rosie MacKenzie on guitar and Dominique Dodge on harp, and from Scotland, Megan Henderson on fiddle and guitarist Ewan Robertson, who are also members of the band Breabach. There are fine singers in this mix as well as gifted players.

As much as the concert at Fortress Louisbourg is unique, it also shares aspects with many of the headline concerts. Several acts share each bill. Each usually does a set on alone (although sometimes the musicians cannot resist sitting in with each other) and then all join in together to close the show. It is a format that makes for collaboration, sharing, and discovery.

Those elements will be present when the Cape Breton Orchestra meets up with artists in residence Beolach and with Heather Rankin, who is known for her own stellar solo career as well as being a member of one of Cape Breton’s well loved musical families.

There’s always a strong strand of Gaelic running through Celtic Colours; you’ll find it almost every concert. The quartet Farsan, who bring together music and language traditions of Cape Breton, New England, and Scotland, will join forces with Saltfishforty from Orkney and Dwayne Cote and Roger Stone from Cape Breton in a gig called Family and Friends. Farsan will also take part in a Gaelic focused concert called The Waters of Iona, at the church at the Highland Village.

There are many other artists sharing their gifts in the fifty-two concerts which make up this season’s Celtic Colours Festival. Mary Jane Lamond, Joe MacMaster, KIttel & Co., Howie MacDonald, Tim Edey, JP Cormier, Dawn Beaton, Margie Beaton, Ashley MacIsaac, The Chieftains, and The Barra MacNeills, are just a few of these.

The music at the festival club at the Gaelic College in Saint Ann’s begins just as the evening concerts are winding down, and often goes through the night. Artist bookings are not announced in advance, so you never know who you might see.

The music is not all: there are 300 community events taking place all across the island.

You could learn to step dance, or take your partner to a square dance. You could begin on or brush up your fiddle skills, watch a traditional blacksmith at work, or explore the landscape of Cape Breton on a nature walk.

You could try your hand at traditional fibre crafts and dyes, visit an art exhibit, go to a farmers’ market, or explore one of the island’s historic churches. The First Nations peoples of the island are ready to share their stories, hospitality, and history with you, and so are people from Acadian, Scottish, and Irish background.

One of the ways that happens is through community meals, which range from egg and bacon breakfasts to fishcakes and beans to squash soup to lobster, from tea and stories in the afternoon to turkey and all the fixings in the evening.

Chances are, those community meals will come with a side of music, or be located nearby a concert. Music is part of the community sharing on Cape Breton. The Celtic Colours International festival is one of the best ways to experience that.

If you’ll not be on Cape Breton for the festival, keep your eye out on the festival web site. Usually, one concert each evening is shown on live stream. It is not announced what concert it will be until an hour or so before start time, but you’ll not go wrong with whatever is offered. Each concert is most often left up through the next day until almost time for the next evening’s event to begin.

You may also wish to see
Breabach: Frenzy of the Meeting
Alterum, from Julie Fowlis
Learn a bit more about Farsan
Learn about how and when Thanksgiving is celebrated in Canada
Ireland, Scotland, and Story: Music from Eamon Doorley Julie Fowlis, Zoe Conway, and John McIntyre

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