Dec 31, 2009:  College of Piping in the market for a new executive director again
Jul 28, 2009:   MacGillivray new College of Piping executive director
Jul 25, 2009:   Charlottetown fiddler takes over reins at college
Jul 24, 2009:   Kendra MacGillivray to head College of Piping
Jul 24, 2009:   Kendra MacGillivray new College of Piping director
Jan 21, 2009:   Fiddler’s latest disc well worth the wait
Jan 15, 2009:   Kendra MacGillivray-CD-Love O' The Isles-In Review
Oct 30, 2008:   MacGillivray siblings issue pair of new CDs
Aug 25, 2008:  Making music again: Fiddler Kendra MacGillivray gets back into her musical groove
Aug 18, 2008:  Fiddlers young and old letting their fingers fly
May 8, 2008:    Ships' Company hosts fiddle camp
January 2008:  All-star Celtic team raises funds for diabetes
Mar 12, 2007:  Easter Seals telethon set for Monday night
Dec 20, 2006:  Christmas with Celtic Angels
Dec 18, 2006:   Charlie's Celtic Angels sing divine 
Aug 26, 2006:  Kendra featured in "Celtic Angels at Christmas"
Aug 15, 2006:  Lunenburg folk fest keeps keeping it real  
May 30, 2006:  Kelly, Gallant to help cancer survivors celebrate  
May 18, 2006:  MacGillivray, Rainnie have a boy 
Oct 22, 2005:   Celtic Colours: Whycocomagh Gathering at the Whycocomagh Education Centre
Aug 10, 2005:  Kendra MacGillivray & Bruce Rainnie To perform concerts at Jubilee
Jul 09, 2005:    Kendra & Troy MacGillivray Concert 
Jun 29, 2005:   Musicians bring a traditional sound to the stage 
Jun 29, 2005:   Brother and sister act return to Lake Country for Celtic performance
Mar 19, 2005:   C.B. Ceilidh at the Cohn to aid IWK
Mar 11, 2005:   Transplanted: NS’s award-winning fiddler Kendra MacGillivray enjoying life on P.E.I.

December 31, 2009
College of Piping in the market for a new executive director again
MIKE CARSON, The Journal Pioneer

SUMMERSIDE - The College of Piping and Celtic Performing Arts of Canada is once again looking for a new executive director. Ken Gillis, president of the college's board of directors confirmed Wednesday that Kendra MacGillivray has resigned from the post for personal reasons.

"It was a very amicable arrangement," Gillis said. "It was her decision alone. We're sorry to see her go. I guess the hunt is on again for a replacement. It's an overwhelming job and she has a young child and I can appreciate her decision."
MacGillivray is the second executive director to leave the job this year.
In June, after a lengthy application process, Dr. Michael (Mike) Paterson from New Zealand left the position less than four months after being hired. Paterson was hired in March to replace the College of Piping's first director Scott MacAulay following his death in September 2008.

Paterson wanted to take the college in a new direction expanding its musical sphere to include not only Gaelic, but also English, Acadian and Mi'kmaq.

Neither the college's board of directors nor Paterson would comment on the reasons the New Zealand native left the job.
MacGillivray was hired in July to replace Paterson. MacGillivray, an award-winning fiddler and music teacher, also brought with her teaching experience in Highland and step dancing and business, having run her own School of Celtic Music.
The board of directors unanimously endorsed the selection of MacGillivray in hopes of settling the executive director situation.

Gillis said the board of directors will move immediately on selecting another executive director. When applications were initially called to replace MacAulay the college received over 20 applications locally, from across Canada and internationally.

"We're going to consider some of the ones who have already applied, then we're going to consider a couple of new ones," he said.

Gillis said the board will have someone in place as soon as possible.
Kendra MacGillivray could not be reached for comment.

July 28, 2009
MacGillivray new College of Piping executive director
Connor MacEachern, The Casket, Antigonish, NS

Kendra MacGillivray of Antigonish has been named executive director of the College of Piping and Celtic Performing Arts of Canada in Summerside, P.E.I.

MacGillivray has operated her own music school, Kendra MacGillivray's School of Celtic Music, for the past 20 years. Part of her responsibilities will include integrating a fiddle program into the college, which has focused on bagpiping, drumming, highland dancing and step dancing.

“They’re interested in expanding what they teach,” she said.

“One of the things they’re very interested in me doing is implementing a Celtic fiddle program at the college.”
MacGillivray has been teaching fiddle and piano accompaniment out of her home in P.E.I. since she moved there five years ago. She will begin teaching those students at the college when the program is introduced.
“As time goes on, we’ll probably be offering more and more workshops in different things such as Gaelic singing or maybe a summer school, those kinds of things,” she added.

MacGillivray’s other responsibilities will include business and financial planning, working with administration, public relations and working with the board of directors.

MacGillivray – who graduated from St. F.X. with a degree in business administration – said running a music school and Kenroy Music Productions has prepared her for the job.

“You kind of wear a lots of hats in that role when you’re in the music business,” she said.

“You’re a performer, a teacher, a CD producer, CD distributor, booking agent and a manger. I’ve definitely dealt with a lot of this stuff; it’s just going to be on a bigger scale.”

In addition to her business and instruction experience, MacGillivray has managed her performing career for the past two decades. She's a two-time East Coast Music Award winner (2002 Instrumental Artist of the Year, 2002 Female Artist of the Year), and recently released her 4th full-length recording, entitled Love O' The Isles, which was nominated for a 2009 ECMA and three Music P.E.I. Awards.

In 2002, she was named the Young Alumna of the Year by the St. F.X. University Alumni Association for her contribution to Celtic music and Scottish culture in the Maritimes. She was also the 2003 recipient of Music Nova Scotia's Educator of the Year Award.

“I’ve been immersed in this culture and all these Celtic disciplines form the day I was born,” MacGillivray said.”
“I can’t wait to meet all the new students.”

MacGillivray begins her position Aug. 3.

July 25, 2009
Charlottetown fiddler takes over reins at college
MIKE CARSON, Transcontinental Media

SUMMERSIDE — The board of directors of the College of Piping and Celtic performing Arts of Canada didn’t have to go far to find a new executive director. Charlottetown-based award-winning fiddler and music teacher Kendra MacGillivray will take over the reins of the international college in August.

MacGillivray sees this opportunity as a perfect fit.

“I’ve been steeped in Celtic music from the day I was born,” she said. “I took Highland dancing as a young girl and I began fiddle lessons when I was nine. I took piano lessons and I took step dancing. So my interests were in Highland dancing and the fiddle music, step dancing and piano from a very early age.”
MacGillivray said it’s been something she’s done her whole life and not only from the performing side.
“One angle of it is I’ve been performing this music for my whole life and another side of that is that I’ve been teaching most of it,’’ she said.

“I’ve taught Highland dancing. I teach step dancing at workshops but my big thing is that I’ve been teaching fiddle for 20 years. So, basically, I’ve been passing this music on and totally immersed in it my whole life.’’

MacGillivray said when the opportunity came up, she felt it was a perfect fit.
“I think she’s a great addition to the college team,’’ said Ken Gillis, chairman of the board of directors of the college.
Gillis said MacGillivray brings a wealth of experience to the college.

“I think she’s a great addition to the college team,’ Gillis said. “She has a lot of experience not only in music but other Celtic performances and well known throughout the community. She’s pretty well known throughout the Celtic community. We think she’s just going to be phenomenal there.”

The college had been in discussions with MacGillivary for about two weeks and made their decisions earlier this week. Gillis said the decision to offer MacGillivray the position was unanimous by the board.

Quick Facts
- Owns and operates Kenroy Music productions
- Owns and operates Kendra MacGillivray’s School of Celtic music
- First Canadian to teach at Southern Hemisphere International School of Scottish Fiddling
- 2002 east Coast Music Award for Instrumental Artist of the Year
- 2002 East Coast Music Award Female Artist of the Year
- CD Love O’ The Isles nominated for 2009 ECMA and three Music P.E.I. Awards.
- 2002 named St. F.X. Young Alumna of the Year for her contribution to Celtic Music and Scottish Heritage
- 2003 recipient of Music Nova Scotia’s Educator of the Year Award.

