Fiddle of gold - Natalie MacMaster at the Beaufort Performing Arts Center

Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, is an area well known for its lively Celtic culture, which has produced an unusual percentage of world-renowned fiddlers.

One of the area's exports -- and one of the most recognized fiddlers on the planet -- is Natalie MacMaster. MacMaster is the niece of another famous Cape Breton fiddler, Buddy MacMaster, and she said having a famous fiddling uncle gave her the opportunity to see and hear the music from a very young age.

But it was her home life, one she said was filled with music, that gave MacMaster her start on the fiddle. Her father first taught her the instrument at the age of 9. And from there, MacMaster took off, playing publicly at 10 and recording her first album at 16.

"Really, I got 20 bucks for my first performance, so I guess you could say I was playing professionally," MacMaster said. "There was never any shortage of places to play in Cape Breton, and for a young person starting out and especially being the niece of Buddy MacMaster, gigs were plentiful in the summertime for sure."

Still, she hadn't planned on a life as a professional fiddler -- at least not until she signed her first record deal in 1995, at the age of 23. "Once you sign a record deal, you pretty much realize, 'OK, I am a recording artist,' " she said.

MacMaster said her music has evolved "incredibly" in the 20 years and 10 albums since that first recording.

"The most important thing is that I've become a better, more well-rounded musician," MacMaster said. "Better sensitivity to music in general, more of an appreciation for music. And that really affects all the arrangements and all the recording that I do."

Her latest record, "Yours

Truly," is an example of that greater appreciation, and it steps a bit away from traditional Cape Breton fiddling.

One such non-traditional moment on "Yours Truly" is a recording of "Danny Boy" that features former Doobie Brother Michael McDonald on vocals. MacMaster said she met McDonald during the taping of a television special a few years back, during which the producers asked them to perform a piece together. McDonald requested "Danny Boy."

While she certainly considered that a big thrill, it couldn't top her appointment to the Order of Canada, the highest civilian honor in her home country.

"I was inducted with many other incredible human beings who have given a lot of themselves over the years and have amazing stories," MacMaster said. "Everything from coming up with a new piece of machinery for farmers to making cures for illnesses. So, it was very much an honor to be a part of all that. It was kind of humbling at the same time."