The 18th Niel Gow Festival
17th - 19th March 2023
Updates:
Niel Gow Exhibition on Friday and Saturday at the Community Archive, 12 The Cross, Dunkeld - 10am to 3pm. More information can be found here.
If you would like to make a donation to the Niel Gow Festival Fund please use the PayPal button above or see page Memorial for cheque donations.
Niel Gow Festival on Facebook
Links:
Pete Clark and Muriel Johnstone's CD played on Niel Gow's fiddle - proceeds to Niel Gow memorial. Click on CD cover for ordering information.
All content © 2004 - 2022 Niel Gow Festival Society unless otherwise stated
WE HAVE A NEW WEBSITE!
Hello all,
We can't wait to have you come back for the 18th Niel Gow Festival. We've been working very hard behind the scenes to make this the best Niel Gow festival yet.
With this in mind, we thought it was about time that we update our website, which can be found here:
https://www.nielgowfestival.co.uk
Keep an eye on this over the coming weeks as this is where we will be updating you about the proceedings of this years festival, as well as our social media pages as per usual.
This website will still be available to visit if you fancy a bit of nostalgia from the past 18 years.
Thank you, as always, for your continued suppport - it means the world to us.
- The Niel Gow Festival Society
Dates for your diary:
UPDATE March 2021
During the weekend of the 20th -21st March we are collaborating with the award - winning
'Tunes in the Hoose' to bring you online performances of
The Niel Gow Festival.
Watch this space for further information!
If you would like to make a donation to the Niel Gow Festival Fund please use the PayPal button above or see page Memorial for cheque donations.
Niel Gow Festival on Facebook
Links:
New CD played on Niel Gow's fiddle - proceeds to Niel Gow memorial. Click on CD cover for ordering information.
All content © 2004 - 2022 Niel Gow Festival Society unless otherwise stated
The Annual Niel Gow Scottish Fiddle Festival was established in 2004 to celebrate the life and music of Perthshire's fiddle legend. It is envisaged that through time the festival and other activities will gather enough funds to erect a fitting memorial to Niel Gow in Dunkeld & Birnam.
Niel Gow (1727 - 1807)
Niel Gow (not Neil) was born in Strathbraan on 22nd March 1727 and grew up in the village of Inver, by Dunkeld.
Niel was essentially a self-taught musician, though at the age of thirteen he did receive some instruction, from John Cameron of Grandtully. He undoubtedly had a flair for fiddling and was an admired and respected exponent of the art by the time he was twenty. Having forsaken the trade of plaid weaving for a career as a musician, Niel Gow travelled extensively throughout Scotland , performing in most major towns and cities at parties and balls in the grand homes of the wealthy. Such was his reputation, he was always in great demand, and nowhere more so than on his home ground, where he would regularly be called upon to perform at Dunkeld House and at Blair Castle for the Duke and Duchess of Atholl (by whom he was paid an annuity of five pounds).
Niel Gow frequently performed solo or with Donald, his brother, on 'cello. When occasion demanded the band would have also included perhaps one or more of his sons, together with Samson Duncan of Kinclaven on fiddle. The line-up may have been further augmented by piano, but this would have depended very much on where the band was playing.
As a tunesmith, Niel's inspiration was all around, be it people, places or events. Although his compositions include jigs, reels and strathspeys he is perhaps best remembered for his beautiful slow airs, most of which mark the passing of a relative or close friend.
Tunes were, then as now, often conveyed aurally, from player to player, changing and evolving in the process. The origins of many have become obscured by the passage of time, the identity of their composers lost forever. Fortunately, many tunes are preserved on manuscript in collections such as the Athole Collection and those published by Nathaniel Gow in Edinburgh.
Niel Gow married twice. His Eight children, three daughters and five sons, all came from his first marriage, to Margaret Wiseman. Four of Niel's sons took up the fiddle. (His fifth son Daniel, died in infancy.) Nathaniel, born in 1763, in particular made a name for himself as a performer and composer, and started a successful music publishing business in Edinburgh.
Niel Gow's second wife, Margaret Urquhart, died in 1805. Niel himself died on 1st March 1807, just three weeks short of his eightieth birthday. He lies buried in the little Dunkeld churchyard.
From the CD sleeve notes of 'Even Now' by Pete Clark.
2019 FESTIVAL PROGRAMME
Tickets available from Birnam Arts. Please phone 01350 727 674
Press release available here
Festival Program (Click on pictures to enlarge or print)
All content © 2004 - 2022 Niel Gow Festival Society unless otherwise stated
Biographies
From the West Coast of Canada, Jocelyn Pettit is an award-winning fiddle player, stepdancer, singer,and composer. With grace and passion, she has performed across Canada, and toured in the USA, the UK, and Europe. She has been featured on Canadian national television and radio, and shared the stage with The Battlefield Band (Scotland), The Chieftains (Ireland), and Carlos Núñez (Spain). As a recording artist, Jocelyn has two self-produced albums, both nominated for multiple awards, including “World Artist of the Year” at the 2017 Western Canadian Music Awards, and at the 2016 Canadian Folk Music Awards.
Ellen Gira is a seasoned cellist who has performed at special events and prominent venues throughout the USA and the UK including the John F. Kennedy Center for the performing Arts in Wasjington, DC, and Cadogan Hall in London, England. She earned her Bachelor's degree in Cello Performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music (Cleveland, Ohio, USA). Both currently pursuing Master's degrees in Scottish Music at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow, Jocelyn and Ellen present a lively and soulful performance of music from Canada and Scotland.
