Name: Wednesdays
Start: 2024-09-18T19:30:00
Location: Stanley Bridge Hall

Stanley Bridge Hall: Let’s have a ceilidh!

What is a ceilidh (pronounced kay-lee)? Our Ceilidh is a celebration of music connecting traditional music from Prince Edward Island and Cape Breton Island! What can you expect? An evening of music complete with stories, fiddling, song, laughter and of course, the best step dancing on red soil you-ever-did-see!

Join the Chaisson’s every Wednesday starting June 28, 2023 at the historic Stanley Bridge Hall. The group is comprised of Kevin Chaisson, Louise Chaisson-MacKinnon and Sheila MacKenzie with a special guest fiddler Troy MacGillivray (July and August Ceilidhs) and proud Islander and hostess of the evening, Marsha Weeks. Every visitor and Islander alike must put “taking in a PEI Ceilidh” on their summer must-do list.

Kevin Chaisson, a piano player from Bear River, has deep roots in traditional music on Prince Edward Island. The Chaisson family have been widely acclaimed as being influential in keeping traditional fiddling alive on the Island and also run the Rollo Bay Fiddle Festival each year. Several Chaisson family members represent Prince Edward Island on the international music stage, most notably Kevin Chaisson’s son, Tim from the award-winning East Pointers and 6 hearts.

Singer, Louise Chaisson-MacKinnon has a soulful voice and a large repertoire of lively maritime songs to share from all our favourites like Anne Murray, Stan Rogers and The Rankins, to name a few.

Our amazing fiddlers for the season are Sheila MacKenzie and Troy MacGillivray! For all of July and August Ceilidh dates – Troy and Sheila will be our fiddlers. You won’t want to miss this!

Troy, hailing from Lanark, Nova Scotia, credits his musical talent to a unique blend of dedication and heritage – By the tender age of six, he was captivating audiences with his step-dancing.. At 13, Troy began teaching piano at the prestigious Gaelic College of Celtic Arts and Crafts in St. Anne’s, Cape Breton. His musical journey includes achieving Grade 7 in classical piano from the Toronto Conservatory of Music, four years in a string orchestra, and earning a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in music from St. Francis Xavier University.He has toured globally showcasing his musical talents, a master of the Cape Breton fiddle and piano.

Sheila MacKenzie is a prominent new-generation fiddler from Prince Edward Island. Her musical journey began early with step-dancing at the age of 5, followed by dedicated studies in both dancing and fiddling. She honed her skills at the Rollo Bay Fiddle Instruction Program throughout the late 1980s and until 1993. Afterward, she started performing for step-dancers and square sets at events like the Monticello Ceilidh, and became a regular at the Goose River and St. Peters Circle Club Dances.

In 1997, Sheila joined the band Fiddlers’ Sons, with whom she performed regularly for several years. Her dedication to traditional music led her to become the first female president of the PEI Fiddlers’ Society Executive Board in 2006. Since then, she has been actively performing across Prince Edward Island at ceilidhs and concerts, passionately passing on her knowledge of traditional music to the next generation.

Step Dancer Maestro, Taylor MacBeath – you’ll have to see it to believe it! Her steps are sharp, her signature moves are champion and her energy is infectious!

Proud Islander, Host, and just-for-fun fiddler, Marsha Weeks will welcome you all with a good dose of PEI hospitality and showcase the years of musical talent she welcomes to the stage.

The bespoke venue, Stanley Bridge Historic Women’s Insititute Hall is the icing on the cake honouring the history of Prince Edward Island with beautiful accoustics, an initmate setting and brings you back to a time when community halls were the centre of social events. Don’t forget a little cash for the Women’s Insitute famous 50/50 draw and their equally famous intermission ice-cream treats!

Buy Tickets here

PEI Ceilidhs

Stanley Bridge Hall Ceilidh – Wednesday Nights (July, August, September) – The Chaisson’s with Sheila MacKenzie & Troy MacGillivray

Stanley Bridge Hall Ceilidh – Wednesday Nights (July, August, September) – The Chaisson’s with Sheila MacKenzie & Troy MacGillivray

Stanley Bridge Hall: Let’s have a ceilidh!