July 24, 2009
Kendra MacGillivray to head College of Piping
CBC News

The College of Piping in Summerside, P.E.I., has gone with a local talent as its new director. Kendra MacGillivray is a Charlottetown-based fiddler and music teacher. She replaces Mike Paterson, who left after only three months on the job.

The College of Piping is one of only two highland arts schools in the world that operates year-round. It was founded in 1990 and MacGillivray is just its third director.

Growing up in Antigonish, MacGillivray has been steeped in the Celtic tradition since she was a child. She told CBC News on Thursday that one of her priorities is to offer instruction in more instruments.

"One of the things that I would love to bring to the college is my love of fiddling. I'm sure I'll be teaching in some capacity," she said.

"There could be Gaelic singing, any kind of accompanying instrument. That's looking down the road and saying OK, once we've got piping and drumming and highland dancing and step dancing and fiddle taken care of, then you can start branching out."

MacGillivray also hopes to expand the number of public performances by the college, something on which it built an international reputation, and increase the music camps held during the summer months.

July 24, 2009
Kendra MacGillivray new College of Piping director
The Journal Pioneer

The College of Piping and Celtic Performing Arts of Canada has announced the appointment of Kendra MacGillivray, B.B.A., to the position of Executive Director.

MacGillivray is a native of Antigonish, Nova Scotia, and holds a Business Administration degree from St. Francis Xavier University. For the past twenty years, she has owned and operated her own business, Kenroy Music Productions and her own music school, Kendra MacGillivray's School of Celtic Music. Over the years, she has provided expert fiddle, piano accompaniment, Highland and Step dancing instruction to hundreds of children and adults. She's also been a featured instructor at Celtic summer schools all over the globe. This past spring, she became the first Canadian ever invited to teach at the Southern Hemisphere International School of Scottish Fiddling in New Zealand.

"I'm just thrilled at the opportunity to pass my love of Scottish music and culture on to the students who attend the College of Piping," says MacGillivray. “Thanks in large part to my predecessor, the late Scott MacAulay, this institution is one of the best of its kind anywhere in the world. To have the chance to play a role in leading it into the next decade is a dream come true."

In addition to her considerable business and instruction skills, MacGillivray has managed her own very successful performing career for the past two decades. One of the best known Celtic musicians in North America, she's a 2-time East Coast Music Award winner (2002 Instrumental Artist of the Year, 2002 Female Artist of the Year), and just recently released her 4th full-length recording, entitled "Love O' The Isles”, which was nominated for a 2009 ECMA and three Music PEI Awards. In 2002, she was named the Young Alumna of the Year by the StFX University Alumni Association for her contribution to Celtic music and Scottish Culture in the Maritimes. She was also the 2003 recipient of Music Nova Scotia's Educator of the Year Award.

Ken Gillis Chairman of the Board of Directors stated “We are very pleased that Kendra has accepted the position of Executive Director. We believe that with her background she will bring a wealth of experience to the college. On behalf of the board I want to welcome Kendra to our team as we look forward to building on our success with her.”
MacGillivray assumes her new duties on Tuesday, Aug. 4. For interview opportunities, please feel free to contact her directly at kendra@kendramacgillivray.com. Alternately, you can reach Ken Gillis at gillis@pei.sympatico.ca or Michelle Askew at michelle.askew@collegeofpiping.com, Manager of Marketing & Business Development.

January 21, 2009
Fiddler’s latest disc well worth the wait
By Doug Gallant, The Guardian, PEI

Fiddler Kendra MacGillivray has ended her studio hiatus with a sterling new collection of tunes called Love O’ The Isles. It was an album long overdue. Over The Waves, the CD that earned the Antigonish-born musician East Coast Music Awards for both female artist of the year and instrumental artist of the year is now eight years old.

That’s a long time for a player of this calibre not to record. Then again, she’s had other responsibilities to attend to, not the least of which are a husband and a young son. But, as Love O’ The Isles clearly demonstrates, MacGillivray has not lost anything to time.

Recorded at Lakewind Sound Studios in Cape Breton, the new record features 12 tracks, nine of which are medleys comprised of anywhere from three to as many as six pieces. The three stand-alone tracks are all slow airs, including the title track, Love O’ The Isles, a hauntingly beautiful piece composed by William Hunter.

The jigs, reels, hornpipes, strathspeys, polkas, marches and airs that populate this set include both the traditional and the contemporary, with works from such diverse sources as legendary Scottish fiddler James Scott Skinner and Canadian fiddle champion Ned Landry. There’s also an original reel from MacGillivray, written and named for her son, Mark Anthony Rainnie.

It’s a very solid effort from MacGillivray, who also utilized the talents of brother Troy, who played both piano and fiddle, Tracey Dares, who played some piano, Elmer Deagle, who played guitar and banjo, and Cheryl Smith, who added drums.

Favourite moments here include MacGillivray’s renderings of Love O’ The Isles, Dugald McColl’s Farewell To France, Skinner’s The Brig O’ Potarch and Waters of Northumberland.

January 15, 2009
Kendra MacGillivray-CD-Love O' The Isles-In Review
Nominated for 1 ECMA 2009 Award and 3 Music PEI Awards
By John Gavin, Atlantic Seabreeze

Celtic Fiddler, KENDRA MACGILLIVRAY living in Charlottetown, P.E.I., released her fourth album entitled, LOVE O' THE ISLES in July 2008 and as a result she has received an ECMA 2009 nomination for Instrumental Recording of the Year, as well Kendra received 3 Music PEI nominations for, Entertainer of The Year, Roots/Traditional Recording of the Year and Instrumental Recording of the Year.

Kendra's roots are in Nova Scotia, where she comes from a very musical family. She is married to Bruce Rainnie, a CBS TV announcer and has a son named, Mark Anthony.

Featured on this outstanding fiddle album are Kendra on fiddle accompanied by Celtic musicians, Troy MacGillivray (brother) on piano and bass, Tracey Dares on piano, Elmer Daigle on guitar and banjo and Cheryl Smith on drums. The CD was produced by Toronto musician/producer, Delcan O'Doherty (Rita MacNeil, Barra MacNeils and Terry Kelly). The CD was recorded at Lakewind Studio Sound, and mixed/mastered at Soundpark Studio, both in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.

The CD features 12 tracks, from beautiful slow airs to upbeat marches, strathspeys and reels, jigs, clogs, hornpipes and polkas. Most tunes are traditional/scotttish with a few originals including the lively reels, Jolene Sonier by Marie Livingstone from Summerside, PEI and Mark AnthonyRainnie by Kendra. Here are some sample tracks:

Reel: Woodshoppers (Ned Landry)
Jig: Miss Ann Munro (Robert Mackontosh)
Slow Air: Love O' The Isles (William Hunter)
Strathspey: Little John's Home (James Scott Skinner)
Clog: Vendome
Hornpipe: Democratic Rage
March: Dugald McColl's Farewell to France (John McColl)
and several other tunes within each title.

This CD is a well put together and well produced and Kendra gives an outstanding performance on each piece. Atlantic Seabreeze gives this CD high marks on is rating list and welcomes this outstanding CD to its fiddle music library.

October 30, 2008
MacGillivray siblings issue pair of new CDs
By DAN MACDONALD, Cape Breton Post

I recently received a pair of recordings that come from Antigonish Countys MacGillivray family. Kendra and Troy are very talented siblings, both primarily fiddlers and both East Coast Music Award winners. In the past few months they have both released new CDs, Kendras solo effort  Love O The Isles  and Troys duet recording with Shane Cook  When Here Meets There.

Kendra has lived in Prince Edward Island for the past few years, continuing to play while raising her young family. Love O The Isles gives us a dozen cuts that range from tranquil slow airs to traditional Antigonish polkas, to boisterous and rollicking hornpipes and reels. Recorded at Lakewind Sound Studios in Point Aconi, Kendra doesnt have to stray far to gather up some excellent backup.

The piano chores are shared between her brother Troy and Tracey Dares, Elmer Deagle plays guitar and a bit of banjo, Cheryl Smith handles the percussion and Troy adds bass on a few cuts, a nice compact combo of very talented people.

Kendra has selected the music well. She leans heavily on traditional tunes and some of the Scottish masters such as Skinner, Mackintosh and Grant, but she has also included local and regional composers as
diverse as Wilfred Gillis and Ned Landry, even including one of her own tunes.

