The 13th annual Scots Fiddle Festival (13 to 15 November) sees Shetland/Edinburgh fiddler Aly Bain and Aonghas Grant topping a bill with some familiar faces and many new ones. The weekend is packed with all styles of events and a broad spectrum of fiddle music from toe-tapping bands to the soliloquy of a lone fiddler.
The volunteer run festival will hold two major concerts in the Music Hall, a Cape Breton/Scottish dance fusion event, ceilidhs, recitals, workshops, cabaret, open stage, sessions, and fiddle walk.
Performers hail from from all over Scotland (Shetland, Orkney, West Highland, Speyside, Perthshire and Edinburgh), and beyond: Nova Scotia, Sweden, Ireland, the Balkans, and Norway.
The event also includes The Youth Gaitherin', a full programme of events for children and young people.
Fiddle Conerts
Friday 13 Nov, 8pm - "Heat the Hoose"
Saturday 14 Nov, 7.30pm - "The Grand Concert"
Daytime Events
Recitals All Day Saturday and Sunday
Saturday 14 November
- Fiddle Walk led by Pete Clark
- Paul Anderson (prolific North Eastern style fiddler)
- Skelpaig (Scottish trio with Breton influences)
- Ryan Young with Craig Muirhead and David Foley (young Scots talent)
- Gizzen Briggs (talented young players from Tain)
- Greg Lawson and Phil Alexander (music from Eastern Europe and beyond)
Sunday 15 November
- Aonghas (West Highland fiddling institution) and Angus Grant with Paul Connoly
- Mike Vass with Dave Wood (yet more young Scots talent)
- Boreas (Scots Norse band)
- Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh (taking Irish music into new places)
- Grand Finale featuring the Jani Lang Band (Gypsy / Balkan flavoured Scottish band)
- Final Stramash (everyone joins in)
Workshops and Tutors:-
Saturday 14 November
- Charlie McKerron (composition)
- Gavin Marwick (playing for ceilidhs)
- Adam Sutherland (Fiddles are toys)
- Gordon Gunn (arranging tunes)
- Mike Vass (Scots fiddle tunes)
Sunday 15 November
- Britt Pernille Frøholm (Norwegian Music)
- Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh (New Perspectives on Irish Fiddle)
- Pete Clark (Tunes from the Fiddle Walk, see Saturday Recitals)
- Jani Lang (Balkan Fiddle)
- Paul Anderson (Strathspeys)
- James Ross (Mixed Instrument)
Talk
Saturday 14 November
- Mike Kerr (The Violin Revealed)
- Charlie McKerron (Favourite Tunes)
- Aonghas Grant (The Highland Fiddle)
- Karen Marshalsay (Introduction to Scottish Fiddle Music)
Sunday 15 November
- Paul Anderson (The Fiddle Tradition of NE Scotland)
- Scots Music Group (Community Vitality through Music, Dance and Song)
- Derek Hoy and Stuart Eydman (Rare Tunes)
- Brian Rattray (Making, Maintenance and Repair of the Violin)
No matter what time of day, there's always something going on:-
- Late Night Ceilidhs and Cabarets on Friday and Saturday
- Open Stage Performances / Opportunities to Play
- Spontaneous Sessions
- A Full Programme of Youth Events The Youth Gaitherin
And always food, drink, company, sessions, atmosphere and ambiance at the Assembly Rooms at its very best.
BOOKING TICKETS
In Person during the Festival
Friday 13th 2-8pm
Saturday 14th 9.30am - 8pm
Sunday 15th 10am-6pm