neil & ed
pearlman

Father and son duo Ed and Neil Pearlman, each powerhouses in their own right in the traditional music scene, come together for a concert that’s sure to delight your ears and heart and get your toes tapping.

Ed Pearlman has performed, taught, and promoted fiddle music, particularly that of Scotland and Cape Breton for over 45 years. He has performed throughout the US, in Canada and Scotland, and has worked with many of the top fiddlers from Scotland and Cape Breton, both as a performer and as a promoter of greater appreciation for the music through in-person and online events, distribution of recordings, and published articles. Ed has toured as a duo with his son Neil Pearlman, an accomplished professional pianist who seamlessly melds Scottish traditional tunes with Latin, funk, and jazz. Ed’s wife, Laura Scott, is a Highland dancer and former SOBHD judge who focuses on the artistic rather than the competitive, embracing traditional Highland dances along with Cape Breton step, Highland folk, improvisation and new choreographies. Their family band, Highland Soles, used to tour and perform regularly, in the US and internationally, with Neil on piano and stepdance; Lillie on fiddle, piano and dance; and Jesse on whistle and dance.

Ed’s playing blends a feel for Scottish and Cape Breton listening and dance music. Before moving to Maine in the 1990s, Ed played a central role in developing the Scottish music scene in Boston. He directed the Boston Scottish Fiddle Club from 1981-1999, leading leading monthly workshops, group tours and many performances, including an annual concert series called the Scottish Fiddle Rally with soloists from Scotland and Cape Breton (highlights CD available from Paddledoo Music). He founded and directed the annuall Celtic Festival at Boston’s Hatch Shell, presenting the best in the Boston area’s Irish, Scottish and Cape Breton musicians and dancers to an audience of up to 8,000 plus a live radio audience. Fiddle Club soloists and workshop leaders included Alasdair Fraser, Buddy MacMaster, Aly Bain, Natalie MacMaster, Jerry Holland, John McCusker, Joe Cormier and many more.

Multi-instrumentalist, producer, step dancer and host of the TradCafe podcast, Neil Pearlman is a vital and distinctive voice in contemporary folk music. Described as “a tremendous pianist” on BBC Radio Scotland and “a force to be reckoned with” by WGBH’s Brian O’Donovan, Neil is best known for his groundbreaking approach to the piano in Celtic music. Motivated by a deep musical curiosity and a love of collaboration, his playing is continually evolving and spontaneous without losing its roots in the traditional piano styles of Atlantic Canada, New England and Scotland. He has appeared internationally at major festivals such as the Newport Folk Festival, Celtic Connections in Glasgow, Celtic Colours in Cape Breton and the Orkney Folk Festival and has recorded or performed with luminaries of traditional folk music including Natalie MacMaster, Darol Anger, Seamus Egan and Alasdair Fraser.

Neil’s deep love of the Gaelic music traditions has seen him welcomed into spaces that few other Americans have been. He was selected for the 2025 Shannon Residency at Beinn Mhabu in Cape Breton and has performed and guest lectured at the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance at University of Limerick, Ireland and the National Centre of Excellence in Traditional Music in Plockton, Scotland. His first solo piano album Refractions features frequently on BBC Radio nan Gàidheal and BBC Radio Scotland and his 2020 release with Shetland fiddler Kevin Henderson received 5 stars from Scotland’s national newspaper The Scotsman.

In addition to touring regularly with Kevin Henderson, the Pine Tree Flyers, and as a solo pianist, Neil teaches at festivals throughout North America and Europe and has guest lectured at Berklee College of Music, Northeastern University and the aforementioned University of Limerick. He co-directs an annual St. Patrick’s Day concert with Katie McNally at Groton Hill Music Center and releases podcasts and video collaborations with musicians from around the world through his production company TradCafe.

RUN TIME: 45 minutes, no intermission