As expected, Kendras playing is spot-on, and she has laid out some great arrangements.

My personal favourite is the second cut that starts with a jig and moves on to a pair of lively reels, including Mark Anthony Rainnie, a reel composed for her son.

Meanwhile, When Here Meets There gives us a different slant on traditional music with a pair of young players who are among the best in their individual fields. Troy is well known around here as an incredible fiddler and pianist, a favourite for dances and concerts and this years winner of the ECMA for Instrumental Recording.

Shane Cook has garnered a sack full of awards for his playing, including being a Canadian Open, Canadian Grand Masters and U.S. Grand National champion.

Individually, they are terrific. Together they are better than the sum of the two parts, a powerful combination that is eclectic in tastes and astounding in virtuosity. Their music blends together seamlessly, the different styles weaving in and out, bubbling to the surface only to be overtaken by something newer, greater and even more pleasing.

Produced by Ray Legere, who also plays mandolin on the recording, the CD was mainly recorded at Troys home in Lanark with additional bits and pieces added in at studios as far away as Scotland. The backup musicians are just as diverse, with the most familiar names being Skip Holmes and Scott Macmillan.

This is a powerful CD with some amazing playing with a wonderful variety of music. It would be hard to pick out a favourite, but I lean towards Bovaglies Plaid that features Troy on piano, backed up by several layers of strings on violin and viola.

I am also quite taken by the final cut  The Reprobate  which mixes jigs, strathspeys and reels with incredible ease, showcasing fiddles and piano weaving in and out and around throughout the piece.

I suggest that you look for these CDs and dont be shy about adding both to your collection. Or put them on your Christmas list. Its not that far away.

August 25, 2008
Making music again: Fiddler Kendra MacGillivray gets back into her musical groove
after taking time off to be with her young son
SALLY COLE, The Guardian

After taking a break from most performing gigs to spend time with her young son, fiddler Kendra MacGillivray is going back to work.

“Now that Mark Anthony is two, I’m starting to focus on my career again,” says the ECMA award-winner who picked up female artist of the year and instrumental artist of the year in 2002.

One of the first steps in making this happen is the release of her new album, Love O’The Isles. Recorded at Lakewind Sound Studios in Cape Breton, the CD contains 35 fiddle tunes, woven together in 12 different medleys. It’s her fourth recording and, she thinks, one of her best.

“I spent months researching and recording it. I was hoping to release the CD in 2005 but sadly it didn’t happen. So I’ve been thinking and planning it from 2004 to 2008, trying to find the little diamonds in the rough, those little gems that other people may not know about,” says MacGillivray.

And she believes she has found them.

“I really hope that people will like these tunes because I love them. I really did a lot of work on this CD, more than any other.”

Included on the CD is the Jolene Solnier reel, written by Marie Livingstone of Summerside, along with traditional tunes like Miss Ann Munro, Waters of Northumberland, Love O’ The Isles, Dugold McColl’s Farewell to France and many others.

MacGillivray also composed a tune for her son, Mark Anthony Rainnie.

“My son is very musical. He loves to take my hand, take me to the piano and hear me play.

“One day I needed a tune in the key of E and this tune came out. Because he inspired me to sit down and play the piano, I named the reel after him, the Mark Anthony Rainnie Reel.

“It’s the perfect speed for him because the little guy is such a ball of energy,” she says, with a laugh.

The new release also features her brother, Troy MacGillivray, on piano and bass, Tracey Dares on piano and Islander Elmer Deagle on guitar.

Besides keeping busy with her new CD, MacGillivray and her husband, Bruce Rainnie, have been doing some performing with Kevin “Boomer” Gallant at the Harbourfront Theatre in Summerside. A show earlier this summer was so popular that the trio’s Aug. 30 concert is already sold out.

“It's so great knowing that people enjoy our music,” says MacGillivray, who also taught at two fiddle camps in Parsborough and Inverness, N.S., this summer.

“After being away from it for two to three years it was great to get back in the teaching mode. At the camps, I gave fiddle workshops which was exciting because you get students from start to finish. You take them from not knowing the tune to doing a recital at the end of the week. I hope to incorporate these workshop techniques into my classes in the fall where everyone can come together,” says MacGillivray, who will resume teaching in September.

“If there are five fiddlers playing the melody, you can have five fiddlers playing the harmony and you put them all together, it’s amazing to hear. So I’m thinking how I can incorporate these strategies with my students,” says MacGillivray, who also plans to teach keyboard accompaniment this fall.

Fast facts

Who: Kendra MacGillivray.

Teaching material: Scottish and Cape Breton repertoires. Most tunes are very old, traditional melodies and/or compositions of Scottish fiddlers. Other tunes are more contemporary compositions.

Mentors: Fiddle teacher Stan Chapman, classical violin, Bob Murray, piano with Sr. Rodriquez Steele and Highland dancing with Janice Macquarrie, all from Antigonish.

Upcoming dates: Sept. 28, A Night of Stories and Songs with Bruce Rainnie, Kevin “Boomer” Gallant and Terry Kelly at the Dayboat Restaurant, a fundraiser for the QEH Cancer Treatment Centre; Oct. 17, Celtic Colours concert in Westmount, Cape Breton.

August 18, 2008
Fiddlers young and old letting their fingers fly.
Thirty musicians gather in Parrsboro to learn from some of the very best
By TOM McCOAG Amherst Bureau

PARRSBORO — Fingers were flying and toes were tapping as 30 musicians played jigs, reels and strathspeys during a fiddle camp on Saturday.

"I like to play every kind of music, but right now it’s the fiddle that I’m concentrating on," Pat Haliburton, 73, of Digby, said while taking a break at the camp, put on by the Ship’s Company Theatre.

"I came because I like learning something new all the time, and playing fiddle is very different from the classical style I learned to play when I learned to play a violin as a young girl."

The main difference is the way the musician uses the bow, Ms. Haliburton said.

"When you do fiddle music, you use the middle of the bow and short strokes so your fingers can move more quickly," she said. "In classical music, you use long, slower strokes."

Sitting beside her was 12-year-old Evan MacLean of Truro. He took up the fiddle a year and a half ago after listening to a young boy in P.E.I. play the instrument.

"I came to the camp to learn new skills and to learn from people who are very experienced," he said. "It’s been better than I thought it would be because the instructors make it fun. I’ve learned six or seven new songs."

PHOTO: Susan Vitale, of Halifax, concentrates as she learns a song while participating in The Ship’s Company Theatre’s fiddle camp on Saturday. (TOM McCOAG / Amherst Bureau)

His classmates helped make it fun.

"I don’t like going up on stage but after playing with the people here, I think I can do that now," Evan said.

"They’ve really helped me and that’s made me feel great inside."

Both Evan and Ms. Haliburton said the personal instruction from some of Canada’s master players of the fiddle, mandolin, guitar and piano was outstanding.

That quality of instruction from Gordon Stobbe, Sherryl Fitzpatrick, Kendra MacGillivray, Geoff Horrocks, Greg Simm and Skip Holmes is what brought Ellen Kearney back to the camp for the third year in a row.

"The instructors are just fabulous," the Halifax woman said. "Learning from people of such high calibre is a treat. Not only can they show us a variety of different fiddling and mandolin playing styles, but they have such a vast knowledge of fiddle music history that they’re eager to share with us as well."

Ms. Kearney, who plays the mandolin for her own enjoyment, said she was working to get her tunes up to speed and the camp was helping.

"It’s one thing to be able to play just the notes, but to really play, you have to get to the feeling behind those notes," she said.

"The instructors are helping me find the feeling behind the notes."

Her comment made Mr. Simm smile. He and Mr. Stobbe launched the camp three years ago so that players of all skill levels could focus on both their technique and their repertoire.

"Before we started this camp three years ago, there was no weekend fiddle camp anywhere on mainland Nova Scotia," Mr. Simm said.

"We’ve built it along models we saw in Western Canada and Ontario and are exposing the participants to a variety of techniques, from that used in the British Isles, to French-Canadian fiddle music, to Ottawa Valley fiddle music, to Cape Breton fiddle music."

The camp started Friday night and is to end tonight with a free concert featuring all the musicians who took part in the camp.

The concert is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on the Ship’s Company stage.