Website: www.jocelynpettit.com
Together multi-instrumentalists Iain & Ingrid create a sound which is reflective of the stunning, culture-rich Lochaber area they grew up in. Based mainly on harp
and fiddle, they combine rousingmarches, jigs and reels with poignant slow airs and Gaelic songs of love and loss, giving the listener a unique insight into the
culture, history and stories of the West Highlands.
“Stories of the derivation of tunes and recollections enrich MacFarlane’s superbly fluent, always expressive
way with a melody”Rob Adams, Herald
“Ingrid complements the playing with intuitive insight adding colour but never overshadowing the lead
instrument.”D. MacNeil, Folkmusic Radio
Scots Trad Music Awards 'Up And Coming artist of the year', Ryan Young is
an emerging young fiddle player bringing new and exciting ideas to traditional Scottish music. He recorded his debut album with triple GRAMMY winner,
Jesse Lewis, who has worked with the likes of Yo-Yo Ma and Bela Fleck. Ryan holds both a first class honours and a Masters degree from the Royal
Conservatoire of Scotland, as well as being a twice in finalist in both the BBC
Radio 2 Young Folk Awards and the BBC Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year.
Ryan launched his debut album at Feakle Traditional Music Festival in County Clare, Ireland where he was accompanied by renowned guitarist, Dennis Cahill (Martin Hayes; The Gloaming). He was nominated for the Horizon Award at the 2018 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, was the winner of Folking.com's Best
Musician for 2018, as well as being nominated for Folk Band Of The Year at the 2018 MG ALBA Trad Music Awards.
Ryan focuses mainly on Scottish music, bringing new life to very old, often forgotten tunes by playing them in his own unique way. He is very influenced
by the fiddle playing of County Clare, Ireland and has been fascinated by the
playing of renowned fiddlers such as Bobby Casey, Paddy Canny, PJ and Martin Hayes and Tommy Potts from Dublin.
(A Tribute in Words and Music to Nathaniel Gow (1763 - 1831))
Shetland born John Shedden's distinguished career in theatre, TV, radio and film embraces everything from
Shakespeare, the classics to solo plays and Variety: "Macbeth", "The Caretaker", "Willie Rough", "Waiting for
Godot", "Ane Satyre of the Thrie Estaitis"( Warsaw). TV includes' Weir of Hermiston', 'City Lights' and 'Still Game'. He created the part of Stan Laurel in "Mr Laurel and Mr Hardy" which transferred from the Traverse to the Mayfair, London. His award-winning one-man roles range from
Sherlock Holmes, David Garrick, John Knox, Robert Louis Stevenson and King James the Third to William McGonagall and even Lady Bracknell! John can be heard on the BBC Burns website, and on the CD The Flooers o' the Forest
(commemorating Flodden). Classic radio recordings are Redgauntlet, Kidnapped, Whisky Galore, The Thirty-Nine Steps, Dracula and The Master of Ballantrae.
Alastair Savage is originally from Ayrshire and has performed
traditional and
classical music throughout his life. A prize winning Scots fiddle player, he studied classical violin at the R.S.A.M.D. (now Royal Conservatoire) and the Royal Academy in
London before touring extensively as a member of the Scottish Ensemble. He has been a member of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra for the past 20 years and has performed throughout Europe, as well as China, South
America and the USA, also appearing as soloist on BBC Radio Scotland, Radio 3 and on national radio in the USA.
He has made four albums of fiddle music including many of
his own compositions and as a composer his music has been used by BBC
Alba for documentary purposes. Recently he has performed as part of the Grit Orchestra at last year's Celtic Connections celebrating the music of the late Martyn Bennett.
Alastair Hardie was born in Aberdeen and is the son of
the north-east traditional fiddle player Bill Hardie. His main contributions to the Scots fiddle revival have been in areas
of performance, broadcasting, teaching, adjudication, and in the printed domain as publisher, author and editor. As a
player he has appeared frequently at the Edinburgh International Festival, culminating in 1996 in devising and participating in 'Scottish Fiddle Music', a five-concert series
surveying the tradition from 1600 to the present day. As a teacher he is best known through his commitment from
1978 to 2006 as a tutor at Stirling University's Scots Fiddle
Summer School. Author of The Caledonian Companion,
Alastair has also contributed to Scotland's musical life as co-founder (with Mary-Anne Alburger) and violinist with the chamber ensemble Kist of Musick (1978), founding partner in 1984 of music publishers The Hardie Press and founder of The Scottish Fiddle Society.
Donald Gillan has been a member of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra since
2007. Donald studied at the Royal College of Music where he won all the major cello prizes. After leaving the RCM, he won the Muriel Taylor Cello Prize which enabled him to
continue post-graduate study at the Royal Northern College of Music. Donald has enjoyed a varied career playing with many ensembles and orchestras. He has also written music
for theatre, recorded solo cello for film soundtracks and
played with numerous pop/folk groups and singers. Tours abroad have taken him as far as Japan, India, the U.S.A. and Montreal. In recent years Donald has become increasingly involved with SCO's education and outreach
department, Connect, making music with people of all ages from infants to
school children to elderly dementia patients. Donald plays on an English cello by Thomas Dodd c.1815.
John Kitchen is an Honorary Fellow in the Reid
School of Music. He is University Organist, Director of
the Edinburgh University Singers, and is involved with the Raymond Russell Collection of Early Keyboard Instruments at St Cecilia's Hall and Museum. John is also Director of Music at Old Saint Paul's Episcopal
Church and Edinburgh City Organist with duties at the Usher Hall. He gives many solo recitals both in the UK
and further afield, and also plays regularly with several ensembles, covering a wide range of musical styles. In
addition, he is much in demand as a continuo player, accompanist, lecturer, writer, adjudicator, reviewer and recording artist.
