Jackie Dunn-MacIsaac

Since stepping on stage over 40 years ago, Jackie Dunn MacIsaac, who grew up in Lower South River, Antigonish County, has performed and instructed workshops and summer schools across North America and Scotland as a fiddler, pianist, and step dancer. She has appeared on numerous radio and television productions, commercial videos, a documentary film and a movie soundtrack and released her debut CD ‘Dunn to a T’ in 1995. Since 1995, Jackie has recorded with Buddy MacMaster, Kinnon Beaton, Glenn Graham, Brenda Stubbert, Andrea Beaton and Wendy MacIsaac, co-produced a CD of her grand uncle Dan Hughie MacEachern and is featured on a Smithsonian Folkway’s recording as well as many other compilation CD's of Cape Breton music. Jackie holds a Bachelor of Education degree as well as a B.A. in Music with first class honors from St. F.X. University. Jackie completed her undergraduate thesis on the strong connection between the Cape Breton fiddling style and the Scottish Gaelic language. As well as performing year round in her spare time, Jackie teaches elementary music at Antigonish Education Centre. Jackie's musical ability comes to her honestly. Her mother is a very well known step dancer and was one of the main step dancing teachers in Nova Scotia decades ago. Jackie's grandfather, and two grand uncles were well known fiddlers and she is related to countless Cape Breton musicians on both her mother's and father's side of her family tree.