May 8, 2008
Ships' Company hosts fiddle camp
Halifax Herald

Ship's Company Theatre is holding its annual fiddle camp in Parrsboro on May 16, 17 and 18.

Led by master fiddler and music educator Gordon Stobbe, the camp is for individuals of all ages and varying levels of musical experience. Award-winning instrumental artist Kendra MacGillivray joins the contingent this year, which includes teachers and performers Sherryl Fitzpatrick, Geoff Horrocks, Skip Holmes and Greg Simm.

There will be an instructors' concert Saturday, May 17, 7:30 p.m., during which time Ship's Company Theatre's complete 2008 season offerings will be revealed. On Sunday evening, camp participants will be showcased in a 7:30 p.m. public performance at the theatre.

Visit <http://www.shipscompany.com>www.shipscompany.com for a printable brochure featuring instructors' biographies, weekend agenda, registration form and payment and contact information.

January 2008
All-star Celtic team raises funds for diabetes
TODD MACLEAN, The Guardian

When you’re in need of raising funds for a cause, it pays to have a brilliant Celtic musician as an older brother who’s connected to some of the best names in Celtic music on P.E.I. This is the truism that was brought to life last Friday night at The Guild in Charlottetown as Lisa Deagle and her older brother, well-known guitarist/mandolin player/fiddler Elmer Deagle, put together one boombastic barn-burner night of Celtic music.

All for the cause of raising money for Lisa’s participation in the Brazilian marathon this June with Team Diabetes for the Canadian Diabetes Association, the show was a sell-out. And by its end, the high dollar figure raised for the cause was only exceeded by the height of spirits in the house.

Despite the poor weather that hovered about the Island that day, which actually kept a couple of performers from getting to the show, the turnout was spectacular. And it’s safe to say that all in attendance must have been quite proud that they made the trek out in the elements, as soon as they heard the beginning act that night.

Yep. They broke out the big guns first — J.J. Chaisson on fiddle, Kevin Chaisson on piano and Elmer Deagle on guitar and fiddle. They played a fiery opening 20-minute set that probably shook all the snow off the roof of The Guild. Commencing with a slow air and then moving into a barrage of strathspeys and reels, complimented by the addition of young Summerside piper Harley Peters (playing Scottish Soldier and Amazing Grace), their set was thoroughly enjoyed by the appreciative crowd.

Colette Cheverie of The Celtic Ladies then took over the stage, with accompanist Jon Matthews on guitar, to perform several heartfelt tunes. Through songs like Stan Rogers’ Tiny Fish for Japan, and Francis James Child’s Sweet William’s Ghost, Cheverie performed passionately, eyes perpetually closed, as her smooth voice echoed throughout the theatre.

Melvin Ford was the host of the night, and at the beginning of the second half, we were treated to a couple of vocal performances from him, including Fields of Athenrye and Leaving on a Jet Plane, which the crowd sang along with (particularly my Aunt Muriel sitting next to me ...)

Up next on the bill was Emmanuelle LeBlanc of Vishten. The group has been touring the world for the past while and is up for two ECMA nominations in a few weeks. With accompaniment from Elmer Deagle on guitar (who has also been a member of Vishten for about a year now), LeBlanc began with a lovely, sweeping, sliding tune on the tin whistle, written by Deagle. Following it up with a couple of reels and a jig played on a higher whistle and then a bodhran performance (complete with some Acadian chair step dancing) as Deagle played some fantastic fiddle, their set was one of the most impressive of the night.

“Comb your hair, Elmer!” yelled an audience member at the shaggy-mopped Deagle, as he prepared the stage for the next act of the evening, his three sisters, Lisa, Donna and Rhonda.

“I haven’t combed it in five years,” he replied, as the audience hollered in laughter.

Singing songs such as I Told You So by Randy Travis and Goodbye is All We Have by Alison Krauss, the sisters sang in a pleasant blend of harmony and were given an encore for their performance. Kendra MacGillivray was the much-anticipated final act of the night. And where the first act blew the snow off the roof, in her commanding fiddle power, accompanied by Kevin Chaisson on piano and Elmer Deagle on guitar, MacGillivray then proceeded to tear that roof off.

Cutting, cutting, cutting into the notes like a friggin’ Ginzu knife through honey dew melon, MacGillivray just ripped through a set of reels to begin (The Messer Medley), followed by a dreamy, beautiful air called Love of the Isles (the name of her new CD) and then finished off the tremendous set with a few raging reels, as rosin dust soared up in clouds above her head.

As if that wasn’t enough, we were all then treated to a magnificent finale of all the performers from the night up on stage, led by J.J., Elmer and Kendra on fiddle, complete with step-dancing and non-stop clapping and stomping from the fired-up crowd. All in all, it was certainly one of the best Celtic music shows I’ve seen in a long time. And if you’re sad you missed it but would like to make a donation to Lisa Deagle’s Team Diabetes cause, check out www.teamdiabetes.ca.

Also, special thanks to Ward MacDonald and my Aunt Muriel Jay, for the favour of saving a seat for me.

At a glance:
What: Team Diabetes Celtic Night.
Where: The Guild, Charlottetown.
When: Last Friday, Jan. 18.
Who: A group of some of the Island’s best Celtic entertainers.
Why: To help Lisa Deagle raise $6,100 for Team Diabetes and the Canadian Diabetes Association.

March 12, 2007
Easter Seals telethon set for Monday night
The Guardian

The 2007 Easter Seals Telethon will air live on CBC Television from the mainstage of Confederation Centre of the Arts on Monday, March 12, 7-10 p.m.

This year's Easter Seals ambassador, Anthony Comeau, will be joining CBC News Compass host Bruce Rainnie and CBC Radio's Mainstreet host Matt Rainnie for the three-hour fundraiser for the P.E.I. Easter Seals Society. CBC Television producer Claire Nantes says it's a wonderful opportunity to showcase some of the most talented entertainers in Prince Edward Island.

"The stage will come alive with music and dancing from a wide variety of performers. We will also share stories about children who benefit directly from the donations people make to the telethon." The entertainment lineup for this year's telethon includes pianist Doug Riley, Celtic fiddler Kendra MacGillivray, singer/songwriter Angèle Arsenault, Eddy Quinn and Fiddlers' Sons, Ian Toms, Celtic Ladies, the College of Piping Dance Company, The Hustlers, Edge and the house band with Wayne Dunsford, Perry Williams, Alan Dowling, Darren Ings and Dave Berrigan.

Corporate sponsors for this year's telethon are ADL, Atlantic Turbines International, Superior Sanitation and Credit Unions of Prince Edward Island. Volunteers from Confederation Centre of the Arts, Aliant and CBC will be combining their talents and resources to produce the three-hour event with support from the Charlottetown, Summerside and Montague Rotary Clubs.

CBC Television viewers can call in their pledges for this year's telethon to a toll-free number, which will be visible throughout the broadcast. The P.E.I. Easter Seals Society will use the funds raised during this year's campaign to provide programs and equipment for people with disabilities on P.E.I.

Everyone is invited to join the live show at Confederation Centre of the Arts.
Free tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis and may be reserved by calling the box office at 1-800-565-0278, Monday through Saturday, noon-5 p.m.

December 20, 2006
Christmas with Celtic Angels
Halifax Herald

Christmas came in August for the Celtic Angels. Fiddlers Gillian Boucher and Kendra MacGillivray, Kendra's sister Sabra
MacGillivray, a champion highland dancer, vocalists Stephanie Hardy and Patricia Murray and Maggie MacInnes of Scotland, a Gaelic singer and master of the Celtic harp, gathered at St. Matthew's United Church in Halifax to film a
one-hour special featuring Celtic-style Christmas music.

Celtic Angels at Christmas premieres on VisionTV tonight at 9 p.m.
(it also airs Thursday at 7 a.m., 4:30 p.m. and 11 p.m.)

"It was hard initially to get into the mindset, but as soon as we walked onto the set with the candles, sparkles and white trees we got into the mood," says Sabra MacGillivray, who grew up in Antigonish, but now makes her home in
Creignish, with her husband, Ian MacDonald.

"We didn't use the sanctuary, but built a set separate from the church. It was all white and beautiful."

Sabra dances a solo to the music of Winter Wonderland, sporting a skirt of white tulle with sparkly snowflakes and a green velvet bodice. "I felt like a ballerina," she laughs.

