Celtic fiddle power couple Natalie MacMaster and Donnell Leahy are bringing their family act to downtown Columbus, with daughter Mary Frances and son Micheal joining them onstage as a quartet at the Southern Theatre on Friday, April 23, 2027, at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $39 and go on sale to the general public this Friday, October 16, through the CAPA Ticket Center.
The concert, hosted by presenter CAPA, was reported by WSYX, which notes that MacMaster and Leahy married in 2000 and now perform more than 75 times a year while raising seven children and running a farm, where they're also building a farmers market in Lakefield, Ontario. Per that report, the couple describes the tour as a renewal of their commitment to live shows for audiences across North America.
Both performers arrive with decades of accolades behind them. MacMaster was inducted into the Order of Canada in 2006 and has earned two Juno Awards, 19 East Coast Music Awards and three gold albums, according to the WSYX report. Leahy, meanwhile, fronted the family band Leahy to double-platinum album sales, picked up three Juno Awards of his own, and appeared in the Academy Award-winning documentary The Leahys: Music Most of All. Together, the duo has sold out more than 1,000 shows across North America and has shared stages with Yo-Yo Ma, Michael McDonald, Alison Krauss and Nickelback, as well as collaborating with The Chieftains, Faith Hill, Carlos Santana, Don Henley and Béla Fleck, the station reports.
A Daughter Carving Her Own Path
The quartet's eldest daughter, Mary Frances Leahy, isn't simply riding her parents' coattails. She released her debut solo instrumental album, First Light, in May 2024, blending traditional Celtic fiddle with Latin percussion and jazz fusion, according to Tinnitist, which reports she co-produced the record alongside Cuban guitarist Elmer Ferrer. By the time that album dropped, she had already logged an estimated 600 live performances across Canada and the U.S. touring with her parents since age five, according to Putumayo. Tinnitist described her as 18 in its May 2024 preview of the upcoming album.
MacMaster and Leahy's own recording partnership has a slightly different timeline than their touring history might suggest. The pair married in 2000 and released One in 2015.
Inside Columbus's Oldest Surviving Theatre
The venue itself carries its own weight in local history. First opened in 1896, the 925-seat Southern Theatre is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, according to the Columbus Association for the Performing Arts. Construction began in 1894, and the theatre opened in 1896 as a fireproof structure of steel, brick and tile.
CAPA carried out a $10 million renovation, and the theatre reopened in 1998. Today the Southern Theatre hosts touring acts like the MacMaster-Leahy family. CAPA itself traces back to 1969, when it was formed to save the nearby 1928 Ohio Theatre from demolition before growing into an organization that now manages eight central Ohio performing venues, including the Ohio, Palace, Southern and Lincoln theatres.
A Historic Complex Getting New Attention
A Historic Complex Getting New Attention The Southern Theatre shares its 1896 building complex with the Westin Great Southern Columbus hotel, which is slated for a major makeover. Real estate investor Whitestone Capital announced a $29.5 million historic preservation project for the hotel in June 2026, according to Columbus Business First. Hoodline previously covered that hotel's $29.5 million facelift.
For now, the full tour schedule and complete setlist for the 2027 production, referred to by the venue as Four on the Floor, haven't been detailed, and may be announced closer to the performance date. What's confirmed is the date, the venue and the ticket window: general public sales open Friday through the CAPA Ticket Center, with prices starting at $39 for a night that brings two generations of fiddle tradition under one historic Columbus roof.
