Award-winning fiddler Gillian Boucher blends the rich traditions of her Cape Breton roots with a contemporary, expressive style. Known for her crystal-clear tone, lyrical sensitivity, and captivating stage presence, she has toured the world for over two decades, sharing music that honours her heritage while embracing new creative horizons.

Born and raised on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Gillian grew up immersed in the music of her ancestors. Her grandfather, the late Lachlann Dhòmhnaill Nìll (Lauchie Dan N. MacLellan) of Dunvegan (Cape Breton), was a celebrated Scottish Gaelic singer-storyteller and author of Brìgh an Òrain / A Story in Every Song, an enduring resource for Gaelic language, ethnomusicology, and Celtic studies.

Her debut album Elemental, recorded by CBC Radio-Canada in 2010, received high acclaim and placed her firmly on the Celtic music map, earning an East Coast Music Award nomination for Roots/Traditional Recording of the Year and winning the Nova Scotia Music Award in the same category.

Demonstrating her range as a traditional artist, her second album Attuned (2014) earned nominations from Music Nova Scotia, the East Coast Music Awards, and the Canadian Folk Music Awards. In 2019 she released Race for the Sun, a collection of original and traditional tunes that delighted audiences in Canada, the USA, and New Zealand.

Having performed across Canada, the USA, UK, Ireland, Europe, Turkey, Australia, and New Zealand, Gillian’s music is rooted in Cape Breton’s rhythmic drive while reflecting a global perspective shaped by years on the road.

Now based in rural New Zealand, she spends her time close to the land and sea, continuing to create, record, and perform select engagements that connect audiences to the timeless beauty and spirit of Celtic music.