Sandy Brechin is one of Scotland`s best known
accordian player. Sandy has been touring all over the world for many years and he has been recorded on over one hundred albums on various labels. He is also a respected tutor at the National Centre of Excellence in Traditional Music in Plockton for many years.
Jimmy Johansson is a fiddler and an composer with big diversity. He has been composig both Swedish and Scottish folkmusic for almost 20 years. He has been touring over Scandinavia the last 15 years in different Folkband with roots both Scottish and Swedish Folkmusic.
Christopher Andersson Bång is a well known
Swedish folk musician. For many years he has been playing music from
Balkan, Ireland, Scotland, Sweden and Russia – he is a world music traveller.
On a concert with Sandy Brechin Trio you get invited to a world of smashing Scottish reels and jigs, with a touch of the intricately Swedish polska.
Music Videos:
Websites:
Dunkeld's own Hannah Fisher along with guitarist and Mull native, Sorren Maclean, have been touring as a duo for the past six years. Playing a mix of traditional & contemporary Scottish tunes, they incorporate a love of
bluegrass music having spent some time travelling and playing around America, Japan and Europe. Both play
with well known Scottish artists Karen Matheson and Dougie Maclean, to name
a few, and have recorded their own album and EPs within the past couple of years.
Lesley Thompson, a graduate in Music and Acoustics from
Southampton
University, has been performing and teaching traditional music in Scotland for 10 years. She has performed several times on STV and has worked as a session musician and with her bands, performing across the globe and at home in a variety of genres: Traditional, Classical, Bluegrass and Gypsy. She
composes and arranges Scottish fiddle tunes, and has competed at the highest level in Scots fiddle, featuring as a Glenfiddich finalist for 3 years 2011-2014
and being invited to championships across Scotland. Lesley plays fiddle, violin, viola, piano, bagpipes, whistle, mandolin and guitar.
Innes Watson, from Glasgow, is an award-winning multi-instrumentalist with over ten years of contemporary and traditional Scottish music performance,
recording, teaching and producing
experience. He
grew up in the Scottish Borders in very supportive
musical surroundings encouraging an extremely
eclectic mix of skills, abilities, interests and accolades
that combine to make Innes one of the most highly-regarded and sought-after musicians on the scene today.
Innes teaches at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (having graduated from there with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Scottish Music in 2006) and is a firm favourite for adult and youth learning organisations up and down the country. He has appeared on at least 24 albums released in Scotland in the last 15 years and
has worked with some of the most notable performers in the country. In 2011 he won the title of “Instrumentalist of the Year” at the MG Alba Scots Trad Music Awards.
A composer of fiddle tunes, string arrangements, guitar music, songs and
much more he is currently working on a whole host of exciting new projects to be released in the near future.
Waiting for biog information from artist.
Waiting for biog information from artist
Suzanne Fivey is a multi instrumentalist based in
Glasgow, specialising in Scottish traditional music on piano. She studied at the National Centre Of Excellence In Traditional Music in Plockton before
gaining a first class honours in Scottish Music at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. She released a
collection of compositions in 2013 including full arrangements for piano.
Suzanne has performed extensively with fiddler Ruairidh Macmillan, and her
current projects include 5-piece Scottish/Irish music and dance group "LAS".
Website: http://suzannescotsmusic.com
Multi-Genre violinist/fiddler Seán Heely is rapidly
emerging as one of the most creatively versatile and captivating young artists of his generation. Fiddle legend Liz Carroll calls Seán “One powerhouse of a fiddler.” A U.S. National Scottish Fiddle Champion (2016), award winning Irish fiddler, and a nationally awarded composer, Seán also has a degree in classical violin from the University of South Carolina.
He is a 2019 Artist-in-Residence at Strathmore Music Center. Recently, Seán was featured on the cover the Fiddler Magazine Winter Issue 2018 as well as an
interview article on Seán's journey to becoming one of the foremost young
performers of his generation. Currently based in Washington DC, Seán
performs locally with the bands Skylark and Glencoe Lads. He is a musical ambassador for the British Embassy Scottish Affairs Office and the St. Andrew’s Society of Washington. When Seán is not performing in the U.S and abroad, he teaches privately and at American University in D.C where he teaches fiddle and improvisation.
Website: https://www.seanheely.com/
Videos:
Website: https://www.pete-clark.com/
Website: https://blackfordfiddlegroup.org.uk/
Website:
The 17th Niel Gow festival will hopefully take place on the 18th to 20th March 2022 in the beautiful and historic Perthshire village of Dunkeld & Birnam, home of Niel Gow.
If you would like to make a donation to the Niel Gow Festival Fund please use the PayPal button below or see page Memorial for cheque donations:
Links:
New CD played on Niel Gow's fiddle - proceeds to Niel Gow memorial. Click on CD cover for ordering information.
All content © 2004 - 2022 Niel Gow Festival Society unless otherwise stated
Dates for your diary:
The 17th Niel Gow festival will hopefully be held on the 18th to 20th March 2022 in the beautiful and historic Perthshire village of Dunkeld & Birnam, home of Niel Gow.
If you would like to make a donation to the Niel Gow Memorial Fund please use the PayPal button above or see page Memorial for cheque donations:
Niel Gow Festival on Facebook
Links:
New CD played on Niel Gow's fiddle - proceeds to Niel Gow memorial. Click on CD cover for ordering information.
All content © 2004 - 2022 Niel Gow Festival Society unless otherwise stated
The bronze sculpture of Niel Gow is now proudly standing in Little Dunkeld at the intersection between Dunkeld and Birnam beside The Royal School. Thanks to everyone who over the years has contributed to this memorial.
