JULY 26, 2025 PROGRAM
CHRIS NORMAN Flutes
Powered by his love and mastery of the simple wooden flute, Chris Norman has gained an international profile over the past three decades via his critically praised work as a performer, composer, teacher, flute-maker and builder of a musical community.
Born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Chris developed an early passion for traditional Maritime, Celtic and French Canadian music. As a performer and composer, he is a champion and standard-bearer for these forms while simultaneously exploring their boundaries and fusing them with classical styles. The recipient of numerous grants and commissions, Chris has shared his creativity and ingenuity around the world in the form of compositions featured on National Public Radio, the CBC, the BBC, and concert halls from Canada to New Zealand. His composing and playing have also appeared in more than 40 commercially released CDs which range from solo efforts to recordings as part of a duo or ensemble. His recorded work has earned numerous awards, including Indie Awards for best
Celtic Album and best Seasonal Album, and a CBC Listeners Choice Awards. He has toured as a solo performer in recitals and with orchestras, as a duo with violinist David Greenberg and with his eponymous group The Chris Norman Ensemble. He has also been a prominent player in international touring ensembles such as Helicon, Skyedance, the Baltimore Consort and Scotland’s Concerto Caledonia. He is a maker not only of music with the flute, but of flutes themselves, creating bespoke instruments for players worldwide. In this pursuit he has received mentorship from prominent flute-makers Rod Cameron, Robert Bigio and Michael Grinter among others. He is well versed in traditional machining techniques as well as CNC and 3D modeling, and is a talented hand-engraver of his silverwork in a flare-cut style, having studied under master engravers Sam Alfano, Diane Scalese, and Rod Cameron. He is the driving force behind Boxwood Festivals, whose annual weeklong celebrations of traditional music have taken place in Canada, The USA, Australia and New Zealand, and on-line for the past 26 years. As founder and director of the festival, Chris unites and inspires musicians, teachers, academics, flute-makers and engages a multi-generational, multi-disciplinary community – an achievement that is the subject of a documentary film Scattering of the Stars released in 2017. In recognition of his significant, unique and wide-ranging achievements he was presented with the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for contributions to the arts in Canada in 2012, and awarded the degree of Doctor of Laws, honoris causa by Dalhousie University in 2015.
BRID HARPER Fiddle
Bríd Harper is regarded as one of the leading Irish traditional fiddle players of the last forty years. She grew up close to the east Donegal village of Castlefinn and started playing the fiddle at the age of nine. There is music on both sides of her family. Her grandfather Stephen Harper was a fiddler and came from a musical family. On her mother’s side her uncle Frank Kelly is a well known fiddler.
In the mid 1970’s Bríd began taking music lessons with Pat McCabe at her local branch of Comhaltas. She was also heavily encouraged by her parents who brought her to sessions and fleadhanna. There was a lot of Irish music in the house in the form of LPs and Cassettes. She won all the underage competitions at the annual All Ireland Fleadh Cheoil both in the Slow Air and Dance Music categories. In 1988 she won three prestigious titles - Senior All Ireland, Fiddler of Dooney and Oireachtas na Gaeilge.
She is an MA graduate of the Irish World Academy of Music & Dance at University of Limerick.
She has toured extensively and performed with many great musicians including Dermot Byrne, Steve Cooney, Arty McGlynn, Nollaig Casey, Maeve Donnelly, Harry Bradley, John Doyle, Sylvain Barou Nicolas Quemener and more. Bríd is highly respected and much sought after as a teacher. She has tutored at Summer Schools and workshops throughout Ireland, The UK, The USA, Canada, many parts of mainland Europe, New Zealand and Australia.
She has appeared on every major broadcast channel on the island of Ireland as well as BBC Alba Scotland. She has featured on local radio stations in France, USA, Canada, New Zealand and Australia. Her much anticipated solo recording “Bríd Harper” released in 2015 was described by Tradconnect.com as “solo fiddle of the most exquisite kind” and “ one of this year’s best traditional albums”.
Bríd is also a member of the SíFiddlers formed in 2018 which is made up of 13 female Donegal fiddlers. They released a recording in 2020 showcasing some of the most popular and better known Donegal repertoire. Bríd who resides near Dungannon Co Tyrone teaches fiddle on a oneon-one basis from her home and in recent times has begun composing tunes in her spare time. She is a visiting tutor and performer at The Irish World Academy in Limerick University.
COLIN COTTER Singer Songwriter
Colin Cotter is a multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, recording artist, and creative-at-large from the San Francisco Bay Area. He has played gigs from coast to coast in the USA, toured internationally in Canada, Ireland, and Spain, and teaches regularly at some of the top folk music camps in the country.
