Elizabeth and Ben Anderson Release CD, Announce Local Concert

Just in time for St. Patrick’s Day, the Westborough Public Library, 55 West Main St., is hosting a free program, “Fiddle Music of the Celtic World.” Fiddle and cello duo Elizabeth and Ben Anderson www.ElizabethandBenAnderson.com will present a free concert of music from some of the seven Celtic “nations”: Ireland, Scotland, Cornwall, Isle of Man, Brittany, Wales, and Galicia (in Spain), as well as Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. Enjoy joyful jigs, stately strathspeys and rollicking reels and learn a bit about their history, without having to travel the world! This program is supported in part by a grant from the Westborough Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.

Elizabeth and Ben Anderson fell in love with Celtic fiddle music at a young age. “I went to Pinewoods traditional music and dance camp when I was 12, and as soon as I heard Scottish music, I knew that’s what I wanted to play. Ben was only 8 and wanted to do what I did,” said Elizabeth. They have been playing their own arrangements of traditional and contemporary tunes together for the 13 years since. The past three years have seen a huge rise in the duo’s popularity, leading to the January release of their first CD, “Over the Isles,” which has already sold over 150 copies. “We’ve never had sibling rivalry. She’s always been in charge,” said Ben, the younger of the siblings.

Blending Celtic tunes with lively rhythms and innovative harmonies, the pair create a sound rooted in tradition, inspired by the contemporary, and completely original. They have sold out famous local venues like Club Passim in Cambridge and The Burren in Somerville, play regularly at Old Sturbridge Village and the Boston Celtic Music Festival, and have performed throughout the eastern US and as far away as Scotland and France. They were recently featured on the Thistle and Shamrock, an NPR radio show broadcast nationally. A graduate of Berklee College of Music, Elizabeth won the 2016 All-Scotland Fiddle Competition in Perth, Scotland, and the 2018 New England Regional Scottish Fiddle Competition, enabling her to compete in the US Nationals this September. To order “Over the Isles,” visit www.ElizabethAndBenAnderson.com.