HOW TO MAKE A DONATION
If you would like to make a donation to the Niel Gow Festival Fund, please use the paypal donate button in the left margin of this page.
Alternatively you can also send a cheque made payable to 'The Niel Gow Festival Society - Festival Account' - address below. If you are a UK taxpayer please consider making a Gift Aid Donation by completing and enclosing this form, which will enable the NGFS to claim an extra 25% from HRMC.
The Niel Gow Festival Society
Oakhill, Cuilc Brae,
Pitlochry, PH16 5QS
The Niel Gow Festival Society is a registered charity (No. SCO44610)
All content © 2004 - 2022 Niel Gow Festival Society unless otherwise stated
Pictures from the 2004 Niel Gow Festival
Click on picture for larger view.
DETAILS OF 2004 FESTIVAL
The 1st Annual Niel Gow Festival was held in Dunkeld & Birnam from March 19th - 21st 2004. Some of Scotland's finest fiddlers as well as other top Scottish musicians participated.
Some of the artists that performed:
Paul Anderson
The Blackford Fiddlers
Gregor Borland & Sandy Brechin
Celine Donoghue & Keith Easdale
Dunkeld & Birnam Reel & Strathspey Society
Sandie Forbes & Sandy Stanage
Iain Fraser
Angus Grant
Martin MacLeod, Jim Leighton,
Pete Clark & Christine Hanson
Charlie McKerron & Brian McAlpine
Karen Steven
Anna Wendy Stevenson
Click these thumbnails to view the concert details, and then click the Back button to return to this topic:
Friday Concert
Saturday Concert
Sunday Concert
2005
All content © 2004 - 2022 Niel Gow Festival Society unless otherwise stated
The 2nd Niel Gow festival was held In Dunkeld and Birnam between 18th - 20th March, 2005.
Some of Scotland's top fiddlers and other artistes were in attendance.
Artistes appearing at the 2005 festival were:
Alistair J. Hardie
Alistair McCulloch
Anna-Wendy Stevenson & Ronald Stevenson
Aonghais Grant
Brian McAlpine
Brian McNeill
Celine Donoghue
Chris Stout & Catriona Mackay
Dougie MacLean
Duncan Chisholm
Dunkeld & Birnam Strathspey & Reel Society
Gavin Marwick
Gordon Gunn
Gregor Borland
Iain Fraser
Jim Leighton
Karen Steven
Lori Watson
Marie Fielding
Paul Anderson
Pete Clark
Plockton School
Sandie Forbes
Sandy Brechin
Sandy Stanage
Simon Moran
Stuart Eydmann
The Blackford Fiddlers
Wendy Weatherby
FRIDAY 18th March
Venue………………
Event………….
Start & Finish Times…
Performers……..
ROYAL HOTEL, DUNKELD
Opening Concert
8-10pm
Solo fiddlers Concert
(20min each)
Simon Moran
Lori Watson
Gregor Borland
Celine Donoghue
SATURDAY 19th March
12.00
14.00
15.00
16.00
17.00
18.00
19.00
20.00
21.00
22.00
TIME
11.00
13.00
Fiddle
Iain Fraser
Fiddle
Marie Fielding
Fiddle
Paul Anderson
Session
……. TAYBANK ……
Fiddle
Greg Borland
Fiddle
Angus Grant
Banjo
Celine Donoghue
Pete Clark
& Friends
Gows & Mackintoshes
Concert
Accordion
Sandy Brechin
Dunkeld & Birnam
Strath. & Reel Soc.
Marie Fielding
Upstairs
Concert
Cello
Wendy Weatherby
Concert
Plockton School
Wendy Weatherby
Paul Anderson
Karen Steven Band
Gregor Borland
& Sandy Brechin
ROYAL HOTEL, DUNKELD …
note: change of venue!
Alistair Hardie
Angus Grant
Gaving Marwick
& Sandy Brechin
DALGUISE HALL …
Concert
Plockton School
Iain Fraser
Pete Clark
Karen Steven Band
SUNDAY 20th MARCH
TIME
……TAYBANK ……
BIRNAM HOUSE HOTEL
11.00
Fiddle
Alistair McCulloch
Guitar Accomp.
Sandy Stanage
12.00
Fiddle
Gordon Gunn
Piano
Accomp.
Brian McAlpine
Stuart Eydmann
13.00
14.00
15.00
16.00
17.00
18.00
19.00
20.00
21.00
22.00
Fiddle
Duncan Chisholm
Writing
Tunes
Brian McNeill
Talk - Irish tunes in the Gow Collections
Concert
Session
Sandie Forbes
& Sandy Stanage
Gordon Gunn
& Brian McAlpine
Duncan Chisholm
The Blackford Fiddlers
Alistair McCulloch
Session
Upstairs
Concert
Dougie MacLean
Brian McNeill
Chris Stout
&
Catriona Mackay
Ceilidh Dance
DUNKELD HILTON
Guided walk led by Pete Clark,
departing the Taybank at 11am
Recital
Anna Wendy Stevenson
&
Ronald Stevenson
All content © 2004 - 2022 Niel Gow Festival Society unless otherwise stated
Pictures from the 2006 Niel Gow Festival.
All pictures courtesy of Ken Houston
Click on the images to display full size.
For a full program of events click here
2006 artistes were:
Alistair McCulloch & Ross Thomson
Anna-Wendy Stevenson & Ronald Stevenson
Aonghais Grant Sen.
