Apr 14, 2016 | News
Clines bring a mix of Scottish and Cape Breton sound to TSIF stage
Alana and Leigh Cline are a Toronto-based Celtic fiddle and guitar instrumental duo who combine Irish, Cape Breton and Scottish styles to create their own distinctive sound. They also include occasional Balkan tunes in their sets.??
This father and daughter duo perform at corporate events, festivals, weddings, pubs, folk clubs and private parties. Some highlights have included the City of Toronto's Canada Day Celebrations at Mel Lastman Square as well as at Yonge-Dundas Square, the Taste of the Danforth, Tourism Ireland, Loblaws Maple Leaf Gardens, and the Granite Club. In addition, Alana is the weekly session leader at An Sib??n Pub in Toronto.
???Fiddler Alana Cline delighted our audience at Canada Day Celebrations at Mel Lastman Square. Her Celtic fiddling is exquisite, solo or accompanied by other musicians, I recommend her for any festival performance,??? says Natasha Emery, Supervisor, Cultural Events, City of Toronto.
Twenty-three year old Alana, called a ???creative and innovative artist??? by famed jazz musician/composer David Amram, started playing at the age of eight under the tutelage of Cape Breton fiddler Sandy MacIntyre. Alana was the first Canadian to be accepted to the auditioned Meitheal School of Irish Traditional Music in Limerick, Ireland with Paul O'Shaughnessy of Altan as one of her instructors. Alana has studied privately with All-Ireland Fiddle Champion Maeve Donnelly over a period of two years as well as studying fiddle at the Gaelic College of Celtic Arts in St. Ann's, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. She has a self-titled EP CD.
Leigh was part of the Toronto/Yorkville folk scene, travelling throughout North America as a folk music performer. For the Mariposa Folk Festival, he was Stage Manager, Technical Director and Artistic Director. Leigh was sound engineer for many performers including The Chieftains, Joni Mitchell, Judy Collins, John Allan Cameron, Fleetwood Mac, Aly Bain and the Boys of the Lough, Procol Harum, Bruce Cockburn, Rod Stewart, as well as touring with Ian & Sylvia & The Great Speckled Bird.
Leigh is the author, with fiddler Sandy MacIntyre, of the Mel Bay publication ???Cape Breton Traditional Style Fiddle Sets with Guitar Tablature.??? Leigh has three solo CDs ???Orient Express,??? ???Galatia??? and?? ???Al Asha Bi Daha???, all of which are available on iTunes.
