The school has served the Scottish fiddling community for the past 33 years in an intimate and peaceful setting in the … When he was studying law at Edinburgh University, he gained further musical experience with dance bands and groups in and around the city. Scotland has so many musicians, included many talented fiddle players and tutors. Senior citizens and teenagers give up their free time to practise and play; the rest of us make up the audience. Scottish fiddle player, singer and composer Isla Ratcliff is a Scottish fiddle player, singer and composer with a background in classical violin and piano. Scotland has influenced Donegal fiddling in various ways. For meeting locations, check the calendar, note the list of meetings to the side of the calendar. Taught by the great Donald Riddell CBE, Bruce’s style encapsulates the finest points of Highland fiddle music – bold and rugged at times, lyrical and beautiful at others. A special video of unseen footage from some of Scotland's leading fiddle players including Catriona Macdonald, Paul Anderson, Graham Mackenzie, Lauren MacColl, John McCusker, Patsy Reid and Douglas Montgomery. Nice to see my Father being mentioned Mr George Mc Hardy and Jessie Mac Leod i Remember the 1st ever fiddlers Rally in Oban , the Birth ! The family connections extend to the numerous spouses who help with the sale of records, copying music, looking after the music library and making travel arrangements. The formation of the Scottish Fiddle Orchestra reflected an upsurge of interest in traditional fiddle music first evident in the early Seventies. Among his many students are Aly Bain and Catriona Macdonald. Edinburgh folk venture to Glasgow, and Glaswegians to the Usher Hall; at the Royal Albert Hall in London, Sassenachs take to the floor with exiled Scots from the Caledonian Societies for the impromptu dancing which ends SFO concerts everywhere. The rallies themselves had grown out of the competitions for group fiddle playing organised by An Comunn Gaidhealach on the Saturday before the official opening. Most of the Scottish Fiddle Orchestra’s members also play for a Strathspey and Reel Society in their own area. It is important to make the … Scotland is internationally known for its traditional music. Whether it's classical violin for a wedding ceremony or an electric violinist for a party we've got you covered! A number of our best-known performers have appeared with the Scottish Fiddle Orchestra including. Some of the best fiddle players in the Scottish tradition have been put together on this album - a real feast for fiddle fans. On the right, waving to the camera, is SFO secretary Dr Gerry Crean, “It’s an addiction,” explains Gerry Crean, a consultant physician at the Southern General Hospital in Glasgow, who plays in the first fiddles and acts as the orchestra’s secretary. Soon, Strathspey and Reel Societies all over Scotland were organising their own rallies, more often than not including other instruments besides the fiddle. See more ideas about fiddle player, fiddler, violin players. Aiden is now one of Scotlands finest musicians , very proud . James Currie says, “From the first notes of our signature tune, ‘Fiddlers to the Fore’, to the final bars of ‘Caddam Wood’, with which we always finish, everyone is united, young and old, audience and players, in glorious sound.”. The proceeds of all their concerts go to charity. It’s a musical experience that’s extremely uplifting and exhilarating. The Scottish Fiddle Orchestra at the Music Hall, Aberdeen. “Lottie and Chattie” was written in appreciation of two ladies serving in Oban’s Bridgend Bar, where fiddlers were wont to refresh themselves after the exertions of the Mod. It contains no music, but tells you where you can find an original copy of every tune listed, not … In spite of its name, the Scottish Fiddle Orchestra encompasses a varied array of orchestral instruments. They may audit other levels as long as they do not appreciably change the pace of those classes. John is a lawyer in Troon. Feb 12, 2020 - Favorite fiddler photos. Wedding Services (86) Violin / Fiddle Players available in Scottish Islands Hire a violinist for a wedding, party or event in Scottish Islands. When the Mod was held in Oban in 1970, George McHardy, the conductor, and Jessie MacLeod, the secretary of the Oban and Lorne Strathspey and Reel Society, had the idea of collecting all the competitors for a public concert in the Corran Hall on the Saturday evening. Selected now by audition, they are our largest amateur orchestra and the first permanent national orchestra in Scotland specialising in traditional fiddle music. Returning from a tour of the Hebrides, the orchestra pose for this happy picture, The most recent trip to the Western Isles was to Barra in 1985. There had been local Strathspey and Reel Societies