CONTRIBUTED

The Rooster's Wife opens the third season of house concerts with an evening of acoustic music in downtown Aberdeen, on Sunday, Oct. 26. House concerts offer a unique musical experience with the performers up close and personally involved with the listening audience.

The season opens with Jamie Laval, one of North America's finest practitioners of traditional Scottish music. He will be joined by Nashville guitarist Owen Morrison. The concert begins at 7 p.m. Tickets, and more information are available at www.theroosterswife.org, or at the local box office, 114 Knight St., in Aberdeen between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. daily. Call (910) 944-7502 for more information.

One of the premier Celtic violinists on the international music scene today, Jamie Laval creates rapt audiences with his intensely passionate performances of traditional music of Scotland, Ireland, Brittany and Quebec, rendered with hints of classical refinement and ethnic music from around the world.

Winner of the 2002 U.S. National Scottish Fiddle Championship, Laval was recently heralded in Scotland as "A new star for the Old World" (FiddleOn Magazine).

Major performances include the Wintergrass Festival, Tacoma, Wash.; the Bijou Theatre, Knoxville, Tenn.; the Freight & Salvage, Berkeley, Calif.; Swallow Hill Productions, Denver, Col.; Club Passim, Boston, Mass.; the Scots Fiddle Festival, Edinburgh, Scotland; the NBC "Today Show," and a private appearance for Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II.

In the recording arena, Laval is widely respected for his solos on the movie soundtracks, "Wild America," "Finding Home," Emmy-nominated theme for the TV drama, "Everwood," and for his participation in Dave Matthews' CD, "Some Devil."

Laval's two CD recordings include the duo album, "Zephyr In The Confetti Factory," with mandolinist Ashley Broder, which won "Best World Traditional Song" in the Vox Populi category of the 2007 Independent Music Awards.

Three years earlier, Laval recorded his solo CD, "Shades of Green," which received unanimous critical praise and nationwide radio airplay on syndicated programs such as NPR's "Thistle and Shamrock" and "Folkscene."

Laval's music-making is born out of his Scottish and Irish heritage.

After his student years at the Victoria Conservatory of Music he traveled extensively, immersing himself in a wide variety of musical styles including classical, jazz, and folk.

He now resides in Asheville, where he teaches and performs at the acclaimed Swannanoa Gathering.

The Rooster's Wife is a private nonprofit association organized to celebrate the performing arts in Aberdeen.