Gillian Boucher

For more than two decades, Gillian has been gracing stages with her unique approach to traditional music, weaving together Cape Breton, Scottish and Irish fiddle styles. Driven and accomplished, she has toured the world and has received awards and nomination for her work. An avid adventurer, over the years she has called Scotland, Ireland, Turkey and, more recently, New Zealand “home,” collecting tunes, stories, friends and recipes along the way. These experiences are evident in both her music and stage persona.

Gillian was born into a family steeped in Scottish tradition on the musical West Coast of Cape Breton Island in Eastern Canada. She started her musical life as a classical pianist and dancer at the age of 5, picked up the fiddle at age 10 and “could just play.” From early on, Gillian has respected her traditional Cape Breton musical background, but has also incorporated beloved Irish and more contemporary styles of fiddle playing, developing her own individual style. This was reflected in her debut album, Elemental, recorded and released by CBC Radio Canada in 2009. With access to the best studio, engineers, producers and musicians in Eastern Canada, Elemental received high acclaim and put her individual stamp on the world of Celtic music. Four years later, demonstrating her diversity as a traditional artist, she released Attuned, a stripped-down acoustic duo album with guitarist and childhood friend, Seph Peters (Mary Jane Lamond Band).

A regular visitor to the magical South Pacific, in 2003 Gillian met Bob McNeill at the Auckland Folk Festival in New Zealand. They were an instantaneous musical match, however the 15,000 km distance between their homes presented logistical issues. Fast-forward 15 years later, family and fate see Gillian living back in New Zealand, a mere 45 minutes away from Bob. The rest, as they say, is history.

A mother, wife, beach-dweller and aspiring cook, Gillian lives in beautiful Waikanae Beach on the Kapiti Coast with her fiddle, daughter and patient husband.

“In the hands of Gillian Boucher, the violin becomes a vehicle of transportation for the mind… Her lyrical approach and sensitivity transcends genres and cultures, transporting listeners to far off exotic places accessible only in imagination.” – Glenn Meisner, CBC Radio CANADA

“Gillian commands the audience with her fiddle playing and charismatic style. She has taken the music she was steeped in and made it her own, developing an approach that is modern, full of spirit, and has more than a hint of punkiness!” – Fiona Heywood, The Living Tradition, IRELAND

“Gillian Boucher is a smooth, crisp fiddler who oozes expression with an up-beat fiddle style…” – Rambles Art Magazine, SCOTLAND

“Gillian Boucher enthralls, not only with the serene beauty of her music but with her stage persona and skills.” – The Daily News, NEW ZEALAND