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Every year Celtic Colours invites two unique artists to take on a leading role in some aspect of the festival as our Artists in Residence.

This year's Artists in Residence are Harald Haugaard from Denmark and Kimberley Fraser from Cape Breton.

Harald Haugaard has established himself as one of Denmark's most acknowledged musicians. His compositions are contemporary, original and deeply rooted in the rich Danish musical tradition. He completed his music studies at the Carl Nielsen Academy of Music, Odense where he studied violin and choir/ensemble conducting. From 2000 to 2005 he worked as the head of the folk department at that Academy. Harald is no stranger to Celtic Colours audiences, having performed at the Festival with musical partner Alfred Høirup four times. As Artist in Residence, Harald's insight and expertise has been invaluable in helping with this year's focus on Nordic music and dance traditions.

Though still in her 20's, Kimberley has traveled the world, performing at venues from Afghanistan to the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. She holds degrees in Violin Performance from Berklee College of Music, and Celtic Studies and Jazz Piano from St. Francis Xavier University. A master of fiddling, step-dancing and piano, Kimberley is a much sought after performer and teacher. She has performed annually at Celtic Colours since 2000,theyearshefirstmetHarald Haugaard at Tønder Festival in Denmark. In her role as Artist in Residence this year, Kimberley has been working on String Crossings, exploring how traditional music can be reinterpreted and shaped through the endless potential of strings.