The Brigadoons and The MacLeod Fiddlers are both from the county of Glengarry, a hotbed of Scottish culture in Ontario, Canada. Joining them will be dancers from Buffalo’s Clann Na Cara School of Irish Dance.

Formed in 1971, The Brigadoons have promoted Glengarry’s Celtic music and have been the mainstay of numerous highland games and Scottish events in the U.S. and Canada for more than three decades. Their music ranges from quick tempo reels and jigs to traditional strathspeys and airs.

The group has had the pleasure of working alongside such international Scottish stars as The Alexander Brothers and at Celtic events with Natalie MacMaster, The Barra MacNeils, the Rankin Family, The Tanahill Weavers and The Battlefield Band, among many others. The group was inducted into the Glengarry Celtic Music Hall of Fame in 2006.

The Brigadoons consists of Denis Carr on vocals and percussion, Paddy Kelly on vocals and fiddle, Reg Portieous on vocals, guitar and Irish bouzouki, Ashley MacLeod on fiddle and Dan Leroux on vocals and bass.

The MacLeod Fiddlers is a Scottish youth group that serves as the performing arm of The MacLeod School of Fiddling, which focuses on the teaching, promotion and preservation of the Glengarry Scottish fiddle.

As well as performing in their local area, members of the group also have made three trips to Canada’s East Coast where they performed at the Festival of Cape Breton Fiddling. In the U.S., they have performed at the Loon Mountain Highland Games in Lincoln, NH, and the Scottish Festival in Dundee, NY. For nine consecutive years, they performed at the Greater Philadelphia Mid-Winter Scottish & Irish Festival, an international event held every February. In July of 2012, they completed a successful two-week performing tour of Scotland.

The group, which also contains several experienced highland dancers, has recorded two CDs, which include Ceilidh Time in 2005 and Glengarry Roots in 2010. They are under the direction of instructor Ian MacLeod.

Joining the Canadian groups will be members of Buffalo’s Clann Na Cara School of Irish Dance. Clann Na Cara was established as a Western New York Irish dance school in 2006 by four national and world champion medalists. Prior to receiving their dance teacher certificates, all four founders were regular performers at the Opera House during St. Patrick Day celebration events. In addition, each has led dancers in performances with such notable artists as The Chieftains, Cherish the Ladies and Natalie MacMaster. The students at Clann Na Cara range in age from 4 to 21 and include numerous national champions.

Tickets to this evening of Celtic music and dance are $17 ($15 Opera House members, $10 students) and may be purchased in person at the Opera House Box Office or by phone at 716-679-1891, Tuesday-Friday, 1-5 p.m. Tickets also may be purchased online at www.fredopera.org anytime.

The event is part of the Folk in Fredonia Music Series, which is sponsored by The Gilman Family. The performance also is sponsored by Fredonia Heating & Plumbing.

The 1891 Fredonia Opera House is a member-supported not-for-profit organization located in Village Hall in downtown Fredonia. A complete schedule of Opera House events is available at www.fredopera.org.