Madeleine Festival continues with Kate MacLeod

Intermountain Catholic

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Kate MacLeod (center) and her guest musicians Mark Hazel (left), vocal harmony; Diane Rubio, cello; Steve Keen accordion; and Dylan Schorer, acoustic guitar, play ?Songs for a Cathedral,? one of which MacLeod wrote for the Cathedral of the Madeleine. Their performance received a standing ovation. Although she may be best known for her unique fiddling style, her music catches the ears of traditional singers, bluegrass musicians, Celtic musicians, and songwriters of many styles. IC photo by Christine Young

SALT LAKE CITY — The audience showed they thoroughly enjoyed Kate MacLeod and her guest musicians with a standing ovation as the second performance of the Madeleine Festival of the Arts and Humanities came to a close April 26. MacLeod and Mark Hazel performed an encore.

"I enjoyed the program very much and thought it conveyed a sense of what I might call musical serenity that Kate MacLeod’s music embodies," said Drew Browning, Madeleine Festival program director. "In addition to her superb musicianship and vocal ability, it was nice that her vocal harmonist and playing musicians were so in tune with her style of music as well."

"We are celebrating the centennial of the Cathedral, but I am also celebrating my 30th year of living in Salt Lake City," said MacLeod. "When I first moved here, I lived a couple of blocks away and I used to come in here and spend some quiet time. I was raised Catholic on the east coast and we had a Cathedral near us. Every once in a while we would go down to Washington, D. C., to the National Cathedral.

"Cathedrals have always been a part of my life," said MacLeod. "So I wrote a song about cathedrals in general, but specifically for this one. I wanted to write about what happens when people create such a beautiful space, why they do it, so I put these ideas into the lyrics. Playing my violin in here is so special. I wrote it in the first person as if I was a building."

MacLeod’s special guest was Diane Rubio, a cello player from Honolulu, Hawaii, who also plays the ukulele, flute, Chinese violin, sings, and does a lot of improvisation. She is in a group with her boyfriend called Falling Down Romance. Rubio met MacLeod last year at a Scottish Festival in Hawaii, and MacLeod invited her to come to the Madeleine Festival.

Rubio grew up Catholic playing in a church band and choir in St. Joseph Catholic Church in Hilo. She was amazed to have the opportunity to play on the altar.

"I always liked music, and fell in love with the sound of the cello," said Rubio. "To me music is about human feelings, love, and expressing emotions."

Hazel plays guitar and sings. His bass voice has an unusual range. On most songs he offers harmonies that compliment MacLeod’s lead vocals, and he sings lead on a few songs. His guitar parts are usually rhythm behind MacLeod’s lead guitar, or sometimes they are single-note counter melodies. He is a scientist, but he has studied and performed music since he was a child in Ohio. Before picking up guitar, he accompanied choirs on piano, sang in choirs and an a capella madrigal ensemble, and played trombone in orchestras and brass ensembles.

"I accompany Kate when she performs under her name, and I was one of the Pancakes on the Kate MacLeod and the Pancakes recording that is played on KRCL Radio sometimes," said Hazel. "I also play with her in the Celtic band Shanahy. She also plays under Red Rock Rondo.

"I have played in the Cathedral before, but I was wishing sometimes that I could let go of my nervousness a little bit," said Hazel. "It was nice to look out and see the concentrating faces. We had a couple of expert guitarists, so it was different to not have my guitar in my hands. In a way it was nice, and in a way it was unfamiliar. My guitar is like a friend helping me out."

Steve Keen played accordion, and has previously played in the Cathedral in two different groups for two Madeleine Festival series. He played with the Tango Project and the The KlezBros, who play traditional Jewish music and Eastern European wedding dance music.

"I have played with Kate for many years," said Keen. "We have played Irish music and folk music, and now Kate plays with the KlezBros.

Dylan Schorer played acoustic guitar, and played for the first time in the Cathedral.

"The sound is amazing in here, and it was fun playing in a place where you feel the energy within, and it gives you something back that you can give back to the audience," said Schorer. "I usually play in coffee shops. I have been playing here and there with Kate for many years."

"Tonight was exciting," said MacLeod. "I always get excited to play in the Cathedral because the richness of the violin always sounds so beautiful.

"I came from a very musical family, although my parents were scientists," said MacLeod. "My father was a wonderful pianist and my mother an artist. Everyone in the family enjoys music.

"I kept asking my parents if I could play the violin for a couple of years before they actually got me started," said MacLeod. "But I credit my first grade teacher because she called my mom and said when are you going to get her started on the violin, that is all she talks about. I also sang in school choirs from elementary school through high school.

"I have been writing songs since I was a teenager, but I never performed professionally until after I raised my three children," said MacLeod. "Although I can put melodies to words or words to melodies, most of my songs come together at once.

"I first came to Utah in 1979, to go to the Peter Prier’s Violin Making School of America in Salt Lake City," said MacLeod. "Once I started having a family, I stayed home with my kids. Then instead of getting back into violin making, I started performing mostly because people were interested in my songs. People were recording my songs before I did.

"I started out performing under my own name before performing with a number of groups," said MacLeod. "I play mostly violin with many different groups and with many different performing artists.

MacLeod also plays the guitar, harmonica, and made her debut at the Madeleine Festival playing Rubio’s ukulele.

"I think that creating something is really important," said MacLeod. I always say it is the opposite of destruction. The more you create beautiful things and the more we get young people to get into creative work, the more it creates positive energy and positive action, and it is positive sharing with people."

Since her first recording’s release in 1995, MacLeod has performed regularly from stages in formal concert halls to those at outdoor festivals. MacLeod has released five studio recordings, three on Waterbug Records, and two on Wind River/Folk Era. Her most recent recording, "Breakfast" with her backing band, the Pancakes, was released in 2005 and has received extensive airplay on Americana and Folk music stations.

Some of MacLeod’s latest performances have been at outdoor festivals such as the Founder’s Title Folk and Bluegrass Festival.

"I tour performing throughout the United States and into Europe," said MacLeod. "I travel more every year, and I am gone from home for about 40 percent of my time. The rest of the time I am performing here in Utah. Upcoming performances include the Utah Arts Festival in June, and I will perform violin with the KlezBros at the Living Traditions Festival on May 17. My schedule is quite different from year to year.

In addition to her national performances, MacLeod will be lead singer in the PBS television production, Red Rock Rondo, to be aired in May of 2009 as part of the 100th-year anniversary celebration of Zion National Park.