Ian has deep roots in his native Glengarry, where, along with his wife Karen and their three children, Scott, Ashley and Brad, he owns and operates a sixth generation dairy farm. He is the son of Alexander and Helen (Nixon) MacLeod.

Ian has generously shared his musical talents for close to forty years, playing fiddle or piano at concerts, dances, charities and at nursing homes and fairs etc. in Glengarry and beyond.

For many years he was a solid performer at fiddle competitions throughout Ontario, Quebec and the Maritimes bringing home many awards. His varied style of fiddling includes Scottish, Irish, Old Time, Country and Gospel. This has given him the diversity to play with Celtic groups such as The Brigadoons and backup fiddle with country bands. Over the years Ian has also played with and been closely associated with The Glengarry Strathspey and Reel Society and the Glengarry Old Time Fiddlers.

Gregory MacCulloch, Kimberly Clare, Ian MacLeod and Darrel MacLeod at the 11th annual Old Time Fiddlers contest at GDHS

In 1994 Ian started teaching a venue that has become known as the “MacLeod School of Fiddling” which focuses on the ‘promotion and preservation’ of the Glengarry Scottish fiddle. He teaches 50 students yearly and since its inception well over 100. His students have performed as groups and/or individually at many local functions and they have been a highlight at the Glengarry Highland Games. He has taken his young group to places like the “Mid-Winter Scottish and Irish Festival” in Philadelphia for the past three years.

Then in 2004 the children were involved in an exchange program with other fiddle students from Cape Breton. The young group performed at the “Festival of Cape Breton Fiddling” at St. Ann’s Gaelic College. Ian is playing an important role in keeping the bond alive between Glengarry and the Cape Breton fiddlers.

Teaching has not been Ian’s only commitment; over the last fifteen years he has composed many tunes. Several of these compositions appear in the Canadian Fiddle Music Book Vol. 2.

In the fall of 2005 his senior group recorded a CD entitled Ceilidh Time which included nine of his compositions.

There is no doubt that Ian has been a cornerstone in ‘preserving the Glengarry Fiddle’ for generations to come.