Brandi McCarthy

Cape Breton

Brandi McCarthy, a fiddler and step dancer from Port Hawkesbury, Cape Breton, has been involved with the Celtic Colours International Festival for a number of years as both a performer and volunteer. Brandi began step dancing at the age of 6 and fiddling at age 9. Growing up, she took fiddle lessons from John Donald Cameron, Dawn Beaton, Melissa Emmons, Andrea Beaton and Eddy Rodgers; and received step dancing instruction from Sally Clark of Antigonish. Brandi has further developed her style and repertoire by attending workshops, ceilidhs, and square dances around Cape Breton and has since gained experience performing and teaching both locally and abroad.

In addition to teaching private lessons, Brandi has provided instruction at the Gaelic College (Cape Breton), Ceòlas Summer Music School (Scotland), and the University of Limerick (Ireland), and as a member of the Cape Breton Fiddlers' Association she has performed in Ontario, British Columbia, England and Scotland. Brandi has also worked at the Celtic Music Interpretive Centre in Judique, delivering information and demonstrations about Celtic music, dance and culture to visitors.

Brandi has completed a Bachelor of Science from St. Francis Xavier University, and a Bachelor of Education from St. Thomas University in Fredericton, NB. In between her studies, Brandi spent a year living in Ireland on a Working Holiday where she busked on the Cliffs of Moher and attended traditional music festivals, workshops and sessions around the country. She also studied Irish Dancing in Galway, Limerick and Dublin, where her tutors have included former Riverdance members such as Breandán de Gallaí, Colin Dunne, Ronan McCormack, Claire McCole, and Mark McCole. Brandi continues to pursue her interest in Irish Dancing, recently attending the Stanford School of Irish Dance while living in Fredericton.