The Blackford Fiddlers
Christine Kydd & Just Singin'
Dougie MacLean & Band
Dunkeld & District Strathspey & Reel Society
Gavin Marwick & Bob Turner
Gordon Gunn & Brian McAlpine
Iain Fraser
Jenna Reid
Jimmy Johansson & Tuva Modeer
Marie Fielding
Paul Anderson
Pete Clark
Pupils of Plockton School
Ross Thomson
Sandie Forbes & Sandy Stanage
Simon & Daniel Moran
Simon Bradley
Wendy Weatherby, Stevie Lawrence
Also ..........
Display of fiddles, violas and 'cellos by Joseph I. Ross at the Taybank during the Festival
All content © 2004 - 2022 Niel Gow Festival Society unless otherwise stated
2007 Niel Gow Festival
All 2007 festival photos courtesy of Ken Houston
The 4th Niel Gow festival will be held In Dunkeld and Birnam, Perthshire, Scotland between 16th - 18th March, 2007.
The festival will include recitals, concerts, workshops and sessions and Ceilidh Dance.
For a full program of events click here
Artiste list:
Alistair McCulloch with Morag McAskill
Three times former Natinal Fiddle Champion, Alistair McCulloch is one of the busiest and best-known fiddlers in Scotland and is in constant demand as a performer, teacher, adjudicator and composer. He studied music at the University of Strathclyde where he graduated with first class honours in 1998.
As well as having a highly successful solo career, Alistair is lead fiddler in the band ‘Coila' and recently produced
the band's third album. His annual tour of the Scottish
Highlands has become an eagerly awaited event in the Scottish Music
calendar with his high energy concert performances and infectious humour.
Alitair has performed for Her Majesty the Queen at Balmoral is the fiddler on the
soundtrack of the hit BBC children's programme, Balamory.
Aonghais Grant Sen. with Paul Connolly
Well known left handed fiddler Aonghais Grant from Fort William is a regular performer at
the Niel Gow festival and we are very glad that he has agreed to perform for us in 2007 - his fourth festival!
Christine Kydd & Just Singin’ Birnam
Christine is one of Scotland's great singers. A renowned interpreter and champion of the Scots song tradition, she has performed and recorded with many others to produce some of Scotland's finest and often award-winning harmony vocal sounds. But at the heart of her musical life has always been the art of the solo singer, her powerful performances having graced the stage with the likes of Capercaillie, Christy Moore and the Tannahill Weavers.
Collaborations with the finest of musicians include work with master fiddler Alasdair Fraser, Andy Thorburn, Jack Evans, Norman Chalmers, Frankie Armstrong, Wendy Weatherby, Corrina Hewat, as soloist and ensemble member in the award-winning
concerts 'My Ain Countrie' and 'Burns and a' That', as well as Glasgow's Celtic Connections festival.
Douglas Lawrence with Maureen Rutherford
Douglas Lawrence hails from Buckie in Banffshire where he was born in 1957. He started playing the violin at the age of nine when given the instrument by his grandfather. At school he was
given violin tuition from Steve Merson, who then introduced him to Hector MacAndrew - one of the greatest exponents of Scottish fiddle playing. Douglas went on to become Hector's most distinguished pupil, winning every major fiddle competition,
including the International Gathering Of The Clans in 1977 and the Golden Fiddle in 1979.
Douglas excelled equally as a composer, his compositions winning at the Elgin, Banchory
and Kirriemuir festivals. "Arguably the finest performer of the music of the North East
today, Douglas is equally brilliant in interpreting the music of the bagpipe on violin.
Douglas Montgomery with Brian Cromarty
Douglas Montgomery is the fiddling half of great Orkney duo Saltfishforty - the other half is
singer guitarist Brian Cromarty . An internationally acclaimed fiddler, Douglas has toured
Scotland, USA and France with the Smoking Stone Band. His playing slides easily from gutsy tune to inspired counter melody. An itinerant fiddle teacher in Orkney for eight years, Douglas has released two albums and toured Canada with his pupils.
Duncan Dyker
Duncan Dyker is perhaps best-known locally as Leader of the Inverness Fiddlers, but is also a fine solo fiddler and member of local group Birl. He has been several times National
Mod champion. Although his playing is grounded in excellent teaching in both fiddle and
pipes in his home town of Huntly (he was a pupil of the late Bill Hardie) , his style is affirmatively Highland, as demonstrated in his new CD Collectors' Items. Duncan is also
an adjudicator, instructor and fiddle maker as well as a Principal Teacher of Computing.
Dunkeld & Birnam Strathspey & Reel Society
Dating back to circa 1940, the Dunkeld & District Strathspey & Reel Society have continued to perform at many local events throughout Perthshire for the last 60+ years.
Performing Traditional Scottish Music, our main aim is to contribute to the local entertainment calendar, while helping local groups and organisations to enjoy our music
while raising funds for their local community activities.
George Smith
From Aberlemno in Angus, George has been enjoying playing the fiddle since he was
nine. A
former junior fiddle champion, he has been successful
in Senior Open and Invitation Fiddle competitions,
including the Glenfiddich, where he was runner-up in 2005.
A second year violin student on the BMus Performance Course at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and
Drama in Glasgow, George is a member of the National
Youth Orchestra of Scotland and Camerata Scotland. He enjoys
playing traditional music very much and is looking forward to to taking part in this year’s Neil Gow Festival.
Iain Fraser & "TRAD"
Iain Fraser arrived later than some to the idea of performing but definitely made an
entrance with a
wonderfully engaging style on stage that blends
the passion of the tradition with the rythms of the dance.
Iain grew up surrounded by music and now tours regularly
throughout Scotland and North America with a large repertoire
that ranges from older 18th century tunes to new compositions inspired by his family and surroundings in his adopted home in the Scottish Borders.
