Guest speakers Ed Pearlman and Laura Scott have worked professionally as performers, organizers, and journalists with most of the “All-Stars”—some of the top Scottish, Irish, and Canadian performers working today. In this lively pre-performance talk, we will learn more about the artists on the evening’s program, exploring their history and virtuosity with fiddle, bagpipes, banjo, Gaelic song, and traditional dance styles.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11
5:30 – 6:30 PM at Merrill Auditorium Rehearsal Hall
20 Myrtle Street, Portland
Free, no rsvp needed
ACCESSIBILITY
ASL available upon request.
ABOUT ED PEARLMAN
Ed Pearlman has performed, taught, and promoted fiddle music, particularly that of Scotland and Cape Breton for over 45 years. He has performed throughout the US, in Canada and Scotland, and has worked with many of the top musicians from Scotland and Cape Breton, both as a performer and as an advocate for greater appreciation of the music, through in-
Ed has toured as a duo with his son Neil Pearlman, an accomplished professional pianist who seamlessly melds Scottish traditional tunes with Latin, funk, and jazz. Ed’s wife, Laura Scott, is a Highland dancer and former SOBHD judge who focuses on the artistic rather than the competitive, embracing traditional Highland dances along with Cape Breton step, Highland folk, improvisation and new choreographies. Their family band, Highland Soles, used to tour and perform regularly, in the US and internationally, with Neil on piano and stepdance; Lillie on fiddle, piano and dance; and Jesse on whistle and dance.
ABOUT LAURA SCOTT
Laura Scott has been performing and teaching Highland Dance since the 1960s, and has pushed the envelope of her dancing by incorporating Cape Breton stepdance, Highland hardshoe, and improvisation into her choreographies. In addition to working with Ed Pearlman and Highland Soles, Laura has danced for performances by Alasdair Fraser, Natalie MacMaster, Jerry Holland, Tony Cuffe, Aly Bain, Battlefield Band, Joe Cormier, and many others. She is a life member of BATD and served on the SOBHD Judges Panel for 30 years. She has taught many students, including at camps such as Pinewoods, Gaelic Roots, and her own summer camp.
