EdPearlman.net Past Highlights

2023 Highlights – Live & online concerts by Ed & Alistair McCulloch & Beth Murray; Ed & Neil play annual Scottish dance, Topsham ME; Ed & Neil play Madison WI annual ball (Covid-delayed since 2020!); and perform at Portland (ME) public library as part of the Portland Conservatory of Music Noonday concert series; Ed leads Boston Scottish Fiddle Club workshop; Ed & Neil play modern & baroque fiddles & music at 2d PCM Noonday.

2022 Highlights – Ed & Laura perform at Ukraine benefit concert; Ed led a workshop each for Boston Scottish Fiddle Club and the Strathspey & Reel Society of NH; Ed & Neil perform NoonDay Concert at Portland Conservatory of Music; Ed, Neil, Lillie, Laura perform at Blue in Portland; Ed teaches Maine Fiddle Camp online.

2021 Highlights – HST performs online concert, now on YouTube; Ed & Neil play live for Conservatory Island concert series; Ed & Neil play  for Brunswick fall dance, virtual;.

2020 Highlights – Ed & Neil Noonday concert for Conservatory; Ed & Beth RSCDS workshop/dance; Ed leads Fiddle Club; online BSFC workshop; online Canadian American Club benefit.

2019 Highlights – Ed & Neil at Blue; start of Portland Scottish/Cape Breton sessions; HS fall ceilidh; Remembrance Day Evergreen Cemetery…

2018 Highlights – HST performs at Hebridean Celtic Festival, Isle of Lewis, Scotland, and at Skye house concert for Seall Series; Ligonier PA Highland Games judge/teach/perform; Boston Scottish Fiddle Club workshop; Fiddle Hell in Westford MA; Highland Soles concert Maine; school programs; Bangor pipe band show; DEFFA; Highland Soles ceilidhs; Boston Ball Welcome Dance music by Boston Hospitality.

2017 Highlights – Highland Soles concert in Weston MA; Scottish tours; Ed & Neil at Blue, Portland; Scottish dances in Maine, Vermont, New York; Fiddle Hell Massachusetts;

2016 Highlights – Fiddle Hell November; Ed judged U.S. National Scottish Fiddle Championships; taught Maine Fddle Camp; music/hiking tours of Scottish highlands, Skye, Hebrides, Orkney, Shetland, Aberdeenshire; Downeast Folk Festival; Cancer Benefit; Highland Soles Trio’s Gulf Coast tour of Florida, Alabama, Louisiana; Dance Flurry; Boston Celtic Music Festival; show with Eric McDonald at Blue

2015 Highlights – Highland Soles Trio tour to Colorado and New Mexico; Ed teaches at Fiddle Hell; Canadian-American Club Gala, Watertown MA; Punkinfiddle Festival, Wells ME; Midwest tour by Highland Soles Trio to Minneapolis, Wisconsin and Chicago; Murray Clan dinner in Albany; house concert, Lexington MA; concert W.Brookfield MA, Boston Ball Welcome Dance, Boston Scottish Fiddle Club workshop; NE Florida Highland Games; teach/perform at Maine Pipes & Fiddle

2014 Highlights –  Highland Soles Trio tour to Colorado and New Mexico; performer/teacher at Fiddle Hell, Westford MA; played Niel Gow’s fiddle at Blair Castle in Scotland; Albany NY dance and house concert; played with Sandy Brechin, Gordon Gunn & Marc Clement, Patsy Reid, in Scotland.  Kennebunk dance; Boston Ball welcome dance; workshop in NYC; Laura Scott Dance Group in Colebrook NH and in Portland ME; Dance Flurry (Saratoga Sprints) Scottish dances & fiddle workshop; BCMFest Urban Ceilidh; Ed & Neil in concert in West Brookfield, Mass; Ed & Eric at Easy Day; Maine Fiddle Camp.

2013 Highlights – Fiddle Hell Concord MA; Crossroads Celtic Festival; Neil & Ed perform CD release concerts in Portland ME, Boston area, Concord NH, Albany NY, Connecticut, western Mass, Burlington VT; contra dance in Albany; radio interviews/performances on WGBH, WMPG, WMUA/WRSI; tour to Portland OR, Seattle, and southern California; Blackstone River Theater (RI); Gulf Coast tour: Florida (Jacksonville, Tallahassee, Pensacola), Mobile, New Orleans; Burns Concerts, Hamilton MA and Portland ME (sold out 2d year in a row!); Party of Three tour (Ed joins Neil & Joe) to Phillie, Bethlehem, Harrisburg, Glen Echo; Boston Scottish Fiddle Club workshop; DEFFA festival; 24th annual Laura Scott Dance Camp; Portland Celtic Celebration at One Longfellow Square; Maine Fiddle Camp; RSCDS dance Boston Hospitality; Neil/Lilly/Ed perform at Blue; BSFC workshop.

