Musical sleigh ride through Nova Scotia at Hylton Center Dec.7

Grammy-nominated fiddler Natalie MacMaster takes audiences on a musical sleigh ride through Nova Scotia for her first appearance at the Hylton Performing Arts Center in Manassas on Friday, Dec. 7,  at 8 p.m.

Her “Christmas in Cape Breton” concert will feature Christmas carols, traditional and contemporary Celtic melodies and her own signature hits, which this gifted Canadian musician performs, showcasing her legendary fiddling and explosive step-dancing.

This performance is Family Friendly: tickets for youth grades 12 and under are half price when accompanied by an adult. A pre-performance discussion, free to ticket holders, begins 45 minutes prior to the performance in the Hylton Center’s Buchanan Partners Art Gallery. 

According to a news release, Natalie MacMaster picked up her first fiddle at the age of 9 and has since become a musical tour-de-force, captivating audiences across the globe with her unique blend of genres from Celtic, bluegrass and folk to jazz, rock and classical music.

The niece of famed fiddler Buddy MacMaster, she quickly became a talent in her own right and in the past three decades, she has earned numerous accolades, including multiple gold albums, two Grammy nominations, a Juno Award, eight Canadian Country Music Awards, the Arts & Letters Award from the Canadian Association of New York and the Order of Canada, the country’s highest civilian honor.

MacMaster has been invited to collaborate with artists as diverse as master violinist Mark O’Connor, legendary cellist Yo-Yo Ma, banjo prodigy Béla Fleck, fellow fiddler Alison Krauss, renowned tenor Luciano Pavarotti and celebrated guitarist Carlos Santana, among others. Throughout the years, she has released 11 acclaimed albums, including her latest, “Cape Breton Girl,” a record filled with traditional jigs, reels and strathspeys. She also recently released a picturesque 161-page coffee table book, “Cape Breton Aire” with Pulitzer Prize-winning co-writer Eileen McNamara and photographer Eric Roth.

MacMaster recently gave birth to her fifth child in August 2012 (she is married to fiddler Donnell Leahy, who performs with the Leahys – a group that includes seven of his brothers and sisters), and says that having a family and being a mother has reinvigorated her commitment to the stage and her audience.

“I like being on stage even more,” MacMaster said. “When I appear onstage, that’s my departure from Momhood – and I transform into Natalie MacMaster: the entertainer, the fiddler, the performer. I relish that now more.”

Joining MacMaster onstage will be Mac Morin (piano), Nathaniel Smith (cello), Eric Breton (percussion) and Nate Douglas (guitar).

The Hylton Performing Arts Center is pleased to recognize Prince William Hospital as the 2012-2013 Hylton Presents Season Sponsor

The Hylton Performing Arts Center is pleased to recognize Prince William County as the Holiday Performances Sponsor

Tickets for NATALIE MACMASTER’S “CHRISTMAS IN CAPE BRETON” are $34, $42 and $50. Family Friendly: youth through grade 12 half price when accompanied by an adult. Visit the box office (open Tuesday-Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Thursday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.) or charge by phone at 888-945-2468 or visit HyltonCenter.org. The Hylton Performing Arts Center is located on George Mason University’s Prince William Campus at 10960 George Mason Circle, Manassas, Va., 20110. Free parking is available in the lot next to the Hylton Center. For more information, go to HyltonCenter.org. Like us on Facebook at Facebook.com/HyltonCenter and follow us on Twitter at @Hylton_PAC.