When take the stage at First Church of Christ Scientist this Saturday (March 10), it wonB次元官网网址檛 be the first time theyB次元官网网址檝e entertained a Victoria audience, but it is the first time their Ports of Call has landed on local shores.

Fittingly named for a journey over water, the new album from the string duo will make a few Island stops before dropping anchor in Victoria.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 beautiful and itB次元官网网址檚 also seen changes over the years,B次元官网网址� Fraser says of the capital city. B次元官网网址淎s a Scot, thereB次元官网网址檚 an affinity with Canada because of a lot of cultural familiarities, which I think is great.B次元官网网址�

And if Canada has given Fraser a familiar feel, itB次元官网网址檚 because the fiddle transcends geographical borders: B次元官网网址淭here isnB次元官网网址檛 a culture on this planet that doesnB次元官网网址檛 celebrate its voice by means of a fiddle or something like it,B次元官网网址� he says.

The bowed string instrument has been B次元官网网址渁n amazing vehicle to explore life throughB次元官网网址� Fraser says, having used music to experiment and pose important questions about identity and what it means to play traditional music.

B次元官网网址淎s a Scot, I questioned what it means to play Scottish music,B次元官网网址� he explains. B次元官网网址淲hat does it mean for any culture to play their traditional music?B次元官网网址�

Though he now calls the Sierra Nevada mountains home, Fraser has travelled, worked and played stages the world over. In Australia, California, Scotland and Spain the B次元官网网址淢ichael Jordan of Scottish fiddling,B次元官网网址� as heB次元官网网址檚 been called, founded fiddle camps and schools for young string players.

It was in one of those camps where an 11-year-old Natalie Haas showed B次元官网网址渁 heat and an enthusiasmB次元官网网址� that was in sympatico with his own playing style. B次元官网网址淪he was hungry and joyously capable and inquiring,B次元官网网址� he remembers.

Fraser now refers to Haas as the go-to person for avant-garde cello. B次元官网网址淪heB次元官网网址檚 making amazing statements, sheB次元官网网址檚 incredibly versatile and has these roots in the tradition but can also use that instrument in ways that people are amazed at.B次元官网网址�

Two decades later, their whirlwind life on the road touches back down in Victoria, where they remain dedicated to keeping the tradition alive in a new generation. , a string ensemble of some of B.C.B次元官网网址檚 top musicians aged 15 to 21 will open the show, under the direction of internationally acclaimed fiddler Ivonne Hernandez, a Berklee College of Music alum.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 been really great to work with them,B次元官网网址� Hernandez says of the duo. B次元官网网址淭heyB次元官网网址檙e super amazing people and really supportive of youth fiddle players and cello players.B次元官网网址�

Here at home, Hernandez says itB次元官网网址檚 been rewarding to see the resurgence in a different style of music that isnB次元官网网址檛 always in the media or often played on the radio.

B次元官网网址淏ecause itB次元官网网址檚 an oral tradition, you want to keep passing it along,B次元官网网址� she says, noting that with so much access to the Internet and YouTube, the level of playing has become very high for young musicians.

Putting a modern spin on traditional tunes is the commonality Coastline maintains with Alasdair and Natalie, with whom theyB次元官网网址檝e been known to join onstage to collaborate on a song or two.

B次元官网网址淭raditional music has to evolve,B次元官网网址� Fraser explains. B次元官网网址淭he day it becomes a curated, static thing, then youB次元官网网址檝e lost something.B次元官网网址�

What the show will capture, however, is a high-energy performance that cuts to the rhythmic heart of Scottish dance music, where its roots lie.

B次元官网网址淢usic just touches everything,B次元官网网址� Fraser says. B次元官网网址淚t gets into healing and motivation and emotional communication. Gathering people, changing a room, celebrating life. ItB次元官网网址檚 pretty amazing stuff.B次元官网网址�

The Victoria Fiddle Society presents Alasdair Fraser and Natalie Haas with special guests, Coastline, at First Church of Christ Scientist, Saturday, March 10 at 7:30 p.m. For more information or call 250-415-3898; tickets will be available at the door.

kristyn.anthony@vicnews.com