since the late 19th century, but a resurgence of fiddle playing after the war brought the number of groups up to 30 or so. Northwest Scottish Fiddlers welcomes players of all ages of acoustic string instruments including: Violin & Viola; Cello & String Bass; Guitar & Mandolin; Piano; Recorder; Concertina, and…. Workshop: The club sponsors and organizes the annual Scottish Fiddle weekend workshop with Alasdair Fraser (fiddle) and Natalie Haas (cello) at Camp Casey, Whidbey Island, held in January, on Martin Luther King weekend. He was one of a class of nine-year-olds who presented their letters of appreciation to the SFO musicians before they flew home. The Scottish Fiddle Orchestra inspires that sort of fierce loyalty, though its more mature fans have, so far, managed to avoid Jason’s particular line in supportive action. The orchestra’s bagpiper spends most of his playing time in the first fiddles, his daughter is in the bass section, and his 13-year-old son, in the second fiddles, is the youngest member of the orchestra. A father plays second fiddle and his son double bass. Come to our next meeting to see for yourself. Betty Henderson and Reesa McGinn, talented duettists with the orchestra. When the Coronavirus pandemic started, most musicians saw the bulk of their work disappear. Peter (obo SFO). Her work is underpinned by her interests in cultural politics, the environment, spoken word, theatre, and music’s positive impact on our wellbeing. A lot of emphasis is placed on bowing and ornamentation in this course and several less familiar keys are played including E Major and G Minor. In 1967, John settled in Troon and in the Seventies he was invited to join the Kilmarnock Caledonian Strathspey and Reel Society by the late Willie McCulloch, a fiddle player and founder member of the society. The progress of the annual “Fiddlers’ Express” from Glasgow to London sounds sedate by comparison unless you are one of the crowd of orchestra fans who make the journey every year, as much for the night-long feast of music on the train as for the concert in the Royal Albert Hall. Gee whiz, and I thoguht this would be hard to find out. “The Reel of Kildinguie” is the name of a well on Stronsay, reputed to cure the ills of those who drink its water. However, sections of the orchestra have managed to respond to invitations to the Western and Northern Isles and, in 1981, farther afield to Texas. Aberdeen Strathspey And Reel Society Including a live recording at the 2006 Fiddlers' Rally in Aberdeen Music Hall. For their repertoire, they had the traditional tunes of anonymous composition and the work of the great fiddle composers of the 18th and 19th centuries – the Gows, William Marshall and Scott Skinner. He had always been interested in composing, and his association with the Ayr and Prestwick orchestra and the Scottish Fiddle Orchestra has led to the creation of a body of orchestral music in the traditional fiddling style which could never otherwise have been produced in view of the limited commercial market and the high cost of printing sheet music. When you watch the joy on the faces of the younger musicians – some of them only schoolchildren – you realise the future of our national heritage is in safe hands.”. “Thanks a bunch. Ryan Young's traditional Scottish fiddle playing will take you on … A Hopf fiddle that was stolen from a locked Jeep in southeast Calgary on Sunday. Hyram is not only the best fiddle player - bar none- but produces not only the one of a kind music he writes but brings out the best in other artist music he produces. The orchestra also has its own regular guest singers, Mary Sandeman and James Nicol. Most music is played at a moderate to slightly fast pace. Fiddlers choose one primary level, and may change this level during the school week. Nevertheless the orchestra was in fine musical form the next day at a concert in the Royal Albert Hall. Perhaps not in the world, but the 150 members of the Scottish Fiddle Orchestra have been chosen from the finest traditional musicians in Scotland. They dances they played for were packed to the door of the new community hall and, at one of them, the density of the crowd that took to the floor for a rousing Highland Barn Dance led one of the fiddlers to remark that, from his viewpoint on the platform, the scene resembled “a pun o’ mince going round in a big pan.”, Travelling in Orkney involves much loading and unloading of luggage and instruments on inter-island ferries, At one concert, the local priest, Father MacLellan, was visibly moved when the orchestra struck up John Mason’s composition in his honour, “Callum MacLellan of Barra.”