Fiddle Summit: Alasdair Fraser & Natalie Haas, Darol Anger's Republic of Strings, Kimberley Fraser and Cali McKasson, Mary Ann Kennedy, Tony McManus, Nic Gareiss
Anniversary ShowThursday, 0, , 12:00 am (doors open at 7:00 pm)22nd Annual Fiddle Summit WE ARE SOLD OUT OF ADVANCE TICKETS FOR THIS SHOW
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There will be some limited standing room only tickets available once the show starts at 8:00 pm for $25.50.

Late August already? It must be time for the Freight's anniversary in downtown Berkeley! Dig out your party hats and come on over to help us celebrate one year in our new home with a rousing evening of fiddle magic steeped in talent and tradition: the 22nd annual Freight Fiddle Summit. You'll be in excellent company, with host Alasdair Fraser and some of traditional music's most notable players—including Darol Anger and the Republic of Strings, Kimberly Fraser and Cali McKasson, Mary Ann Kennedy, and Tony McManus—as they bow, strum, sing, and pluck up a storm tonight.

Fiddle Summit host Alasdair Fraser is justly renowned for his warmth and wit as well as his music. One of Scotland's most valued tradition-bearers, his richly expressive playing transports listeners across a broad spectrum ranging from haunting laments drawn from the Gaelic tradition to classically styled airs and raucous dance tunes, all delivered with sincerity, flawless virtuosity, and the sweetest of sounds. Alasdair is accompanied by brilliant young cellist Natalie Haas. The duo's award-winning CDs, Fire & Grace and In the Moment, display dazzling teamwork, virtuosic musicianship, and pure love for the driving, dancing rhythms of Scottish fiddle music.

For over two decades, violinist and composer Darol Anger has been reinventing the American string ensemble to incorporate his musical explorations in groups like the David Grisman Quintet, Psychograss, and the constantly developing population of superb young string players in his Republic of Strings, currently including cellist Mike Block, guitarist Scott Law, and fiddler Lauren Rioux. On a mission to explode the limits of tradition and geography, these four awesome musicians explore the creative terrain where bluegrass, jazz, classical, pop, and various world musics mingle.

Born on Cape Breton Island, Kimberley Fraser was nurtured within its rich musical heritage. Though still in her 20s, Kimberley has risen to become one of the stellar players of the Cape Breton fiddle tradition, performing the music at venues from Victoria to Afghanistan to The Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. She is also an accomplished pianist and step dancer, and her second studio album, Falling on New Ground, won the 2006 East Coast Music Award for best Roots/Traditional Album of the Year. Kimberly is accompanied tonight by Cali McKasson, known for her style that veers between delicate and evocative and powerfully dynamic.

But wait: there's more! Rounding out the evening is the beautiful singing of Mary Ann Kennedy, the nimble footwork of step dancer Nic Gareiss, and famed Celtic guitarist Tony McManus, known for transferring the complex ornamentation normally associated with fiddles and pipes to guitar in a way that preserves the integrity and emotional impact of the music.

Visit Alasdair's website

Visit Darol's website

Visit Kimberley's website

Visit Tony's website

Visit Nic's MySpace page

Listen to tracks from Alasdair Fraser and Kimberley Fraser:

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