She also brought along six of her students from the Celtic Touch Dance Studio. The girls, aged 10 to 12, join Sabra for an upbeat strathspey reel. Brother Troy, an accomplished pianist, and Kendra play on the set.

"Christmas wouldn't be the same without a Christmas ceilidh," says Sabra, recalling that at house parties, part of the family tradition was getting together to make music.

The middle child of three was immersed in Celtic music. Her grandfather on her mother's side, Hughie A. MacDonald, was a well-known fiddler, her mother fiddled and played piano and her grandmother was also a pianist. Her father's
side was also musical and at every house party people would pick up banjos, mandolins and guitars and add to the music.

Kendra, who now lives in Prince Edward Island with her broadcaster husband Bruce Rainnie, brought her son, Mark Anthony to the set. Born April 19, the tot sat in a Jolly Jumper and became a little jumping bean when Kendra played,
Sabra reports.

Murray was seven-and-a-half months pregnant during the filming of Celtic Angels.  Looking radiant after the birth of Rowan Marie five weeks ago, the Gaelic songstress says the show will be a permanent memento of her daughter's first
public appearance. Rowan is a tree found in the Highlands of Scotland. "They would plant a Rowan tree in front of their homes for protection," Murray says, adding Marie is a nod to her husband's Acadian ancestry.

Raised in Prince Edward Island and now living in Halifax, Murray sings the Holly and the Ivy and the Wexford Carol in the show.

"The Wexford Carol is one of the oldest Irish carols, it tells the story of the birth of Christ, it's a haunting tune," she explains, noting it's one of her favourite seasonal tunes.

Murray was also pleased to sing with Hardy, who hails from Cape Breton, and MacInnes, on an English/Gaelic version of Silent Night.

"They're three different voices and they blend in so well," adds MacGillivray.

Murray, whose husband Michael McNeil, a medical student at Dalhousie University plays the bagpipes, has been singing Gaelic songs to Rowan since before she was born. "She really responds to the music, she finds it soothing."

Murray's headed home to Summerside, P.E.I. for the holidays. Because of her love of the season she was thrilled when producer Charlie Cahill on Halifax-based New Scotland Pictures Inc. approached her to be part of the production.

"I love the music of the season, the meaning behind the songs, the beauty of all the melodies," she says. MacGillivray plans to watch the show Wednesday with her family in Creignish.

She'll watch it again when she, Kendra and Troy are home in Antigonish for Christmas. Asked about her favourite carol, MacGillivray says anything that talks about angels.

"It reminds me of my mother, she's our angel now." (Janice MacGillivray passed away in 2005).

December 18, 2006
Charlie's Celtic Angels sing divine
By Dean Lisk, Halifax Daily News

Charlie Cahill said from day one, the obvious jokes about him and his angels were there.
"Absolutely, it had to happen," said the producer of Celtic Angels At Christmas. "I am so proud to be associated with these angels."

Airing on VisionTV this week, the show features a collection of six women - singers, step dancers, and fiddlers - sharing a selection classic Celtic carols. "They do like Christmas music specials," said Cahill about VisionTV, explaining they approached him about putting together a holiday special in late 2005.

His Halifax-based New Scotland Pictures was also behind the Barra MacNeils Christmas special in 2000.

Female stars

"They said their audience did like Celtic music," he said "We sort of came up with the idea of making it female stars, and call them Celtic Angels." Cahill, along with musical director Declan O'Doherty, spent the winter and spring developing the show and casting his angels. Singing in the special are Prince Edward Island's Patricia Murray, Cape Breton's Stephanie Hardy, and Scottish vocalist and harpist Maggie MacInnes.

They're joined by fiddlers Gillian Boucher and Kendra MacGillivray, dancer Sabra MacGillivray, and a group of "wee angel" step dancers. "We were able to start shooting in August," said Cahill. "So, it was Christmas in August this year."

Even though it was the middle of summer, Hardy said she didn't find it hard getting into the yuletide spirit.
"Everything on the set was Christmas, so as soon as you got there it felt like Christmas," she said, adding her favourite part was getting to sing I Wonder as I Wander.

"Most of the versions I've heard are slow ballads, which are beautiful. But I wanted to do something with this song to make it more upbeat," she said. "It also sounds more pop modern, rather then classic. "Christmas songs are done all the time, so it is nice to see a new spin on the classics."

Part of the reason for the spin, says Cahill, was that his angels were asked to suggest songs they would like to sing.
He and O'Doherty then shortened the list, dealing with song tempo issues, music rights, and working out the arrangements.

"The best part of doing these things is getting to watch the talent work together," Cahill said. "To some extent, it is a recipe for disaster or a recipe for success, and we have been pretty lucky."

Diva-free

He said once everyone got together in Halifax to rehearse, all the angels suggested other ways they could work together and help each other with their songs. "There were no divas on this one, they were just great, talented people," he said

August 26, 2006
Kendra featured in "Celtic Angels at Christmas"

Celtic fiddler, Kendra MacGillivray will be featured in an upcoming television show, called "Celtic Angels at Christmas". The special is being produced by New Scotland Pictures and will appear on the Bravo TV station. Other performers include highland and step dancer, Sabra MacGillivray (Kendra's sister), fiddler, Gillian Boucher and vocalists, Patricia Murray and Stephanie Hardy. The show is being taped in Halifax, Nova Scotia from August 26-30, 2006 and will air in December 2006.

August 15, 2006
Lunenburg folk fest keeps keeping it real
By Stephen Pederson, Halifax Herald

IT HAS BEEN a great weekend in Lunenburg at the Folk Harbour Festival. The four mainstage shows, which began a little after 7 p.m. and finished a little before 11:30 p.m. Thursday to Sunday, each introduced at least one or two new and
outstanding groups or individual performers. On Thursday, the best surprises were Shtreiml's mix of klezmer and Turkish folk music and the hot Acadian band Vishten.

On Friday, it was British folk-vet Brian Peters, Alberta songwriter John Wort Hannam and the evergreen Marigolds. On Saturday, it was master-guitarist Andrew White and the inimitable Joel Plaskett.

And on Sunday it was the energetic fiddle playing of Kendra MacGillivray and the silken vocal/instrumental arrangements of Susan Crowe and the Tenderlies in their inaugural concert appearances. What makes Lunenburg live, however, is the festival's willingness to take a chance on new and sometimes, perhaps regretfully, untested performers. No need
to go through the list except to mention Sunday's mysterious Minnikins.

Ruth and Gabe Minnikin used to sing with the Guthries, we were told. But what they were on about Sunday night puzzled more than just me, to judge from the audience reaction. Barely intelligible lyrics sung by Gabe in so low a range
his vocal chords scarcely vibrated. Giddy melodies from Ruth which kept bouncing up at the ends of phrases as though booby-trapped, abetted by her marking the rhythm so lethargically with a kind of maraca that it was nearly inaudible, caused more shaking of heads than pounding of palms.

But such surprises serve to remind us all that getting up on stage before 800 or 900 people is not as easy as the veteran performers make it seem. Even the unprepared or the not-yet-ready for prime time contribute to the surprise and
excitement of Lunenburg. You get to practice patience and restraint, and your reward is sheer, out of context jubilation.

That emotion is never absent from the Sunday Morning Gospel concert on Blockhouse Hill. The tent cannot contain the crowds who spill out on the wings on the grass and share the mayhem caused by the vocal fire-power on the stage. The Johnson Girls, The Marigolds, The House of Doc, a variety of soloists, guitarists, bass players and keyboardists launch themselves into the up-beat repertoire, much of it old-time, all of it road-tested for decades in communities and churches and sing-outs, and none of it resistible. One gets born again and again and again.

Sunday night's finale in the tent began with the relatively new Western swing/honky-tonk quartet Flat Fifth with pianist Paul Buchanan, violinist Eilidh Campbell, double-bass player George Barkhouse and drummer Geordie Comstock.

They play four-to-the bar with a jazzy inflection paced by Buchanan's jazzy breaks and warmed by his strong, lyric baritone voice. Their energy and style are somewhat compromised by their astonishingly heavy bass lines. Buchanan
pounds it out in double octaves with the bass playing the same notes an octave below that. It's a bit much of a good thing. Jeff Davis came on to remind us with his laconic/ironic commentary and Appalachian voice - the musical equivalent of a Walker Evans black and white back country photograph - of how truly deep the roots of folk music go into the
unspectacular but no less vibrantly alive dailiness of ordinary people transcending hard times.