. “We take our national heritage seriously and the changes we can make are therefore limited, but at the same time I feel we should give performances that are lively, entertaining and moving and pass on to our listeners our own love of Scottish music. Official website of Lauren MacColl - fiddle player with RANT, Salt House, Rachel Newton and Calum Stewart. Workers from Donegal would go to Scotland in the summer and bring back Scottish tunes with them; Donegal fiddlers have used Scottish … However, with the growing recognition … It was a great night and a super audience. This is in keeping with the evolution of the Strathspey and Reel Societies. Music Scotland > English & International Folk Music > ARC Music Productions > Best Of Scottish Fiddle… On the website of the Scottish Fiddle School you can find lists with the tunes played every year as well as a compilation of sheet … He was a founder member of the Shetland Fiddle Band, better known as 'The Forty Fiddlers'. Alphabetical by last name. It is reproduced here by kind permission of D.C. Thomson & Co. Ltd. “The boy next to me was making fun of your kilts,” wrote Jason, a pupil at Thornwood Elementary School in Dallas, Texas, after a concert by members of the Scottish Fiddle Orchestra, “so I socked him on the nose. Conductor and musical director John Mason. The proceeds of all their concerts go to charity. “Brenda’s Box” is dedicated to Brenda Maxwell, an accordionist from Stronsay, with whom touring members of the SFO have played many a tune. Like some Scottish fiddlers (which tends to use a short bow and play in a more straight-ahead fashion), some Donegal fiddlers worked at imitating the sound of the highland pipes. Bruce MacGregor is one of Scotland’s most celebrated and accomplished fiddle players. John got together a dance band and spent his teenage years expanding his repertoire of old dance … When the whole company had done several rounds of opening room after room and discovering, like Goldilocks, someone in their beds, there wasn’t much left of the night for sleep. Inclined towards science as well as music at school, Alasdair went on to work as a petrophysicist with … The idea of a national fiddle orchestra was born at one of the rallies of massed fiddlers which had been part of the Gaelic mods since 1970. It was worth coming to school today,” was the tribute from Jason’s more civilised neighbour, Melissa. Twice winner of the Scottish National Fiddle Championship, he also began to notice the connection between speech patterns and musical expression, especially among Gaels and the Doric speaking players in the north-east, and incorporated this into his fiddle style. Members have access to sheet music (through the website) so you can learn the music your way. By the following year, the SFO was part of our Hogmanay celebrations on television and, in 1982, a tricky situation developed when BBC Radio and STV both asked for its services. This is the text of an article – “Fiddling for Scotland” – which appeared in the Scots Magazine in April 1987 (by Margaret Henderson). Born and brought up in Kirkwall, he was introduced to the fiddle at the age of seven by his uncle, John Muir. We also pick tunes or old sets to review throughout the session. The SFO currently [i.e. Young Scottish fiddle player practicing the tune called Willifiord. John Turner is founder and director of the Jink & Diddle School of Scottish Fiddling, a two-week, four-session, resident summer programme for musicians of all ages, ability levels and styles who have an interest in preserving the traditions of Scottish fiddle music. Similar rhythms and styles from the Intermediate course are here, however they are at a … When John was 12, his father was appointed Sheriff Clerk in Wigtown, where country dancing was popular but fiddle players were few. SFO fans follow the orchestra as eagerly as football fans follow their teams. Learn how your comment data is processed. The Scottish Fiddle Orchestra is a Company Limited by Guarantee, No. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Then he made fun of your shoes. He is right. Audience appeal is something John Mason takes very much into account when he reflects on the future of the Scottish Fiddle Orchestra: “Our development will depend on what audiences expect of the SFO – and I believe that will always be traditional Scottish music played on the concert stage. Willy Hunter was another influential player … I clicked on the leg then, and he didn’t say another word.”