What people are saying...

“ Chrissy Crowley doesn’t just set the stage on fire; she sets it ablaze. Crowley has it all as she demonstrated to a full house of  music lovers at Celtic Colours on Friday night. She has the talent, energy to burn, her own sound, she writes her own powerful tunes, she’s beautiful, funny, great with the audience and blows the roof off of every venue she plays. It wouldn’t be a leap to say that Ms. Crowley will be the next international superstar of the Cape Breton fiddle, following in the steps of “old-timers” Natalie MacMaster and Ashley MacIsaac.”  Rankin MacDonald, Inverness Oran, 2012                                                  

BIO
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As a Canadian fiddler with a firm foundation in the traditional music of Cape Breton and the irrepressible curiosity of an artist driven to create and discover, Chrissy Crowley is now bringing her music worldwide.

 “A seriously swinging Cape Breton Fiddler. Some things just seem predetermined, inevitable, unavoidable. And so it is with the chosen vocation of one Chrissy Crowley. Born into a large family steeped in the ways of Celtic music, this unfeasibly young fiddler has taken on the twin mantels of both protecting and promoting the sounds of her native Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia, the region where Celtic music prospers thanks to the Scottish, Irish and French-Acadian backgrounds of its residents. It’s when she picks up her fiddle that she undertakes the true ambassadorial role, the sound of Cape Breton history emerging with every thrust of her bow. While technically flawless, Chrissy’s playing also swings along with a sense of youthful mischief, while her natural curiosity will surely see her expanding the Cape Breton tradition in years to come. For now though, give your ears and heart over to a spellbindingly precocious talent.” Nige Tassell The Guardian (UK) 2012

She has performed throughout the world from Europe to Latin America, captivating audiences with a talent that belies her youth. Her music is in a new direction; a path of fearless innovation which has earned the fiddler a 2013 Canadian Folk Music Award, a Top 20 Under 20 in Canada award, and numerous East Coast Music Association and Music Nova Scotia nominations. Chrissy’s new release is titled “Last Night’s Fun.” To maintain a fresh and lively sound that often gets lost in a recording process, all track arrangements took place the night before each studio session. The result is an album recorded with the same energy and spontaneity you’d find in Chrissy’s live shows… an honest and raw sound once described as ”fiery fiddle playing with a distinctly mischievous personality” (Tim Readman, Penguin Eggs Magazine).” 

As a member of  Còig, one of Atlantic Canada's premiere traditional groups, Chrissy won the 2014 Canadian Folk Music Award for Traditional Album of the Year, the Music Nova Scotia Award for Traditional/Roots Recording of the Year, and most recently, the 2015 East Coast Music Award for Roots/Traditional Group Recording of the Year. Coig is an ensemble of East Coast musicians originally forming to promote the Celtic Colours International Festival. In one explosive coming together, what was once solo acts on stage has amalgamated into one electrifying super group, picked as Penguin Eggs magazine’s 2014 #1 New Discovery internationally. With the fiery Celtic style as its musical core, Còig easily shifts between century old tunes of past generations to original and contemporary compositions, featuring the band’s range of over a dozen instruments (vocals, fiddles, piano, guitar, banjo, mandolin, viola, bouzouki, whistles, and more). With driving tunes, haunting songs, and infectious energy, Còig is an unparalleled musical force.Their much anticipated debut album "Five" was released in June, 2014 to rave reviews. 

Now living in Sydney, Chrissy is originally from the beautiful Margaree area of Nova Scotia, Canada, a place known for its cherished musical culture. The music of the ceilidh resonates in the majestic mountains and peaceful valleys incorporating not only the tunes of the Scottish Gaels but also those of the area’s Irish and French-Acadians. Chrissy has been inspired by the traditions of artists who have gone before. She has embraced the music of her Celtic roots and made it her own.

(Written by Lisa Butchart, Offshore Gael Music)