The set included the rhythmic volubility of a peanut vendor's spiel, an audience participation slurping-song about watermelons, a fine ballad with Matt Large about "cruisom" (not "cruisin' ") down the coast of Barbary, and with the
marvellous a capella back-up of the five Johnson Girls, a taste of the gospel concert with a reprise of Where The Flowers Bloom Forever.

Eighteen-year-old Jennah Barry, with an indescribably sweet and true high soprano cast a spell over the crowd with her intensely felt interpretation of her mother Leslie's song Where Harbour Meets the Sea, the winner of the first
annual Folk Harbour Songwriting Competition.

MacGillivray brought the crowd back to life after the enervating Minnikins set with the first note of her lively, bracing, richly played Cape Breton tune set. Accompanied by pianist Darla Chaisson and charismatic bodhran playing/step-dancing sister Sabra, MacGillivray played clogs, hornpipes, reels, strathspeys and polkas and ended her set with a spectacular performance of the difficult Tullochgorum variations, topping that off with a couple of reels and gilding it with a demonstration of step-dancing while fiddling - and all that from a young mother barely four months out of the maternity ward.

Matt Andersen finished the show, but I caught him earlier in the day singing the blues on the Wharf stage like an old-timer and ripping out riffs from his guitar like a young firebrand. Second last came Crowe with the Tenderlies (Lisa MacDougall and Cathy Porter), the trio backed up for the occasion by "Tenderloin" James Logan on very jazzy guitar.

That's a lot of feisty femininity and their urbane mix of tunes like I Fell Up Again (a Crowe evergreen), La Vie En Rose, Bye and Bye (gospel song), Bound Shackled and Chained and Love's Pure Gold arranged to take advantage of the
varied colour of the trios voices and their new-born energies, made for a set that seemed much shorter than the 35 minutes usually allotted to the final two performers on the mainstage concerts.

I liked this festival a good deal. All of it. Even the times my ear involuntarily cringed. It was, as it always is, real. And that's rare and precious.

May 30, 2006
Kelly, Gallant to help cancer survivors celebrate
Halifax Herald

Cancer patients and families from across Nova Scotia will gather at Pier 21 in
Halifax on Sunday, from 2 to 4 p.m. to celebrate National Cancer Survivors Day.

Admission is free.

Terry Kelly, a cancer survivor and honorary event chair, will headline the
afternoon's entertainment and will perform the recently launched song,
Celebrate Life. It was written and performed by Kelly, to honour those whose
lives have been touched by cancer.

Other performers include Lennie Gallant, Floyd King, LeMarchant St. Thomas
Elementary Choir and Kendra MacGillivray. CBC TV's Bruce Rainnie will be master
of ceremonies.

The afternoon will include a message of inspiration delivered by Carly Bunyan,
a 23-year-old student athlete and cancer survivor.

May 18, 2006
MacGillivray, Rainnie have a boy
Halifax Herald

Congratulations to ECMA-winning fiddler Kendra MacGillivray and her CBC broadcaster husband Bruce Rainnie on the birth of their son, Mark Anthony Rainnie.

Mark was born on April 19 at 3:29 p.m. at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Charlottetown.
He weighed 7 lbs. 14 ozs. and was 20 inches long, with blue eyes and light brown hair.

He's named after his grandfathers (Bruce's dad is Mark and Anthony is Kendra's dad's name.)

"We're getting along great,"" said MacGillivray from her P.E.I. home.

"He's been watching hockey and basketball games already with daddy and we'll have him on the fiddle in no time!"

October 22, 2005
Celtic Colours: Whycocomagh Gathering at the Whycocomagh Education Centre
by Tom Knapp - Rambles.NET

Our arrival in Cape Breton was heralded this year by thick grey clouds and torrential downpours, a bout of nasty weather that followed us from the Maine border, across New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, and settled in for a spell.

But the swollen skies and puddled streets couldn't dampen day two of Celtic Colours, our first night on the island for a week's splendid music.

Award-winning singer-songwriter David Francy got things going with a selection of his expressive stories and songs. Coupled with singer-guitarist Shane Simpson, Francey brought the eager Whycocomagh crowd into his world with songs including "Tonight in My Dreams" (which Francey described as "the one happy song in the set") and "Torn Screen Door," which laments the loss of a viable farm and lifestyle to debt.

Next up, the formidable MacGillivray clan -- talented siblings Kendra, Sabra and Troy -- demonstrated the power of Nova Scotia traditions. Beginning their set with Kendra on fiddle, Troy on keyboard and Sabra on bodhran, they led the audience through an animated, lively, wonderful program.

Kendra, center stage, is a firecracker when she plays, legs pumping madly with the beat. Sharing in the family tradition, she first introduced a polka set learned from her grandfather, who first recorded it in the 1930s. Next, Troy -- with a flurry of fingertips -- played the "Mary Queen of Scots" set on keyboards; the set was previously recorded on fiddle on his latest CD, but built to an amazing climax in this arrangement.

Sabra leapt to her feet and, with fellow dancer Kelly MacArthur, showed how Cape Breton footwork looks with practiced professionals in the tap shoes. Arms relaxed and swaying, legs loose and precise in their movements, backs and shoulders in a perfect line, long ponytails bobbing in time and grinning broadly, the two young women moved in perfect unison, tirelessly beating out a mighty rhythm as Troy and Kendra pounded out the melody. Then, Sabra (only slightly winded) took over the keyboard (her first public performance on the instruments, her siblings quickly pointed out to Sabra's embarrassment) while Kendra and Troy worked into a perfectly matched fiddle duet of strathspeys and reels -- Kendra looking completely relaxed, the music an effortless extension of her arms, while the equally gifted Troy played with a look of focused concentration and, for a brief portion of the set, showed his own skill at dancing.

For the final set, the MacGillivrays returned to their original positions and launched into a stately melody, building -- as, of course, it must -- into a fast, heel-pounding set. Kendra's smile was infectious as she (and her newly styled, slightly reddened hair) bounced in time, Troy matched her beat for beat on the keys and Sabra again demonstrated why she is one of the island's leading proponents of the dance. Their standing ovation was well earned.

And the energy level kept building. After a brief intermission, the twang of a jaw harp signaled the beginning of Le Vent du Nord's display of Quebecois music. The French-Celtic connection was full of frantic energy, a high-energy and gravity-defying parade of tunes and songs about love, both comic and tragic. The lyrics -- often presented a cappella, in a strong four-part vocal arrangement or as a call-and-response -- were expressive even in French (a language I sadly do not understand).

And let's not forget the fantastic foot percussion that punctuated the music, primarily the work of fiddler Olivier Demers who demonstrated freakish levels of energy as he played. And of course there's Benoit Bourque, a giant scarecrow of a man, all smiles and footwork as he showed off his own brand of stepdancing and maybe even an extra joint or two in each leg. Frankly, I'd hate to be on stage after that, if for no other reason than the fear that every single supporting nail must have been shaken loose under the foot-stomping barrage.

We looked to Nicholas Boulerice for a lesson in the power, majesty and versatility of the hurdy-gurdy, "the most beautiful of all instruments." And then Benoit leapt from the stage to lead the audience in an arm-circling, pinky-linking dance that snaked through the seated crowd.

For the finale, Kendra and Troy got things rolling with a strathspey, tossed it to Francey for a bit of "Rantin' Roarin' Willie" and then joined the full ensemble for a fierce set of jigs and reels, featuring additional dancing by Sabra and Benoit, plus a surprise from emcee Burton MacIntyre, a local institution in dance, when he very nearly lost his kilt (twice) while partnering with Lt. Gov. Myra Freeman. Burton took it all in good humor, of course, blaming a recent diet for the garment's looseness.

The Whycocomagh crowd was in high spirits as everyone filed from the building and back into the rain. The week was just begun, and there was plenty of music still to come.

August 10, 2005
Kendra MacGillivray & Bruce Rainnie To perform concerts at Jubilee

Harbourfront Jubilee Theatre (Summerside)
Celebrity couple and musical duo Kendra MacGillivray and Bruce Rainnie will perform a pair of concerts at the Harbourfront Jubilee Theatre in Summerside, August 13 and 27.