2012 Highlights – Ed & Neil tour (14 performances, 6 workshops & a fiddle competition) in New Mexico, Colorado, Florida, Alabama, New Orleans.  ME Fiddle Camp Benefit at Chocolate Church.  Workshops at USM Fiddle Fest.  Highland Soles perform at Boston Celtic Music Festival.  Burns Concert (sold out) in Portland ME; Lecture/demo before Natalie MacMaster’s Portland Ovations concert; Blue with Ed & Neil; contras with Party of Three in Albany & Woodstock; Highland Soles headlined the 25th annual Gala concert of Strathspey & Reel Society of New Hampshire; hiking/music trip to Scotland; Lake Erie tour to Toronto, Ann Arbor, Chicago, South Bend, Cleveland, Edinboro (judged US National Scottish Fiddle Championships); Maine Fiddle Camp; Pinewoods English-Scottish session; Laura’s dance camp; Maine Highland Games; concert with Benoit Bourque and Frank Ferrel; DEFFA festival; BSFC worskhops; shows at Blue;  Highland Soles with Neil Pearlman Band, poets Annie Finch & Betsy Sholl, and composer/singer Daniel Sonenberg.  Laura called, and Neil played, for a community dance on Swans Island.  

2011 highlights – Ed performs original music for Shakespeare’s Macbeth, sponsored by Freeport Shakespeare Festival, 12 shows Oct 20-Nov 6, with prerecorded piano by Neil; Highland Soles fall ceilidh was enjoyed by 80 people; Ed leads Boston Scottish Fiddle Club workshops.  Boston Hospitality dance in Topsham ME; Highland Soles concert at St Lawrence Arts Center; Laura Scott dance camp; Ed & Neil teach at Maine Fiddle Camp, Ligonier Highland Games.  Highland Soles at Hooker-Dunham Theatre, Brattleboro VT; Ed, Neil, Lilly at Blue; Ed & Laura pre-concert lecture for Portland Ovations comparing Cape Breton and French Canadian dance & music; Highland Soles at NEFFA; Garden Aid ceilidh/contra; Maine Fiddle Camp benefit at Chocolate Church; Boston Scottish Fiddle Club 30th anniversary party performance; Roaring Jelly 40th anniversary dance.  Ed & Neil play on NBC TV Portland for St Pats Day; Feile Restaurant; performance & workshops at DEFFA (Downeast Folk Festival); Fiddle Festival workshops at USM; 4th annual "A Fiddlers Touch" Highland Soles concert at Woodfords Church Portland; Highland Soles at Boston Celtic Music Fest, Laura & Ed in choreography performance at Nachmo New York; Boston Scottish Fiddle Club workshop; winter Highland Soles ceilidh.

2010 highlights – Performance/ceilidh in Thomaston; Highland Soles in concert in Chicago; Ed at Blue; Contra dance in New York City; BSFC workshops; Highland Soles at St Lawrence Arts Center; Neil, Ed, Laura at Edinburgh Folk Club (click to see photos); Maine Fiddle Camp; performance at Blue; benefit for Maine Fiddle Camp at Chocolate Church; Boston Scottish Fiddle Club workshops; Portland ceilidh (25-minute Strip the Willow!!); Maine Fiddle Camp benefit concerts Chocolate Church and Blue Goose; workshops/house concert in New Orleans; New Years’ Day dance in Northampton MA; Highland Soles at Portland Conservatory of Music; Fiddle Fest, Thornton Academy; workshops and performance at Downeast Folk Festival.