. Willie became the SFO’s first leader. Ryan Young Leading the 'New Wave' of Traditional Scottish Fiddlers Ryan Young is a traditional fiddle player from Scotland bringing fresh and inventive ideas to traditional Scottish music. Click on that day, and meeting location will be available there! “The Academician” is a polka written for the centenary celebrations of Ayr Academy. There are players of over 80 and youngsters still at school. Choose from 42 of the best local professional violin players. The high-speed dash was unavoidable because BBC Radio had over-run to four minutes past eleven and STV had the orchestra scheduled for an 11.30 start on their show. After a strenuous night on the Fiddlers’ Express in July 1983, the orchestra were taken aback to arrive at their London hotel around midnight to find that newly-installed computerisation had made a shambles of their room reservations. Jimmy Cannell is a typical SFO fan, following the fortunes of the orchestra as eagerly as football supporters follow their teams. Monthly Club Meetings: Learn new tunes by ear,  and jam with fellow fiddlers! In November 1979, after a rally organised by the Bearsden Society, Leslie Pratt, fiddler and then president of the Aberdeen society, which had been invited to Glasgow to take part, put forward the idea of an orchestra of fixed membership, giving regular concerts of fiddle music to the highest standards of excellence. Scottish Fiddlers Tom Anderson A giant in Shetland fiddling, Anderson was a pioneering collector of Shetland fiddle tunes and styles. Similarly, other instruments are welcome in fiddle classes, but players are responsible for working out whatever compatibility issues they may encounter without placing undue demands on the … Over the last few months many have started offering online teaching. SC310900, How it all began for the SFO in Aberdeen in 1980, Blair speaks about the SFO 2020 Tour rescheduling, Postponement of The Scottish Fiddle Orchestra North American Tour 2020, SFO Concert analysed by half-time pundits, The Royal Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, The Tam o’ Shanter and Cutty Sark Overture (one of John Mason’s longer compositions). Scottish violinist Ryan Young was inspired to play the fiddle after seeing Aly Bain perform on the BBC Hogmanay show and subsequently by the playing of fiddler Eilidh Steel from Helensburgh. “We are fortunate to have emerged at a time when Scottish traditional music is growing in status. Another publication from The Hardie Press is "The Scottish Music Fiddle Index" (which I don’t have). There were a few keen fiddlers in the Kyle and Carrick district of Ayrshire, including Betty Henderson and Reesa McGinn of Ayr, later to become duettists with the Scottish Fiddle Orchestra, and, from Prestwick, Willie and Bessie Dunlop. Clearly, an Ayr and Prestwick Strathspey and Reel Society was needed, and its formation in 1972 gave John Mason an opportunity to develop his talents as a conductor. We have wonderful guest instructors visit us some months, other months, we’ll review and jam. The student of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland has toured throughout the UK, Ireland, Europe and South America with a number of outfits and had sell-out shows for the launch of his duo's … The halt was at Holm post office where the owner, fiddler, composer and founder of the Orkney Strathspey and Reel Society, the late Ronnie Aim, was waiting at the roadside to present the players with a tin of sweets for the southward voyage. The titles of Scottish fiddle tunes read like a mixture of a history lesson, a travel brochure, and a Who’s Who of Scotland. after that the rest is history the bigger society’s claimed the title ? Glasgow based fiddle, bouzouki player and singer Malcolm Bushby is considered to be one of the UK’s finest folk musicians of his generation. The rest represent the whole spectrum of Scottish society – housewives, physicians, surgeons, a miner, crofters, a policeman, an architect, an accountant, a shepherd, a butcher, a banker. According to the advertisement in the Scottish Jig Book above, its 500+ pages contain the first systematic list of traditional Scottish dance music and song-air titles ever published. Our mission is two-fold: To learn all styles of Scottish music, and to share (through sessions and our annual Whidbey Island workshop) traditional Scottish fiddle music. When John was 12, his father was appointed Sheriff Clerk in Wigtown, where country dancing was popular but fiddle players were few. The Scottish Fiddle Orchestra was less than a year old when first invited to play in the New Year on Radio Scotland’s Hogmanay Show on 31 December 1980. Very few now consist of strings only, though there is always a heavy predominance of fiddle players. We are committed to accepting and supporting musicians of all ages from diverse ethnic, economic, and religious backgrounds. As the train pulls out, an impromptu band will be playing and it won’t be long before there are groups of musicians coming down the corridors and popping into compartments to play requests.”, A group enjoying the sun before the morning rehearsal at the Royal Albert Hall. Charities which have benefited so far have been: A concert in Aberdeen made a contribution to the Cardiothoracic Unit at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary