From Vigo in the Galicia region of Spain, piper Carlos Núñez opened this year's Algoma Fall Festival performances last night at the Kiwanis Community Theatre Centre.
Joined on stage by Pancho Álvarez (guitar), his brother Xurxo Núñez (percussion), and Jon Pilatzke (fiddle), Núñez lead the 600 fans in attendance through a variety Celtic/Latin compositions and short narratives about his instruments and homeland.
While showcasing his ability on the gaita, a traditional Galician bagpipe, he also played the Irish uilleann pipes and an assortment of flutes and whistles.
Throughout his career, Núñez has collaborated with a number of musicians of note including Sinéad O'Connor and Ry Cooder, and was a guest performer on The Chieftains' 1996 Grammy Award-winning album Santiago.
The 42nd Algoma Fall Festival continues this month with appearances by Canadian comedian Ron James (October 9), Randy Bachman and CBC's Vinyl Tap (October 14), celebrity chef Michael Smith (October 24 and 25), and the Beaton Family of Mabou (October 25).
Tonight in downtown Sault Ste. Marie, the Fall Festival is proud to host Northern Ontario's very first Nuit Blanche, an outdoor self-guided tour of visual art projects and installations.
Nuit Blanche is free to attend and participants may begin their tour at 7 p.m. on the waterfront at Clergue Park where tour route maps will be available.
For more information about these and other Algoma Fall Festival events, please click here.
To learn more about Carlos Núñez, visit him here.