Festival celebrates role of cello in Irish music

Arts Week with Judy Murphy

Back in 1995, when Brittany Haas’s classical violin teacher suggested the eight-year-old Californian should attend a Scottish fiddle camp in The Valley of the Moon, the aim was to steer the young violinist towards Celtic music rather than the bluegrass that she’d been getting fond of.

That Californian fiddle camp also offered cello classes and Brittany’s older sister, 11-year-old Natalie, attended those. It was the beginning of a journey which has led to Natalie – who grew up in Menlo Park, California – taking part in Music for Galway’s inaugural cello festival, Cellissimo. She’ll be giving a talk and concert on Tuesday, March 30, exploring the role of the cello in Irish traditional music, as well as hosting a masterclass the previous day.

Natalie had taken up cello at the age of nine, guided by the same violin teacher who’d recommended the Scottish fiddle camp to Brittany. Brittany was already playing fiddle by the time Natalie decided to take music lessons, so the teacher wisely suggested choosing a different instrument. That would rule out any potential competition between the sisters and would also allow them to perform together.

Aged 11, at that fiddling camp, Natalie “discovered an amazing world” as she fell in love with Scottish music.

She continued to attend and hone her skills in the years that followed, encouraged by renowned fiddler Alasdair Fraser, who was the school’s director. And while the cello mightn’t be the first instrument you’d think of when it comes to Scottish music, it is part of Scotland’s tradition, Natalie explains over the phone from the Spanish village where she’s currently living.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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