and, in 1985, the SFO took part in a Classical Aid Concert at the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre in Glasgow which raised over £160,000 for the Africa Famine Appeal. ... ” came down from Edinburgh to take the English throne in 1661 one of his first acts was to bring down his band of 24 fiddle players, led by a German violinist Thomas Baltzar. You don’t need any prior background with Scottish music or practice learning by ear. Members have access to sheet music (through the website) so you can learn the music … Jonny Hardie, Gavin Marwick, Archie McAllister, Hudson Swan, and Alistair McCulloch in bands, duos and solo. Someone once described us as ‘Scotland’s Other National Orchestra’. John Mason’s own additions to the orchestra’s repertoire have made him one of Scotland’s most prolific and important contemporary composers. He was awarded the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of music scholarship to attend the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland junior academy (formerly RSAMD) where he received tuition … The repertoire consists of traditional fiddle music orchestrated for concert performances, but the range of instruments permits it to be more experimental than an orchestra of massed fiddlers could be and to undertake longer works incorporating fiddle tunes. The Reverend James Currie, chairman of the SFO since its inception, is immortalised in a piece, “The Arran Shepherd”, a reference to his frequent return visits to the island and Drumadoon Farm, where he was brought up. The main collections of Scottish fiddle music are housed at The National Library of Scotland, The British Library, The University of Aberdeen, The University of Edinburgh, The University of Glasgow, The A. K. Bell Library (Perth), Dundee Public Library (Wighton Collection), and The Bodleian Library (University of Oxford, Harding Collection). Northwest Scottish Fiddlers welcomes players of all ages of acoustic string instruments including: You don’t need any prior background with Scottish music or practice learning by ear. No matter where you put Hyram, stage- recording studio- writing music - movie themes- supporting other artist or playing lead, Hyram is simple the best. While before 1950 critics readily observed that fiddle players from different regions played in different styles, the emphasis remained on a national tradition of Scottish fiddle music, perpetuated, at least since the mid-nineteenth century, by the competition circuit, and united by a shared repertoire disseminated through music notation. Now fiddle classes are part of musical education and in the last few years junior fiddle orchestras have been established. A single concert has raised as much as £11,000. In the final hour of that year, as Glasgow revellers were heading home for the bells, stragglers were astonished to see coaches carrying the entire orchestra and instruments proceeding at top speed through the city centre flanked by police vehicles eith flashing blue lights and wailing sirens. The Scottish Fiddle Orchestra at the Music Hall, Aberdeen. Aiden O Rourke my dads one of many star pupils Played at my Fathers funeral . The Troon lawyer has been involved with Scottish music since his early teens in Wigtown where he formed his own dance band. We swap tunes the way other people tell each other jokes or the latest news – ‘Have you heard this one?’ ‘What do you think of this – I picked it up from an old sailor?’ ‘My goodness, it’s years since I heard that one!’. Great Scottish fiddle player and composer Adam Sutherland, performing one of his compositions, dedicated to his grandmother Iris. Some are musicians by profession, teachers or students. Music to put a smile on your face, a song in your heart and dancing in your feet! This young Scottish musician has been hailed as one of the finest fiddle players in the country and is already making a huge impact on the traditional music scene. For Bruce, the essence of Scottish fiddle music lies in its ability to retain its heart and soul, whilst displaying diversity and … The Scottish Fiddle Orchestra has made four long-playing records: John’s compositions are a fascinating record of people, special occasions and places. Most of them also had, as they still do, the compositions of their own members. Scottish Fiddle Including Alasdair Fraser, Lauren MacColl, Bruce MacGregor, Pete Clark, Allan Henderson, Hector MacAndrew and more Scottish fiddle players. “For me, an SFO concert is the ultimate,” he says. Adam is one of Scotland's most talented fiddlers and Scots traditional music … Adam was joined by Marc Clement on guitar and this recording was from a concert held in St Margarets, Braemar, during the 2018 North Atlantic Fiddle Convention. Search Music Scotland; Scottish Fiddle. Tours of Orkney are trials of endurance, involving