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Natalie Macmaster performs "Volcanic Jig"

Somewhere over the rainbow there is a proverbial pot of gold and a seemingly joyous little sprite who is moved to dance by the sounds of his instrument (or the pot of gold he finally reached). In either case, music makes him move, and there is no better instrumentalist to illustrate this than the step-dancing, fiddle-playing Natalie MacMaster. Celtic music has been a mainstay for MacMaster since she first picked up a fiddle at the age of nine, learning the basics and laying a foundation on traditional Celtic music, then branching out in her own direction once she’d quickly learned how to make the music her own. Blueprint (Rounder Records), her 2003 release, merged her talents with American roots instrumentalists Bela Fleck, Jerry Douglas, Sam Bush and Edgar Meyer, and won her “Best Female Artist of the Year” and “Best Roots/Traditional Solo Recording” at the East Coast Music Awards in 2005. Her latest, last year’s Yours Truly was co-produced by her husband Donnell Leahy, and features former Doobie Brother Michael McDonald joining her for a rendition of “Danny Boy.” She’s also seen two of her albums reach top 20 spots on the Billboard charts for world music, and the LA Times has described her as “irresistible” with a “keening passion” for what she does. MacMaster comes to UB’s Mainstage Theatre on Tuesday at 8pm, and tickets are available fo between $20-30 at all Ticketmaster locations and the Center for the Arts box office.

Tuesday, March 6 at 8pm. UB Center for the Arts Mainstage Theatre, North Campus, Amherst (645-ARTS) www.ubcfa.org