The main musical endeavors in Colin’s life at the moment include an edgy, electro-acoustic adventure with fiddler / violist Ryan McKasson that the two are calling Old Growth Graveyard; an intergenerational acoustic groove, energized trio called Joe Craven & Frisky! with Joe Craven and Sumaia Jackson; duos with fiddlers Sumaia Jackson and Adrianna Ciccone; sideman backing guitar work; solo performances; and the occasional one-off collaborations. He has released several albums with the bands he co-founded, MAC (Perfectly Manufactured Reality, 2018) and A Thousand Years at Sea (4 releases between 2009-2014) and has multiple new releases in the works with his current projects.
Colin grew up fully immersed in music. When he was four years old, his mom gave him a fiddle and began teaching him to play the tunes she had learned herself as a child, building on several generations of a family tradition in Finnish folk music. Immediately upon attending fiddle camp a few years later, he fell in love with the Scottish and Irish traditional tunes and songs that would come to play a lead role in his ongoing musical journey alongside Americana, rock, pop, funk, and a wide array of improvisational jam bands (for lack of a better term). When he needs to put a label on the music that this organic mélange of influences produces, he often goes with, “California Celtic.”
In addition to being a fine fiddler and singer, Colin is an accomplished self-taught guitarist, having taken to the instrument both for the practical purpose of accompanying himself singing and out of a deep affinity for sitting in the rhythmic belly of the beast when playing with fiddlers. Over the years, he has crafted a unique approach to expressing on the instrument that he couples with an effort to artfully indulge spontaneity and seek adventure as much as possible in the music he makes.
DAVID GREENBERG Baroque Violin
Cape Breton fiddle
For over three decades, David has enjoyed a double career as a Baroque violinist and Cape Breton fiddler. His fluency and experience in these two genres makes him uniquely qualified to interpret the wild music of 18th-century Scotland. David is a graduate of Indiana University’s Early Music Institute, where he studied with Stanley Ritchie. He has performed, taught, and recorded primarily in North America and Western Europe, as well as in Australia, New Zealand, and the Far East.
David has performed with Tafelmusik, Red Priest, Les Musiciens de Saint-Julien, Concerto Caledonia, Apollo’s Fire, Ensemble Caprice, La Nef, Toronto Consort, Seattle Baroque, Les Voix Humaines, Chris Norman, Suzie LeBlanc, Doug MacPhee, and Musica Pacifica. He has performed as guest soloist/director with several orchestras, including the Calgary Symphony Orchestra and Symphony Nova Scotia.
He has recorded over 80 CDs, including with most of these ensembles and collaborators, as well as three groundbreaking Scottish-Cape Breton-Baroque recordings with his own ensemble Puirt A Baroque in the 1990s.
David co-authored The DunGreen Collection (1996), an influential treatise on Cape Breton fiddling. He is also a composer and arranger. Many of his tunes have been recorded by Cape Breton musicians such as Buddy MacMaster, Carl MacKenzie, Jerry Holland, and The Rankins.
David enjoys sharing his passion and knowledge about Baroque and Cape Breton music in workshop settings, including his online courses and monthly in-person & streamed Hobbit House CB teaching sessions. His current solo touring program is called Multiple Voices for One (also the name of his new recording, released on Dec 2, 2022).
LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
King’s Theatre is honoured to be on the ancestral and unceded territory of L’nu, also known as the Mi’kmaq Peoples, who have lived and cared for this land since time immemorial. We honour the Peace and Friendship Treaties and acknowledge that we are all treaty people.
The Fog Machine may be in use tonight. It is a non-toxic water-based mist
Phones/Cameras:
We ask that you turn ringers off and refrain from taking photos or videos during shows.
For the comfort of our patrons, King’s Theatre strives to be Scent-Free environment.
Please refrain from wearing scented products to events.
Please return the Reusable Cups to concession! They are available for purchase if you would like to take one home.
COMING SOON 2025
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SATURDAY AUG 2nd 7:30 PM
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SUNDAY AUG 24th 3:00 PM
WEDNESDAY AUG 27th 7:30 PM
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FRIDAY, SEPT 12th 7:30 PM
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SATURDAY SEP 20th 7:30 PM
KING’STHEATRE
Built in 1921, King’s Theatre has been at the heart of Annapolis Royal’s cultural community for 100 years. It is a favoured venue for performers, known for its enthusiastic audiences, intimate setting, high quality production values, and warm reception from the community.
King’s Theatre also supports emerging talent. Fostering a close relationships with the schools and the amateur drama community, there are many opportunities for talent in all genres to learn the ropes.
