MAPLEWOOD, MO. — Renowned Scottish fiddler Alasdair Fraser and cellist Natalie Haas will lead a workshop for students and teachers on Thursday, March 6, 2025, at the St. Louis String Collective space in Maplewood, followed by a concert on March 7, 2025, at the Blue Strawberry in the Central West End in St. Louis.
The event presents a unique opportunity for Edwardsville High School orchestra students, teachers, and other area students/teachers, who will participate in the workshop organized by their orchestra director, Victoria Voumard, along with colleagues Alyssa Avery and Ranya Iqbal from the St. Louis String Collective.
“This is a world-class duo and my students will have this rare opportunity to participate in a workshop with them,” Voumard said.
Fraser and Haas have been collaborating for over 20 years, earning acclaim for their performances that blend traditional Scottish music with innovative string techniques. Fraser, often referred to as “the Michael Jordan of Scottish fiddling,” has a concert and recording career that spans more than three decades.
Fraser has received numerous awards, including induction into the Scottish Traditional Music Hall of Fame in 2011. Haas, a graduate of the Juilliard School of Music, is recognized as one of the leading cellists in traditional music today.
Haas has performed and recorded with a who’s who of the fiddle world, including Mark O’Connor, Natalie MacMaster, Irish supergroups Solas and Altan, Liz Carroll, Dirk Powell, Brittany Haas, Darol Anger, Jeremy Kittel, Hanneke Cassel, Laura Cortese, and many more.
Their partnership has revitalized the cello’s role in Scottish dance music, a position it held for centuries before being largely confined to orchestral settings. The duo’s debut album, Fire & Grace, won the Scots Trad Music “Album of the Year” award, and they have since released five additional albums that explore the depths of the Scottish tradition.
The workshop and concert aim to inspire a new generation of string players and provide attendees with a firsthand experience of the duo’s celebrated musical synergy. For more information about the workshop, visit the St. Louis String Collective website, and for concert details, check the Blue Strawberry’s event page.
In addition to performing, they both have motivated generations of string players through their teaching at fiddle camps across the globe.
Check the links below for more information:
https://bluestrawberrystl.com/show/detail/1611
