March 21, 2005—Celtic fiddling virtuoso Natalie MacMaster will bring her unique fusion of American bluegrass, traditional Irish arrangements, and Cape Breton music to Oberlin College's Finney Chapel on Thursday, April 7 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $10 for the general public and $5 for students, faculty, or staff members with an OCID, and are available through the Central Ticket Service at 440.775.8169.

While still fairly new to songwriting, the 30-year-old MacMaster is a veteran of her instrument. She first picked up the fiddle at the age of nine, and hasn't looked back since. The niece of famed Cape Breton fiddler Buddy MacMaster, Natalie quickly became a major talent in her own right, winning numerous East Coast Music Awards for her early traditional recordings and taking Celtic music to new heights with In My Hands, an album that featured elements of jazz, Latin music, and guest vocals by Alison Krauss.

MacMaster has recorded and released seven albums in Canada and the U.S. She received a Grammy nomination in 2000 for My Roots Are Showing in the Best Traditional Folk Album category, as well as a Juno Award for Best Instrumental Album and several Canadian Country Music Awards for Fiddler of the Year. A naturally collaborative performer, MacMaster has shared the stage with acts such as Carlos Santana, The Chieftains, Paul Simon, Luciano Pavarotti, Alison Krauss, Mark O'Connor, and dozens of distinguished symphony orchestras. 

In addition to her other achievements, MacMaster has performed on ABC Television's New Year's Eve broadcast at the special request of one of her greatest fans, host Peter Jennings. She's created, financed, and produced her very own nationally broadcast network TV special. Two of her CD's have charted on Billboard's Top 20 Selling World Music charts and four have been certified gold in Canada. MacMaster's latest CD, Blueprint, was released by Rounder Records in September 2003.