King’s Theatre has also served as a movie house for 100 years, transitioning from reel-to-reel to digital projection and surround sound, with programming that ranges from Indie to Hollywood, to work by filmmakers who call Annapolis home.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Tracy Summerville, Chair
Margo Tait, Vice Chair
Kerrie Picken, Treasurer
Shannon Kelly, Secretary
Betsy Akin
Thea Boyanowsky
Caroline Hancock
Garth Laidlaw
Thomas May
AC Silver
Alison Warwick
Michael Westcott
STAFF
Janet Larkman, Executive Director
Tracey Harnish, Bookkeeper
Jessica Scott, Box Office & Operations Manager
Devin Fraser, Technical Director
Gregory Muszkie, House Manager
Jamie Alcorn, Sound Technican
Brynja Bachem-Jennings, Box Office and House Support
Maddie Frisby, Student Staff
Lucy Walsh, Student Staff
Moxy Manitowabi, Student Staff
Wegratefullyacknowledgethe supportofourgovernmentsponsors.
Nousreconnaissonsavecgratitude l’appuidenospartenaires gouvernementaux.
BENEFACTOR
Jan & Cam Albright
Ellie Macklin-Ackerman
Anonymous
Brian & Jane Power-Grimm
Bill & Nancy Smith
Andrew & Kim Wilson
AMBASSADOR
Peter & Valerie Hall
Dean & Pam Holt
Matt & Karine Moody
Brian & Judy Neville
Sanford & Associates
Barbara Smith
Still Fired Distilleries
Donald Sutherland
Valley Credit Union
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Bear River First Nation Health
Centre
Lavena Crocker
Ern Dick
Sheryl & Don Johnston
Paul Kellogg
Rick Ketcheson & Kathy Brooks
Paula Leslie
Elcie Littlefair
Tom & Huguette May
Sharon & Barry Moody
Julie Palmer
AC Silver
Tracy Summerville & Keith Egger
SUPPORTER
Betsy & David Akin
Carmenchita Antonio
Bobbie Archer
Richard Berens
David Britton
Grace & Freeman Butland
Sherry Caldwell
Jeannine Comeau
Jill & Greg Cox
Port Royal Animal Hospital
Penelope Curran
Naomi Davidson
Sheila Duggan & Everett Lavender
Marcia Field
Garry Freeman
Janet Graham-Smith
Karen Gregor
Flora Hall in Memoriam
Philip & Judy Hanshaw
Richard Haworth & Helen Harper
Alyn & Cathy-Lynn How
Bob & Dessie Howard
Kelli & Oliver Janson
Elisabeth & Paul Jennings
Patrick & Shannon Kelly
Fred Kuhnle
Garth Laidlaw
Eric Leblanc & Bruce Mckinnon
Ted Leighton
Judy & Ted Lind
Carol Lowe
John & Jean McKeown
Byron Mersereau & Amery Boyer
John Montgomerie
Martin Mundry
Nancy Murdock & Barry Thompson
Susie & Eric Norris
Elsebeth & Paul Olshefsky
Carol Parsons
Ellie Perkins
Susan & Steven Peters
Teresa Rooney
Debra Ryan
Marcia Sanford
Anona Siwik
Barbara & Barry Stagg
Carol & Wayne St-Amour
Brian Sturney
Michael & Laura Tamblyn
Honour Tett
James Thurber
Susan Tooke
Troy Wallace
Michael Westcott
Ian & Bev Weston
Stuart Wetmore
David Worden
FRIEND
Donna & Mark Allan
Deanna Amero
Kirk & Mary-Ann Anderson
Anonymous
Clyde & Janet Barteaux
Diane Bartosh
Beaton Family
Maureen Bobbitt
Jane Borecky
Carolyn Brown
Brenda Brownell
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Geoff Butler
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Martin Comeau
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Crewson Family
Olivia, Sam & Emmett Day
Dawn Dennis
Nick Dunning
Jennifer Eaton
Rita Ernestsons
Lesley Finch
Kerry Foster
Margie Friedman
Kim Grimard
Flora Hall In Memoriam
Michele Hall
Jane Hatcher
Suzan Hebditch
Tina Hiltz
Michael Holloway
Martha & Peter Hooper
Scott Hubley
Denise Hurley
Christine Igot
Krista Kennedy
Sharon Kennedy
Tamara Kreutz
Gene & Susan Lane
Susan Langpap
Janet Larkman & Karen Dwyer
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Carol Lockyer in Memoriam
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Terence Lucas
Jodi MacAulay
Quinn MacDonald
Judy & Ken Maher
Nancy & Ron Marshall
Mary McEachern
Brett Mcphillips
Diane Mestekemper
Arnold Morgan
M Murphy
Lucy Muszkie
Marsha Nettle
Anna Newman
Sharon Nicolle
Mary-Lou O’Neil
Kerrie Picken
Robin Pile
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Michael Ponsor
Tom & Peggy Reinfuss
Elsa Riley
Stephen Robertson
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Sandra Sackett
Donna Shea
Kate Silver
Rob & Lindy Spencer
Mary & Tim Steeves
Lillian Stewart
Lorraine Thibault
Susan Tileston
Alison Warwick
Kate Wasteneys
Jennifer Weidhaas