2009 highlights– New York City concert by Highland Soles; music & hiking tour to the Highlands of Scotland; Ed performed on Niel Gow’s fiddle at Blair Castle; Scottish dances Boston and Albany; workshops New York City and Boston; original music for Strindberg’s play Miss Julie composed & performed by Ed performed with Maeve Gilchrist; Ohio Scottish Arts School, Swannanoa Celtic Week, Rocky Mountain Fiddle Camp, Maine Fiddle Camp; music director for Pinewoods English-Scottish dance camp; tour with Neil & Maeve Gilchrist to Brattleboro VT, Saugerties NY; Bemus Point NY; Nighttown Cleveland; fiddle judge, Ohio Scottish Games; Highland Soles concert at Skye Theater (see YouTube for our Tribute to Jerry Holland); 7th annual Highland Soles show at Saco River Grange; Downeast Folk Festival, Portland & Rockport contras, Imperial Hot Club, Maine Fiddle Camp benefit concert, Belfast Scottish dance, Highland Soles at Elysium Folk Arts Club in NH; NE Florida Scottish Games; shows in Las Vegas & Santa Barbara performances; Portland contra dance launched at Empire Dine & Dance; Robert Burns’s 250th concert at Portland Conservatory of Music (Highland Soles with Burke/Surette and M.Gilchrist); Rockland public library; Boston Hospitality (Ed & Beth Murray) at New Year’s dance in Nashua NH; Belfast contra; Boston Scottish Fiddle Club.


2008 highlights--Highland Soles at Gala concert of Strathspey & Reel Society of NH; Ed with David Surette at Univ of New England and Concord NH “Bach’s Lunch” series; Lilly & Ed play Blue, in Portland; Ed & Neil visit & play in Cape Breton at Festival of Cape Breton Fiddling, and concert with Carl MacKenzie & Pat Chafe; Neil plays with Natalie MacMaster & Kimberley Fraser; Ed & Neil at Cleveland's night club Nighttown; Maine Fiddle Camp; Ed's Meet the Instruments camp for kids; Ohio Scottish Arts School; Ed & Neil perform at benefit for Skye Theater; Highland Soles 6th annual show at Saco River Grange; CD release concerts (Neil & Ed) at Iron Horse (Northampton MA), Hooker-Dunham Theater (Brattleboro VT) with Jerry Holland, and in Portland; Boston Highland Ball (Boston Hospitality), Chocolate Church and Lewiston concerts for ME Fiddle Camp; Highland Soles at Downeast Folk Festival in performance; Ed & Neil contra dance in Lewiston; gigs at Blue, Dogfish, Conservatory solo concert at Woodfords Church, Two Echo in Brunswick; Highland Soles Burns dinner, Hampstead NH, Burns celebration at North Star in Portland, school programs.


2007 highlights: Highland Soles performs in Concert for Jerry Holland at BU, Boston; Boston Hospitality CD release party; Contra dance benefit for Portland Ballet; Ed teaches Ohio Scottish Arts School with Carl MacKenzie and Mike Vass; Ed & Neil perform at Iron Horse "basement"; Highland Soles at Clan MacGillivray annual banquet; Maine Fiddle Camp; Highland Soles featured at Maine Highland Games; Portland Stage show of Laura Scott's Highland/modern choreographies; Highland Soles 5th annual at Saco River Grange; Highland Soles school program near Worcester MA; performance and dance workshop at Downeast Folk Festival; Neil plays with Frank Ferrel at Blue; Burns dinner in NH, Kaler school program South Portland, Gorham library program; Ed does judging/workshop/performance at NE Florida Scottish Games.


2006 highlights: Sold-out show at Dover-Foxcroft's new Center Theatre; pre-curtain lecture/demo Leahy concert at Merrill Auditorium, Portland; Punkinfiddle festival; Ed & Neil play at Blue; Noonday concert with Scottish, jazz and international music; Ed played Scottish dance at Concord Scout; Bates contra dance; Ed judged 31st US National Scottish Fiddle Championships; Ed taught Ohio Scottish Arts School with Carl MacKenzie of Cape Breton and Anna-Wendy Stevenson; sold-out Highland Soles concert at Saco River Grange; St Pats concert by Highland Soles at St Lawrence Arts Center, followed by sold-out family show; Burns celebrations with local poets in Portland; Burns dinner performance in New Hampshire; pre-curtain lecture for Natalie MacMaster's sold-out show at Merrill Auditorium, Portland.


2005 highlights: Highland Soles shows at UMaine Farmington, St Lawrence Arts Center, Saco River Grange, Center for Cultural Exchange, Johnny D's (Boston), Cape Breton house parties; Ed taught & performed in Scotland at the Blazin Fiddles camp near Inverness; Noonday concert downtown Portland including Scottish, jazz, klezmer & Danish music; Laura performed with Angel Band at Saco River Grange; seasonal Highland Soles ceilidhs; Highland Soles performance/demo at Portland Public Libary; Boston Scottish Fiddle Club workshops & performances by Ed; performance at Portland City Hall chanukah party; Ed & Neil in Latin band for summer.