Celtic fiddler Kendra MacGillivray was the 2002 ECMA "Female Artist of the Year" and "Instrumental Artist of the Year", and has performed at festivals & events around the world. From a square dance or Scottish concert in Cape Breton to a main stage performance at the Glengarry Highland Games or Harrison Festival of the Arts or to a corporate event in Japan or Barbados, Kendra plays the music of her Scottish ancestors with energy and passion.

MacGillivray has performed with Philip Glass & Friends in concert at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, Symphony Nova Scotia in the "Maritime Pops Series", Atlantic Scene Festival in Ottawa, Villa Montalvo in California and was a featured performer in DRUM!, the musical in Halifax. She was also featured in a CBS movie called, "Heart of a Stranger", starring Jane Seymour and presented awards on the 2003 East Coast Music Awards, a CBC production and the 2002 MIANS Music Awards.

Kendra started taking highland dance lessons at the age of six, followed by classical piano lessons, fiddle lessons and then classical violin lessons. Musically, she was influenced from the very beginning by her grandfather's fiddle music, Hugh A. MacDonald, a pioneer recording artist and recipient of the ECMA Stompin' Tom Award and a Nova Scotia Country Hall of Fame Induction. Although she was much too young to learn fiddle tunes from him while he was living, Kendra danced to his music at every chance and his playing has inspired the music she plays today.

MacGillivray continues to perform her most requested selections, ranging from lively jigs, to hauntingly beautiful slow airs and rousing sets of strathspeys and reels - in theatres, festivals and corporate events - in venues nearby and far away...'Over The Waves'.

Bruce Rainnie is the host of Canada Now, the supper hour news program in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. In addition, he is known as the voice of CBC Sports in Atlantic Canada. He has broadcast 3 Olympic Games (2000, 2002, 2004), and had the honour of calling Daniel Igali's gold medal wrestling performance in Sydney, Australia. More recently, Bruce teamed with Russ Anber to bring Canadians coverage of boxing from Athens. In March of 2004, he researched, co-produced, and hosted "Great Expectations," a half-hour primetime documentary on hockey sensation Sidney Crosby. Bruce came to the CBC from CJLS Radio in Yarmouth where he hosted the morning show from 1989 to 1995. He also hosted a one hour information/entertainment program, "Rainnie at Noon".

Bruce has done extensive emcee work for various organizations. He has hosted the Progress Club Sports Celebrity Dinner, the QEII Hospital Research Dinner, the Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame Induction Ceremonies, the P.E.I. Business Hall of Fame Induction Ceremonies, the Halifax Comedy Fest, Pier 21 Heritage Day Celebrations, the Special Olympics Dinner and Auction, and the CIAU All-Canadian Basketball Awards Dinner. He's also been the featured speaker at graduations and athletics banquets all across the Maritimes.

The award-winning sportscaster has expanded his professional duties to include hosting CBC News Morning, the Celtic Colours Music Festival, Tall Ships 2000, Spruce Meadows Showjumping, Davis Cup Tennis, the CFL on CBC, the World Curling Championships, the Pan Am Games, Hockey Night in Canada, and CBC Sports Saturday.

As a host, master of ceremonies or featured speaker, Bruce's quick wit, thoughtful insights, and humorous, engaging style have entertained audiences all across Atlantic Canada.

The combined talents of these two Maritimers promise an evening not to be missed, and organizers say from the buzz at the Jubilee box office, the pair is proving to be a favourite of this year's Summer on the Waterfront Festival lineup for August, which also includes performances by The Lazy Jacks, The Chucky Danger Band, Sketch 22, and The Jubilee Players.

Tickets are now on sale for all listed performances, and can be purchased at the Harbourfront Jubilee Theatre Box Office, local 888-2500 or toll free 1-800-708-6505.

July 9, 2005
Kendra & Troy MacGillivray Concert
By Andrea Nichol, Linear Reflections E-Magazine - Victoria, BC

For generations the MacGillivray family has entertained Nova Scotia and Canada with their extreme talent in Celtic music. Hugh A MacDonald, grandfather to Kendra and Troy MacGillivray, was a well-known recording artist who was a recipient of the ECMA Stompin' Tom Award. He was also inducted into the Nova Scotia Country Hall of Fame. Antigonish, Nova  Scotia is where Kendra and Troy MacGillivray get some of their  nspiration for the music they perform from different artists such as  Neil Gow, The Rankin Family, and of course, their grandfather. In this performance, Kendra and Troy MacGillivray not only entertained us, they made their grandfather proud. It was a wonderful evening of music and dance. Kendra and Troy haveperformed together for over 15 years, and throughout the evening, it was clear that they were comfortable performing together.

The venue was the Fairfield United Church; it was small, cozy and intimate. I felt like I was sitting in a living room somewhere, a rather large living room, of course, listening to people playing music. It was great. A large armchair instead of a wooden pew would have been more comfortable however.

Throughout the concert both Kendra and Troy addressed the audience in a friendly manner that only increased the comfort level. They played a mixture of jigs, reels, and laments, all of which were excellent. Several, however, deserve to be noted.

"Jackson's Fancy Medley," a group of pieces that incorporated jigs and reels, set all of our toes tapping. It was spirited and fun, and echoed the many celebrations experienced throughout the years by Celtic people on two continents. "The Old Gray Goose" was also a wonderful piece.

"Neil Gow's Lament for the Death of His Second Wife" was poignant and beautiful; a very fitting lament for a loved one. The tune was very suited to the piano, its keys giving it a delicacy that was required for a lament.

Near the end of the first set, they played some of the pieces their grandfather had played like "Polka No. 3 Medley." These pieces were more raw and earthy in sound, but overall they had a charm that obviously lives on.

Also near the end of the set, as his sister fiddled, Troy did some step dancing and showed us his moves. It brought something extra to the fiddling and also continued the theme of the cozy, intimate party. I was tempted to join him, but would have looked extremely clumsy in comparison.

In the second set, Kendra also step-danced for us and showed us that both she and Troy have trained long for their talents. It was a fun addition to the evening.

"Arisaig Mist" was a piece played by Kendra on the fiddle and it was absolutely amazing. She prefaced her playing by tellingus a story of the mist that lowers along the ocean on the coast of Nova Scotia and that this piece was an echo of that imagery. I would have to say that this was my favourite piece of the evening. The tune brought tears to my eyes. It was very beautiful.

The rest of the evening was more of the same - solid, excellent playing that was highly entertaining. I was impressed as they switched instruments and played well at anything they attempted. I enjoyed their step-dancing immensely.

Troy and Kendra have several albums available. Kendra has put out three recordings: "Over the Waves," "Clear the Track" and "Antigonish's Own." Troy has recorded two albums: "Boomerang," and "Musical Ties." I would suggest that they would all be well worth purchasing.

Both Troy and Kendra have been the recipients of several awards over the past couple of years. Kendra was the 2002 ECMA "Female Artist of the Year" and "Instrumental Artist of the Year." Troy was the 2004 recipient of the "Auleen Theriault Young Tradition Award" from the Goderich Celtic Roots Festival. It is clear from their performance that they both have embraced tradition and their roots in their musical journey and I look forward to watching the rest of their careers. It will be memorable.

June 29, 2005
Musicians bring a traditional sound to the stage
Vernon Morning Star - Vernon, BC

Kendra and Troy MacGillivray will bring a little Celtic inspiration to the stage when they perform at the Creekside Theatre July 11.

Celtic Fiddler Kendra MacGillivray is the 2002 ECMA Female Artist of the Year and Instrumental Artist of the Year.

She has performed at festivals and events around the world.

From a square dance or Scottish concert in Cape Breton to a mainstage performance at the Glengarry Highland Games or Harrison Festival of the  Arts to a corporate event in Japan or Barbados, MacGillivray plays the music of  her Scottish ancestors with energy and passion.

In the past year MacGillivray has performed with Phillip Glass and Friends in concert at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, Symphony Nova Scotia in the Maritime Pops Series, Atlantic Scene Festival in Ottawa, Villa Montalvo in California and was a featured performer in DRUM!, the musical in Halifax.

She was also awarded the Young Almuna of the Year from her alma mater, St.Francis Xavier University, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration in 1995. MacGillivray has been a guest lecturer at the university's business of music course because she has been managing her own career up to the present.