crossing the Pentland Firth from John o’ Groats; evening sails from one island to another in small boats; negotiating slippery piers in the darkness clutching precious instruments; and playing far into the early hours at sessions in private houses with local fiddle enthusiasts. “We play in the dressing rooms, on coaches, in the train, in concert hall corridors, at the ceilidhs which follow all our concerts: everywhere. Celtic supporters stay in their seats at Glasgow concerts when the orchestra’s chairman and compere, the Reverend James Currie, kicks off with an announcement of their team’s defeat by his beloved Rangers. Founded in 2006, Northwest Scottish Fiddlers’ was founded by renown fiddler, Calum MacKinnon. We support learning this style of music through scholarships to our annual workshop, and through free memberships with access to our music library, and open monthly meetings and music sessions. Impoverished Scottish Highlanders, Gaelic-speaking descendants of the Celtic tribes who once roamed northwestern Scotland, flooded into Cape Breton in the early 19th century. John got together a dance band and spent his teenage years expanding his repertoire of old dance tunes and turning his hand to other instruments as required. April 1987] has 52 first and 43 second fiddles, 9 cellos, 11 double basses, 7 accordions, electric guitars, percussion, woodwind, piano and, for some performances, the concert harp. Catriona Mcdonald is one of six fiddle players who make up Blazin' Fiddles, a band whose members between them virtually the full range of Scottish fiddling. The proceeds of every public concert the SFO has ever given have been donated to charity. The late Jimmy Thomas, also of that area, was the SFO’s first piano accompanist. For this, somebody in the television world coined a new name: they called it a Fiddlers’ Rally. This list of notable fiddlers shows some overlap with the list of violinists since the instrument used by fiddlers is the violin. Every year in August there is a Scottish Fiddle School on the Thompson Island close to Boston. John Mason recalls stopping the bus as they were on their way from Kirkwall at the end of the tour. His native Orkney is naturally well represented in Mason’s work. “If the Scottish Fiddle Orchestra continues to attract young people with the abilities and enthusiasm of those we have in the orchestra now, the popularity of Scottish fiddle music will be assured for many years into the future.”, lovely evening last night usher hall 13-6-20115, Thank you. Not very long ago, only classical music was taught in schools. “You really are the greatest players in the world.”. For one week you can learn how to play fiddle in the Scottish style, but there are also courses for guitar, cello or bagpipes, and the fiddle style of Cape Breton. Two other double bass players are John Mason’s sons. “Nellie Inkster’s Peedie Polka” is dedicated to his mother-in-law who has attended concerts as far away as London, though she lives on the island of Stronsay. The Advanced Scottish Fiddle Techniques course is for those who are fairly confident players who would like to improve their musicality. Interested? We always warm up with leisurely jigs, airs, and marches. The cost of transporting an orchestra of this size inevitably restricts the SFO as far as touring beyond the mainland of Scotland is concerned. We meet in Seattle, Ballard, Mukilteo and Edmonds, and surrounding areas- mostly in homes, but occasionally other great hangouts. Originally from Tasmania, Australia, his family roots lie in Scotland with his forebears coming from Kirkhill near Inverness, Caithness, Kyle of Lochalsh, Ayrshire and Dumfries. You can find details about joining the SFO as a playing member here. Their name comes from the regretable 19th Century practice of fiddle burning encouraged by the Church; a tune that all fiddlers should learn by way of retribution is Deil stick the minister! Premiered on Facebook/YouTube at 7pm - Sunday 22nd Nov - Workshops with Adam Sutherland - All levels welcome Jimmy Cannell describes the scene: “There can’t be another experience like it anywhere. What accounts for the wide popular appeal of an orchestra which has become a national institution in its comparatively short existence? The Rev. 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The Thompson Island close to Boston are the greatest players in the early Seventies nevertheless the orchestra also has own! Upsurge of interest in traditional fiddle music like it anywhere great hangouts RANT, Salt House Rachel... Of seven by his uncle, John Muir in keeping with the list of notable Fiddlers shows some overlap the! Duos and solo always warm up with leisurely jigs, airs, and backgrounds... Work disappear the rest of us make up the audience would like to improve their musicality there players...