Andrea Beaton, and Troy MacGillivray joined us on April 5, 2009 for a cèilidh at The Palladium.

Troy MacGillivray is an accomplished pianist and fiddler. His fourth CD, "Live at the Music Room," was the 2008 Instrumental Recording of the year, and his CD "When Here Meets There," a collaboration with Canadian and U.S. National Fiddle Champion Shane Cook, won the 2009 ECMA Award for "Roots/Traditional Group Recording of the Year."

Troy MacGillivray's talent comes naturally. For generations, the MacGillivrays and MacDonalds have been keeping the Gaelic tradition alive in Lanark, Nova Scotia. His parents are talented musicians, his sister Kendra is a two-time East Coast Music Association award-winning fiddler, and his sister Sabra is a skilled dancer and percussionist. His grandfather, Hugh A. MacDonald, is a member of the Nova Scotia Country Hall of Fame.

Sandy's Thoughts -- What you may not read in the Press...

Troy MacGillivray is a tremendously skilled fiddle player. Watching him, listening to him, was truly a joy. But as good as he is on the fiddle, it was his performance on the piano was that moved me the most. A few times during the evening, there was a shift from the lively jigs and reels played on the fiddle to a piano solo. The music ranged from lush and romantic to raucous to whimsical. Troy's performance of "Neil Gow's Lament for the Death of His Second Wife" was rich and wonderful. Throughout the evening, the lively atmosphere of the cèilidh predominated, but when Troy played the Lament, everyone stilled a bit. I resented every small, stray sound in the room -- anything that tore me away from the pictures Troy's music was painting in my mind.

Beyond being a terrific musician, Troy is a terrific guy. From the small amount of time I spent with him, I observed that he is very modest, thoughtful and kind. He, his sister Sabra and her husband, and Andrea were very warm and gracious. It was a pleasure to work with them and a joy to listen to them. Andrea Beaton, Troy MacGillivray and Troy's sister, Sabra, created magic downstairs at the Palladium, and we not only witnessed it, we were welcomed into it. Buy their CDs -- you won't regret it -- but if you have the opportunity to see them perform, don't miss it. You will walk away smiling.