James Gray
Born into a family actively involved in the local Scottish Country
Dance scene, James Gray grew up surrounded by a love of
Scottish music and
of five, initially being taught by his grandmother, who played for his parents' dance classes.
During the last 15 years, he has played as a solo musician at
dance schools in the US, Europe and New Zealand, and was the director of the first RSCDS youth school. The Host of the Air was his first ensemble release, which featured many of his compositions, and was widely acclaimed as the most innovative Scottish Country Dance CD to date. In December 2006 he
culture. He started piano lessons at the age
released his first solo piano album Piano Dance.
He currently plays in the dance bands Scottish Measure and Rantin' Rovin' Reelin', and in a duo with Keith Smith. Scottish Measure released its first CD, a first dram in 2002. Rantin' Rovin' Reelin' has been well received for its new and exciting sound in Europe and also at the show 'Dancing Forth' in the 2004 and 2005 Edinburgh Fringe Festivals. James's accompaniment style is very suited to the fiddle and hence it is no surprise that he and Keith Smith are in great demand as a duo.
Outside of dancing, James also plays with champion Scottish fiddler Gregor Borland and
on the accordion with the folkie collective Bothy Tam's Vintage Steam Engine Rally. James
features on Gregor Borland's CD Bowstroke, which was released in September 2006.
Marie Fielding with Finlay Macdonald & Kevin Mackenzie
Marie Fielding has been playing the fiddle since the age of 9.
Born in Edinburgh 1967, she was given her first fiddle from a family friend Margaret Lawson, violinist with the R.S.N.O. Marie
taught herself to play until lessons became available at school.
Although she initially studied classical violin, her passion was traditional music.
Marie began playing professionally at the age of 15 with her
brother Owen and Craig McCallum, playing at ceilidhs, concerts and Irish dance classes. At 17, Marie joined Jim Johnstone and
his band and travelled all over Scotland and abroad for 12 years. During this time, she began to write her own tunes. A lot of the influences came from pipe music and gaelic song. Marie has composed over 40 tunes and plans to release a book of her compositions later in the year.
Marie has also performed with John Carmichael, Neil Barron
Band, Black Rose Ceilidh Band, Fiddlers Five, Maggie MacInnis, Manus Mcguire, Finlay
MacDonald Band, Phil Cunningham, Bobby MacLeod, Robert MacLeod,Tom Orr and
many more. As well as recording more than 30 albums, countless radio programmes and T.V, Marie has performed at Fiddle 2004, Neil Gow Festival 2005 & 2006, Celtic Connections, Burns and Gaels Tour, Shetland Festival, Mull Festival and at many Folk Festivals over the years.
Patsy Reid
Patsy Reid is from Knapp in Perthshire and despite her young age, she has a great amount of experience in performing and teaching both traditional and classical music. She
remains the youngest
Glenfiddich Fiddle Championship and released her debut solo album “With Complements” in 2002. At 17, Patsy
was a finalist in the original BBC Young Traditional Musician of the
Year Award and is now a member of the band Breabach who
won a Danny Kyle Award at Celtic Connections 2005. Breabach have recently recorded their debut album with well-
ever winner of the prestigious
known producer Donald Shaw, which is due to be released in
recently been nominated for best Up and Coming Artist at the Scots Trad Music Awards 2006.
November 2006 by Vertical Records. The band has also
Patsy graduated form Strathclyde University in 2004 with a 1st class Honours BA degree in Applied Music, specialising in performance and album production. She continued her studies in Manchester at the Royal Northern College of Music and after two years gained
a Post Graduate Certicicate of Education with Specialist String Teaching and a Post Graduate Diploma in Violin Performance.
Patsy is a tutor at the award-winning Taransay Fiddle Camp and Alasdair Fraser's fiddle course @ Sabhal Mohr Ostaig. Despite a busy schedule of performing and teaching, she also teaches music full time at Kingussie High School.
Pete Clark with Wendy Weatherby & Jim Leighton
Pete now lives in Perthshire not far from the birth places of Niel
Gow and Robert Mackintosh. The beautiful Perthshire landscape has been the inspiration for many of Pete's compositions to be found on two great Scottish fiddle CDs - The Birnam Oak and Sycamore.
Pete's debut CD 'Fiddle Case' was chosen as one of 1996's albums of the year on BBC Scotland's 'Travelling Folk'. His top
selling CD 'Even Now' features the music of Niel Gow whilst 'Mackintosh at Murthly' features the compositions of Robert Mackintosh. His new album 'Now & Then' showcases some of Pete's compositions alongside a few gems from those of the
great Scottish fiddle composers, Niel Gow, Willam Marshall and James Scott Skinner.
In addition to his highly successful solo career, Pete has been a member of several notable bands including Heritage and Smeddum and is currently a member of the highly successful Benachally Ceilidh Band and the Niel Gow Ensemble.
Ross Thomson with Mark Duff
Ross Thomson, winner of the Glenfiddich Fiddle Championship for 2004, with ex Capercaillie whistle player Mark Duff.
Sarah Stuart with Oliver Hamilton
Sarah is a freelance performer and tutor based in Manchester, and is a graduate of the
Royal Northern College of Music and the University of Manchester. She maintains a high
level of musical versatility, performing professionally both as a
fiddler and percussionist.
She is the first student to study folk music at the RNCM at postgraduate level, where she is taught by Catriona
Macdonald. Sarah plays with The Maerlock, fast emerging as one of the UK's top new folk bands. Other highlights from her
diverse performing career include playing percussion with The Hallé Orchestra, appearing as a soloist with the
New English Orchestra, and playing fiddle with a trio for
Music in Hospitals. She is also the Artistic Director for Manchester Ceilidh.
