|
At 21 years old, Alexis
MacIsaac has arisen as one of North America's brightest
musicians and performers within the traditional music
scene. Beginning on piano at the age of six, and then
swiftly moving on to the fiddle at the age of ten,
Alexis has not looked back. Alexis' playing has been
influenced by Cape Breton, Scottish and Irish
traditions- all of which are a part of her ancestry.
Growing up, Alexis was
exposed to the mastery of musicians such as Natalie
MacMaster, Buddy MacMaster, Wilf Gillis, Eileen Ivers
and Ashley MacIsaac. She studied under the guidance of
Bruce Wilson, Nancy Eadie, and Denis Lanctôt, all from
the Ottawa area, and has remained faithful to the trad
sound while imparting to it her own expressive style.
Alexis has immersed herself in the trad scene, and like
most traditionalists has learned most of her music by
ear.
She has gone on to work
with the Grammy award winning production Riverdance as
the fiddle player. Irish player Niamh Ní Charra,
fulltime fiddle player with Riverdance, trained Alexis
in the lead up to her appearance in the show. Riverdance
enabled Alexis to travel the United States and Ireland
as a featured soloist. She has frequently been a guest
at universities across the continent as a performer and
representative of traditional fiddle music, and has
performed at countless festivals, ceilidhs, and solo
concerts in the trad scene. She is also a talented
vocalist, and has had the privilege to have sung with
artists such as Tommy Makem, Kelly Sloan and Emily
Fortier-Brynaert.
Alexis produced and
recorded her debut album Inspired at the age of 16, with
fellow musicians and friends Denis Lanctôt and Duncan
Gillis. It is a reflection of the Celtic tradition she
has been exposed to and it features Alexis' abilities as
a fiddler, vocalist and dancer. Alexis' spirited
expressions and impassioned music is a tribute to her
musical idols and the influences that have inspired her
playing. Inspired is decribed as having "all great
tunes, and all played by one good musician." - Bob Dunshire
Alexis'
musicianship extends beyond the bow; she is able to
imitate and appreciate any tradition. Her playing is a
tribute to the musicians past and present who have
passed their music on to today's generation.
|