"People
may be familiar with the gorgeous,
melodic cello sound, but they're
surprised to learn that the cello
used to comprise the rhythm section
in Scottish dance bands. Natalie
Haas unleashes textures and deep,
powerful rhythms that drive fiddle
tunes. We can "duck and dive" around
each other - swap melody & harmony
lines, and improvise on each other's
rhythmic riffs. She has such a great
sense of exploration and excitement
for the music; it's a joy to play
with her!" —Alasdair Fraser
At 18, cellist Natalie Haas is already a seasoned
performer. Currently a student of the visionary
performer and recording artist Fred Sherry at
the Juilliard School in New York City,
Natalie discovered the cello at age nine. Three
years later, she fell in love with Celtic music
at the Valley of the Moon Scottish Fiddling School,
where director Alasdair Fraser inspired her and
encouraged her to investigate the cello's potential
for rhythmic accompaniment to fiddle tunes.
Over
the past three years, Natalie has
joined Alasdair Fraser for festival
and concert appearances in Scotland,
New York, Alaska and throughout California,
including the North Atlantic Fiddle
Convention in Aberdeen, Scotland,
the California
World Music Festival, and the Sebastopol
Celtic Festival. She performs
as guest artist on Alasdair's latest
recording with pianist Paul Machlis, Legacy
of the Scottish Fiddle, Volume One,
on Culburnie Records.
Natalie Haas has been featured cellist with the 100-member San
Francisco Scottish Fiddlers orchestra, beginning
with their Alaska tour in 1999. She has appeared
with her sister, fiddler Brittany Haas, at festivals
and concerts throughout the San Francisco Bay Area.
In classical music, Natalie has performed and toured
as a soloist; with various chamber groups; and as
co-principal cellist of the California Youth Symphony,
touring with the orchestra in Spain, Germany and
Switzerland.
Alasdair
Fraser's mastery of the Scottish
fiddle combines with the youthful
virtuosity of cellist Natalie Haas
for a dynamic and captivating show.
Natalie's affinity with Scottish
melodic nuance, driving rhythms and
rich harmonies afford a sparkling
interchange with Fraser. Together
they are re-casting the cello in
its historic role at the rhythmic
heart of Scottish dance music.
"A
welcome trend of recent years
has been the cello's reinvention
as a folk instrument (or rather,
in Scotland its re-emergence
- it used to be a regular fixture
in dance bands). As 18-year-old
Natalie Haas brilliantly demonstrated
on Thursday, accompanying the
California-based Scottish fiddler
Alasdair Fraser, it's depth of
resonance and percussive potential
put a potent spin on the rhythms
of Celtic music."
- Sue Wilson, Sunday Herald
"Haas
can make her instrument sound
like the drone of a hurdy-gurdy,
the jangle of a guitar or the
thump of a string bass and she
can carry the tune of fast gigs
and reels as well. It is a fascinating
combination, one that occasionally
sounds like a baroque duo. And
then you realize that some of
the great fiddle tunes by people
such as Neil Gow were indeed
written in the 18th century.
When he played, often with a
cellist, at Blair Castle, it
probably sounded just like that. "
- Robert Dawson Scott, The Times
Order
Culburnie T-shirts online.
Buy our albums in quantity from our distributors.
Natalie Haas, cello