Olly is an extremely versatile musician and pianist. In
addition to his work with The Maerlock and Sarah Stuart he
also performs frequently as part of a duo on the Live Music Now programme, and with the notorious ‘The
Good The Bad And The Funky.’ As a jazz pianist he has performed with
Andy Sheppard, Bob Mintzer and Matthew Herbert, and as a
classical musician he has worked as an accompanist for the Hallé Youth Ensembles and the Northern Ballet School. An avid arranger, Olly initiated and directed the adventurous jazz-folk crossover project The Maerlock Big Band, a funk-ceilidh experience truly like no other. Olly is a Masters graduate of the RNCM.
Tayside Young Fiddlers
Tayside Young Fiddlers - a band of young people with a shared enthusiasm for traditional, mainly Scottish, fiddle music.
Based in Dundee, on the sunny east coast of Scotland, they welcome members from all around the hinterland of Angus, Perth & Kinross and Northeast Fife.
Wendy Weatherby with James Ross
Since graduating from the RSAMD in 1983, Wendy’s interest in jazz and folk music has
led her to play
and sing at festivals throughout the UK, Europe,
the USA and the former Soviet Union.
She has worked and recorded with many top Scottish musicians
including Hamish Moore, Billy Jackson, The Pearlfishers,
Michael Marra and Phil Cunningham and has two solo albums to her credit.
Wendy has hosted many workshops in both cello and singing.
She is regularly featured in Dr Fred Freeman’s illustrated lectures on Robert Burns, performing alongside Marc Duff (ex-
Capercaillie) and John Morran (Deaf Shepherd) and is in
demand as singer and cellist at events worldwide.
Pictures from the 2008 Niel Gow Festival held between 14th-16th March
All 2008 festival pictures courtesy of Ken Houston
2008 Festival Program
All content © 2004 - 2022 Niel Gow Festival Society unless otherwise stated
Pictures from the 2009 Niel Gow Festival held between 20th-22nd March
Click on pictures to enlarge
All 2009 festival pictures courtesy of Ken Houston
Click on images below for program details:
Note: the Friday night concert night will be held in the Birnam Institute and not the Royal as advertised.
All content © 2004 - 2022 Niel Gow Festival Society unless otherwise stated
The 2010 Niel Gow Festival was held in Dunkeld & Birnam, home of Niel Gow.
On 19th - 21st March 2010
Click on images below for program details and star studded performer list:
All content © 2004 - 2022 Niel Gow Festival Society unless otherwise stated
Pictures from the 8th Niel Gow Festival held between 18th to 20th March 2011.
click on pictures to enlarge
All 2011 festival pictures courtesy of Ken Houston
All content © 2004 - 2022 Niel Gow Festival Society unless otherwise stated
Dates for your diary:
The 17th Niel Gow festival will be held from 20th - 22nd March 2020 in the beautiful and historic Perthshire
village of Dunkeld & Birnam, home of Niel Gow.
If you would like to make a donation to the Niel Gow Memorial Fund please use the PayPal button below or
see page Memorial for cheque donations:
Links:
New CD played on Niel Gow's fiddle - proceeds to Niel
Gow memorial. Click on CD cover for ordering information.
The 9th Niel Gow Scottish Fiddle Festival will be held in Dunkeld on 16th to 18th March 2012.
Click on pictures for program details
Performing at the 2012 Festival will be:
Kristan Harvey (Young
Trad 2011 Winner)
Patricia Mullan
Maurice Duncan
Duncan Wood & Cathal McConnell
Aonghas Grant & Paul Connolly
Jenna & Bethany Reid
& Kevin MacKenzie
Wendy Weatherby
Ryan Young
Breadalbane Academy
Dunkeld & District Strathspey & Reel Society
Nicola Auchnie & Mo Rutherford
Pete Clark & Ron Shaw
Philomusica of
Edinburgh
Corran Raa
All content © 2004 - 2022 Niel Gow Festival Society unless otherwise stated
Dates for your diary:
The 17th Niel Gow festival will be held from 20th - 22nd March 2020 in the beautiful and historic Perthshire village of Dunkeld &
Birnam, home of Niel Gow.
If you would like to make a donation to the Niel Gow Memorial Fund please use the PayPal button below or see page
Memorial for cheque donations:
Links:
New CD played on Niel Gow's fiddle - proceeds to Niel Gow memorial. Click on CD cover for ordering information.
All content © 2004 - 2022 Niel Gow Festival Society unless otherwise stated
Details for the the 10th Niel Gow Scottish Fiddle Festival
to be held in Dunkeld, Scotland from 22nd to 24th March 2013.
DATE
TIME / EVENT
VENUE
PERFORMERS
Fri. 22nd
March
From 3pm:
Session
8-10pm
Solo Concert
The Taybank
The Royal Hotel
Suzanne’s Session
All welcome!
Iain Fraser
Lesley Thomson
Alastair Savage
Stewart Hardy
Sat. 23d March
2.30-5.00pm
Concert
11am –12noon
Recital
12.45 -1.30pm
Recital
1.30-2pm
Discussion
The Chapel,
Murthly Castle
The Duchess Anne
The Duchess Anne
The Duchess Anne
8-10pm
Concert
The Duchess Anne
Pete Clark & Ron Shaw
The Hardie Family Ensemble:
(Alastair J. Hardie & Janet Hardie (vln), Frances Hardie (vla), James Hardie (keyboard)
Charlie Gore & Alastair J. Hardie
The Life & Legacy of
Nathaniel Gow
Ryan Young & Leo Forde
Hannah Fisher + Jen Austin
Suzanne Houston, Rua MacMillan & Adam Brown
Stewart Hardy + Frank McLaughlin
Aonghas Grant &
Paul Connolly
Maurice Duncan &
Maureen Rutherford
Gillian Frame & Findlay Napier
Gemma Donald & Robert Black
Sun. 24th
March
2.30-5.00pm
The Garden Room:
The Hilton Dunkeld House
Dunkeld & District
Strathspey & Reel Society
The Royal Conservatoire
of Scotland Junior School
Patsy Reid & Mhairi Hall
from 6pm:
Survivors’ Session!
