One of Tryon’s newest residents, Celtic violinist Jaimie Laval performed traditional music of Scotland and Ireland for a packed house at the Historic Stone Cottage on Chestnut Street in Tryon on Saturday, June 28.

The award-winning fiddle player wowed his audience with toe-tapping melodies, accompanied by expert foot percussion, humorous anecdotes, and a unique way of playing the fiddle that sometimes made you swear you were listening to bagpipes in the Scottish Highlands.

In fact, the close quarters of the evening concert was reminiscent of the olden time homespun Irish set that had been popular in the British Isles for centuries when big concert halls and theatres were not to be found.

Growing up in Washington State, Laval received his musical training at the Victoria Conservatory of Music. He worked professionally as a symphony violinist, composer, arranger, and educator for 25 years before his passion for performing traditional music of Scotland, Ireland, Brittany, and Quebec came to fruition. He now plays Celtic music exclusively, and his apparent love for this ancient art form, combined with his contemporary expertise, has garnered him numerous fans as well as several prestigious music awards.

In addition to the 2002 U.S. National Scottish Fiddle Championship, Laval›s newest album, Murmurs and Drones, won the popular vote for “Best World Traditional Album” in the 2012 Independent Music Awards. The consummate violinist has also appeared on the NBC Today Show and gave a private performance for Her Majesty the Queen.

If you missed last Saturday’s concert, Laval will be performing his Christmas in Scotland show at the Tryon Fine Arts Center on Monday, December 29. That performance will include several acclaimed Celtic artists, including: two Scottish dancers from Atlanta from the Glencoe School of Highland Dance in Atlanta; U.S. national Scottish Harp Champion Kelly Brzozowski; and the renowned bagpipe player Bill Caudill, who founded the bagpipe department at Saint Andrews University, Laurinburg in Scotland County, N.C.

For more information about Jamie Laval, visit his web site www.JamieLaval.com. For tickets for his Christmas in Scotland show, visit www.tryonarts.org.