Musically, she was influenced from the very beginning by her grandfather's fiddle music. Hugh. A. MacDonald, a pioneer recording artist and recipient  of the ECMA Stompin' Tom Award and a Nova Scotia Country Hall of Fame  Induction. Although she was much too young to learn fiddle tunes from him while he  was living, she danced to his music at every chance and his playing has  inspired the music she plays today.

MacGillivray started taking highland dance lessons at the age of six,  followed by classical piano lessons, fiddle lessons and then classical violin  lessons. She has three recordings, Over the Waves, Clear the Track and Antigonish's  Own.

She is currently in the process of selecting, arranging and composing  tunes for a new 2005 recording. At the same time she continues to perform her most requested selections, ranging from lively jigs, to slow airs and rousing  sets of reels.

Troy MacGillivray's musical prowess can be attributed to an especially rare combination of commitment and bloodline. By the age of six, he was already impressing audiences with his step dancing skills. By 13 he was teaching  piano at the renowned Gaelic College of Celtic Arts and Crafts in St. Anne's, Cape Breton. He has completed grade seven of the Toronto Conservatory of Music  for classical piano, has spent four years in a stringed orchestra and has  earned a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in music from St. Francis Xavier University.

Troy's two recordings, Boomerang and Musical Ties, both received ECMA nominations as well as Music Industry Association of Nova Scotia  nominations. Musical Ties is a blend of contemporary and original compositions with 200  year old melodies played on the piano and fiddle. A collection of uplifting strathspeys, jigs and reels are complied by the graceful presence of tow beautiful Gaelic airs. Troy is joined on the recording by his parents and sisters as well as  other noteworthy performers such as John Allan Cameron, Gordie Sampson, Dave  MacIsaac and Tracey Dares. Boomerang is a demonstration of the piano and fiddle played in the purist stylings. 

2004 was a busy year for Troy. At the age of 24 he was the recipient of the Auleen Theriault Young Tradition Award from the Goderic Celtic Roots  Festival in Goderich, Ont. This award is given to an artist who shows outstanding  talent and love for traditional and roots music.

He also embarked on a tour impressive for an independent artist. The tour started in Toronto, took him as far west as Victoria and Back east to the Maritimes.

Other performance highlights include Celtic Connections 2004 in Glasgow,  the 2004 ECMAs, Celtic Colours International festival n Cape Breton.

Troy will perform along with sister Kendra, July 11 at the Creekside Theatre in Lake Country. Tickets are $18 for adults, and $16 for students and  seniors.

Advance tickets are available from Lake Country Municipal Office or by  calling 250-766-9309. Tickets are also available at the door.

June 29, 2005
Brother and sister act return to Lake Country for Celtic performance
Penticton Western News - Penticton, BC

Canadian Celtic performers and siblings Kendra and Troy MacGillivray will return to the Okanagan this year for a July 11 concert in Lake Country.

Blending Celtic fiddle and piano, the pair will perform at 7:30 p.m. at the B.C. Creekside Theatre.

Kendra - who is the 2002 East Coast Music Awards (ECMA) Female and Instrumental Artist of the Year - has played gigs around the world, from the Glengarry Highland Games to corporate events in Japan and Barbados.

She was featured in a CBS movie called Heart of a Stranger starring Jane Seymour and was a presentor at the 2003 East Coast Music Awards.

Having managed her own music career, Kendra has been a guest lecturer at her alma mater, St. Francis Xavier University, for its Business of Music course.

Kendra has released three recordings and is currently working on her fourth.

With a family of musicians, younger brother Troy began teaching piano at Gaelic College of Celtic Art at age 13.

He has recorded two CDs and performed at Celtic Connections 2004 in Glascow, the 2004 ECMAs and Edinburgh Fiddle Festival, to name a few.

Tickets for Kendra and Troy MacGillivray's July 11 show are available at Lake Country Municipal Office by calling
(250)766-9309. Tickets will also be available at the door.

March 19, 2005
C.B. Ceilidh at the Cohn to aid IWK
Halifax Herald

A Cape Breton Ceilidh in support of the IWK Health Centre will be held at the Rebecca Cohn Auditorium on Wednesday, April 6 at 8 p.m. The evening features a stellar lineup of traditional talent, including composer/conducter Scott Macmillan, David Greenberg, St. Peter's fiddler Dwayne Cote, New Waterford pianist Doug MacPhee, Judique fiddler Glen Graham, Antigonish's Troy and Kendra MacGillivray, Beolach's Mairi Rankin and guitarist Pat Gillis, with special guests Sugartime, the vocal group remembered from the Halifax-produced TV show Up Home Tonight.

March 11, 2005
Transplanted - Nova Scotia’s award-winning fiddler Kendra MacGillivray
enjoying life on P.E.I.
By Sally Cole, The Guardian

It’s been an exciting year for Kendra MacGillivray.

The ECMA award-winning fiddler packed up her belongings and moved to Charlottetown this past January, after marrying CBC Canada Now anchor Bruce Rainnie.

"We’re very happy to be here," says MacGillivray.

The couple met at the Old Triangle in Halifax in 2000, the night she released her CD, Over the Waves.

"Bruce came to interview me. A few days later he called me back, asked me out...Isn’t that incredible? We’ve been together ever since," says MacGillivray.

And while she’s thrilled about starting a new life with her husband, she is equally thrilled to be living in Charlottetown.

"I’m very happy to be here. People love music here, especially the fiddle. So it’s nice to know that I’ve come to a place that embraces the traditions and the culture of the music, " says MacGillivray, who performed this week at the Easter Seals telethon.

The talented musician will be giving a fiddle workshop Saturday afternoon and performing at a concert/dance the same night at the St. Pius X Hall, accompanied by Kimberley Holmes on piano from 9 p.m. to midnight.

Part of moving to Prince Edward Island involved moving her business here.

In Halifax and Antigonish, she taught students and sold her CDs from her website.

And that’s what she intends to do here.

"By having a telephone and e-mail, you can pretty much live anywhere and do business, as long as people can get to your website. The key is having good delivery options," says the 2002 ECMA female artist of the year and instrumental artist of the year.

Now that she’s planted in red Island soil, the next step is starting fiddle lessons.

"I’ve been teaching for 15 years, so I’m looking forward to continuing that tradition with new students on the Island.

"I am already learning faces and names, just from the concerts that I have done here over the last five years, " she says.

No stranger to P.E.I., MacGillivray performed at Indian River Festival, Victoria Playhouse and three times at the Easter Seals telethon. Just before Christmas, she played in the CBC, A Christmas Carol concert with Rainnie and Kevin (Boomer) Gallant.

"That was quite the experience," she says, with a laugh.

Marriage has had a settling effect on her.

"It’s nice to have a home base. It’s the first time in a long time that I’ve been in the same place for longer than six weeks," says MacGillivray, who recently travelled to Quebec to perform.

Originally from Antigonish, MacGillivray was influenced from the very beginning by her grandfather’s fiddle music, Hugh A. MacDonald, a pioneer recording artist and recipient of the ECMA Stompin’ Tom Award and a Nova Scotia Country Hall of Fame Induction.

Although she was much too young to learn fiddle tunes from him, she danced to his music at every chance and his playing has inspired the music she plays today.

"My grandfather was one of my greatest mentors. He and Colin Boyd from Antigonish were the first two fiddlers to record Celtic fiddle music in Canada in 1935, 70 years ago," she says.

A more recent mentor is on air personality Eric MacEwen, who hosts a syndicated radio show.

"Eric used to host a radio program that was on the Antigonish radio station (CJFX) every Sunday for two hours. He played lots of great musicians and that’s where I became very fond of the music of Howie MacDonald and Winston Fitzgerald.

"Winston played a lot of tunes that my grandfather, Hugh A. MacDonald, played, so I think he could have been influenced by him," says MacGillivray, who also considers John Allan Cameron and Rita MacNeil as mentors.

Businesswise, she is inspired by Celtic performer Loreena McKennitt.

"She is self-managed and treats her music like a business, which inspired me not only to be self-managed but to book my own shows, publicize them and produce them," she says.

Anyone interested in registering in the fiddle workshop can call 367-5606.

For more information about fiddle lessons go to www.kendramacgillivray.com