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BEN MILLER & ANITA MACDONALD

  • Home
  • About
  • Shows
  • Videos
  • Projects
    • Miller - MacDonald - Cormier
    • Ben Miller & Anita MacDonald
  • Shop
  • Contact
  • EPK
    • Bio
    • Reviews
    • Video
    • Audio
    • Contact
    • Downloads

Electronic Press Kit

“One of the most important folk acts on Cape Breton Island today.”

— CBC Mainstreet (Nova Scotia, CAN)

Bio


Biography

Ben Miller & Anita MacDonald have become renowned across Canada and further afield, for their synergistic approach to traditional Scottish music. Blending Scottish Lowland pipes with Cape Breton fiddle, Gaelic song and step-dance, Ben and Anita join together the threads of Old and New World traditions, while constantly exploring new ways to bring their instruments closer together. Their music has been hailed as "Playful, poignant, and passionate all at once” — "Fresh, yet totally traditional." 

As well as performing as a duo, Ben and Anita tour as a trio with Zakk Cormier, an Acadian multi-instrumentalist from Prince Edward Island. A dynamic musician with deep roots in his own Franco-Celtic tradition, Zakk brings his talents as a sympathetic guitar accompanist, as well as the driving rhythms of Acadian foot-percussion.   

With their new album, "South Haven", this trio has created a powerful sound, transcending the boundaries between Cape Breton, Scottish, and Acadian traditions. Their live show has captivated audiences across the globe, from British Columbia and California, to Austria and Denmark.


INSTRUMENTAL GROUP OF THE YEAR (2018) 
Canadian Folk Music Award Nominee 

ROOTS TRADITIONAL ALBUM OF THE YEAR (2018)
Music Nova Scotia Award Nominee 

GAELIC ARTIST OF THE YEAR (2019) 
East Coast Music Award Nominee

INSTRUMENTAL RECORDING OF THE YEAR (2019)
East Coast Music Award Nominee

Performance Highlights

2019 - New World Festival - Vermont, United States 
2019 - Lunenburg Folk Harbour Festival - Nova Scotia, Canada 
2019 - Pasadena Folk Club - California, United States  
2019 - Folk Alliance International - Quebec, Canada 
2018 - 11th Scottish Colours Tour - Austria/Italy/Switzerland 
2018 - Celtic Colours International Festival - Nova Scotia, Canada  
2018 - P.E.I. Festival of Small Halls - Prince Edward Island, Canada  
2018 - Coldsnap Festival - British Colombia, Canada  
2017 - Goderich Celtic Festival - Ontario, Canada  
2017 - American Folk Festival - Maine, United States  
2017 - Austin Celtic Festival - Texas, United States  
2016 - Tønder Festival - Tønder, Denmark  
2015 - Edinburgh Fringe Festival - Edinburgh, United Kingdom


Press Photos

Ben Miller & Anita MacDonald
Miller - MacDonald - Cormier
Miller - MacDonald - Cormier
Miller - MacDonald - Cormier
Miller - MacDonald - Cormier
Miller - MacDonald - Cormier

[click image to download hi-res]

Reviews

Featured Reviews

-- Bob Mersereau's Top 100 Canadian Albums - Canada --
Excerpt from "South Haven" Album Review

"MacDonald's fiddle and Miller's pipes sound so connected at times, it's as if there's only one person playing, or better yet, a brand-new instrument has been created. Their version of this traditional material is full of spark, the tempos largely quick, and the interplay exciting. Cormier's addition is mostly subtle (until the feet get going), but very effective, adding an almost bluesy harmony that both supports and thickens. Traditional sounds, but most definitely a modern Maritime mix."
 

-- The Living Tradition - United Kingdom --
Excerpt from 2018 Celtic Colours International Festival Review

"[Miller - MacDonald - Cormier] struck me as something quite special... Here we have great music, played well; no never-ending tuneless tunes that prove the artists' technical abilities but leave the listener cold; no endless search for ways to be different at the expense of musicality... It was instantly refreshing."      
 

-- Celtic Life International - Canada --
Excerpt from "A Day at the Lake" Album Review

"A Day at the Lake brings the best of Scottish Border pipes and Cape Breton fiddle to the table for ten terrific tracks of old-school jigs and reels. [...] Miller and MacDonald bridge the historical waters between old and new Scotland, connecting the Celtic dots. [...] Playful, poignant, and passionate all at once, here's hoping that Miller and MacDonald keep making beautiful music together."
 

 -- The Inverness Oran - Canada --
Excerpt from "A Day at the Lake" Album Launch Review

"An entertaining and lively show which got audience members off their feet and dancing between the tables. [...]
Full of rich traditional sound, unique to Cape Breton, Together they form an impressive blend of freshness and tradition...True talent!"

Video

Audio

South Haven by Miller - MacDonald - Cormier

South Haven

Miller - MacDonald - Cormier

Recorded LIVE in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia - A dynamic and powerful album that transcends the boundaries between Cape Breton, Scottish, and Acadian traditions - “One of the most important folk acts on Cape Breton Island today.” (CBC Mainstreet)

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  1. 1
    The High Bass Set (Medley) 6:24
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  2. 2
    Angus MacKinnon (6/8 March) 3:48
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  3. 3
    O'er the Water to Charlie (Jigs) 2:43
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  4. 4
    Alasdair nan Stòp (Gaelic Song) 3:28
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  5. 5
    Gur Milis Mòrag (Medley) 3:54
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  6. 6
    Bonnie Mary (Medley) 2:59
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  7. 7
    Muile nam Mór Bhean (Waltz) 2:02
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  8. 8
    The Fowler on the Moor (Medley) 3:19
    0:00/3:19

Contact


Contact

Bookings - General

info@benandanita.com

Bookings - Denmark

Henrik Widell
Yellow House Booking
info@yellowhousebooking.dk

Bookings - Austria

Dietmar Haslinger
Weltenklang 
hasi@weltenklang.at

Management

Krista Keough
Krista Keough Creative Communications
krista@kristakeough.com


Publicity 

Kimberly Sinclair
SpinCount
kimberly@spincount.com

Downloads

Stage Plot - TRIO - 2020 442 KB
Venue Poster - TRIO - 2018 3.83 MB
South Haven - One Sheet 2.38 MB
South Haven - Digital Album Booklet 2.3 MB

 
© Ben Miller & Anita MacDonald 2019

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      The Fowler on the Moor (Medley) 3:19
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