-by Ceilidh Gillis-McLaughlin
Certain events become staples for each summer, used as an opportunity to kick up one’s feet and relax.
Broad Cove Concert, which was held this past Sunday, July 28th, is a prime example of this.
This year’s concert was dedicated to Andy MacDonald and John Dan MacIsaac, who passed away within the last year. They were both active members of the Parish of the St. Margaret’s of Scotland Catholic Church, the grounds on which the Broad Cove Concert is held every year, who had a special place in their hearts for the concert.
This year’s openers were Cameron Chisholm, who played fiddle at the very first concert and returned for its 68th, accompanied by his nephew Brian Doyle, on guitar.
Talents that have become a sought-after tradition returned for another year, such as the Coiseir an Eilean choir or Sabra MacGillivray’s Highland dance group, the Celtic Touch Dancers. Whereas other acts featured newer talents such as Charlotte and Flora Jackson, both of whom are accomplished fiddle players, or Caragh Kennedy, a gifted singer and songwriter.
Kay Dugas, one of the talent directors on the Committee for Broad Cove and member of St. Margaret of Scotland’s Parish, stated “It’s a cultural venue. It’s mostly a Scottish concert but we get talent from various communities. In recent years, we’ve been trying to highlight longer sets to draw more people in. Since it is the only fundraiser [for the parish] for the year, we try to get a variety of performers. In past years, we’ve had talents that were Acadian, Mi’kmaq, and lots of others.”
She said that it’s not just an event to reconnect culturally, but socially as well. “People plan their vacations around this event to meet up with people they haven’t seen in a year. It makes them have someone to look forward to, it’s a meeting place.”
Clare McQuarrie, another member of the committee and parish, affirmed “It’s [the concert] the continuation of our culture. Our traditions and keeping music alive, that’s what’s most important.”
The concert had a piping summit, for which Kevin Dugas, Keith MacDonald, and Ian MacKinnon played, with Colin MacDonald on guitar and Mac Morin on piano. During this, Sheena Boucher made an appearance for a step dancing segment. Ian MacKinnon was also piping at various intermissions throughout the day.
This year, the Broad Cove Concert had two headliners, which entailed the Morgan Toney Trio as well as Mary Frances Leahy & Band.
Morgan Toney is a singer-songwriter and fiddler who recently won the “Indigenous Artist of the Year” EMAC (East Coast Music Association) Award and has been nominated for many prestigious awards. He draws influences from traditional Mi’kmaq songs and Cape Breton-styled fiddling, coining the term “Mi’kmaltic” to describe his music, combining his lyricism and instrumental expertise masterfully and performed one of the songs that will be released on his next album in the fall.
Mary Frances Leahy blends the Celtic folk music from her heritage and contemporary genres flawlessly, not only performing musically, but as a dancer as well. First Light, her original composition, won a Cape Breton Tourism music contest not long ago. She’s well-accomplished at a young age, having already performed with Yo-Yo Ma and composed two of her parents’ (Natalie MacMaster and Donnell Leahy) new releases.
.
l.
.