The Taybank
All welcome!
WORKSHOPS
All workshops are held upstairs at THE TAYBANK
Fiddle
Date
Time
Tutor
Sat. 23d March
10.30
Stewart Hardy
11.45
Lesley Thomson
13.00
Alastair Savage
Sun. 24th
March
10.30
Gemma Donald
11.45
Aonghas Grant
13.00
Patsy Reid
Miscellaneous
Date
Time
Tutor
Sat. 23d March
10.45
Frank McLaughlin (guitar)
12.00
Ian Ross - Fiddlemaker
13.15
Ron Shaw (‘cello)
Sun. 24th
March
10.45
Findlay Napier (guitar)
12.00
Paul Connolly (melodeon)
13.15
Ian Ross - Fiddlemaker
The Big Trees Walk (Saturday 12.30 -1.30pm approx) led by David Martin
The Niel Gow Walk (Sunday 11am - 2pm approx) led by Pete Clark
(For both walks, meet outside the Taybank.)
Dates for your diary:
The 17th Niel Gow festival will be held from 20th - 22nd March 2020 in the beautiful and historic Perthshire village
of Dunkeld & Birnam, home of Niel Gow.
If you would like to make a donation to the Niel Gow Memorial Fund please use the PayPal button below or see
page Memorial for cheque donations:
Links:
New CD played on Niel Gow's fiddle - proceeds to Niel Gow memorial. Click on CD cover for ordering information.
All content © 2004 - 2022 Niel Gow Festival Society unless otherwise stated
Details of the 11th Niel Gow Scottish Fiddle Festival.
NIEL GOW FESTIVAL 2014 PROGRAMME
Friday 21st March
Solo Fiddles Concert
The Royal Dunkeld Hotel
8pm -10pm
Robyn Gray (Ayrshire)
Charlie Stewart (Glenfarg)
Brendan Hendry (Ireland)
Jimmy Johannsen & Tuva Modeer (Sweden)
Saturday 22nd March
Recital
Open Stage
Concert
Concert
The Chapel, Murthly Castle
Birnam Institute
Birnam Institute
Birnam Institute
11am-12noon
11am – 1.30pm
2.30pm -5pm
8pm -10pm
Pete Clark
&
Ron Shaw
Breadalbane
Academy
Fiddlers
Followed by
OPEN STAGE
An opportunity for whoever wants to play a 10 minute spot!
The Tayside Young Fiddlers
Eilidh Shaw
&
Ross Martin
Wendy
Weatherby
&
Sandy Brechin
The Fochabers Fiddlers
Alistair
Savage
&
Euan Drysdale
Jimmy Johannsen Trio
Daniel
Thorpe
&
Innes Watson
George
Futter
&
Jim Thornton
Sunday 23d March
Concert
The Birnam Institute
2.30pm -5pm
Dunkeld & District Strathspey & Reel Society
Syltkoren & Sandvikens Spelmanslag
The Fiona Hamilton Trio
Rua MacMillan & Suzanne Houston
All concerts £10 (Schoolchildren £5)
WORKSHOPS (upstairs at THE TAYBANK) £5 per workshop (all workshops 1 hour)
FIDDLE
Date
Time
Tutors
Sat. 22nd March
10.30
Jimmy Johansson & Tuva Modeer
11.45
Eilidh Shaw
13.00
Daniel Thorpe
Sun. 23d March
10.30
Alistair Savage
11.45
George Futter
13.00
Rua MacMillan
OTHER INSTRUMENTS
Sat. 22nd March
Sun. 23d March
10.45
Wendy Weatherby (‘cello)
12.00
Ross Martin (guitar)
13.15
Ron Shaw (‘cello)
10.45
Euan Drysdale (guitar)
12.00
Jim Thornton (guitar)
13.15
Suzanne Houston (piano)
Dates for your diary:
The 17th Niel Gow festival will be held from 20th - 22nd March 2020 in the beautiful and historic Perthshire village of Dunkeld & Birnam, home of Niel Gow.
If you would like to make a donation to the Niel Gow Memorial Fund please use the PayPal button below or
see page Memorial for cheque donations:
Links:
New CD played on Niel Gow's fiddle - proceeds to Niel Gow memorial. Click on CD cover for ordering information.
All content © 2004 - 2022 Niel Gow Festival Society unless otherwise stated
THE 12th NIEL GOW FESTIVAL 2015 PROGRAMME
All tickets for sale from Birnam Institute.
Opening session at the Taybank (from 3pm) led by Suzanne Houston & Rua MacMillan
Fri. 20th March
Sat. 21st March
Sun. 22nd March
Concert
Recital
Open Stage
Concert
Concert
Concert
The
Royal Dunkeld Hotel
The
Music
Room, Murthly
Castle
Birnam Institute
Birnam Institute
Birnam Institute
Birnam Institute
8pm -10pm
11am-12noon
11am – 1.30pm
2.30pm -5pm
7.30pm -10pm
2.30pm -5pm
Liam Manion
& Friends
Followed by
OPEN STAGE
Whoever wants to play a 10 minute spot!
Admission prices:
Saturday night £15 (Under 16s £7.50)
All other concerts £10 (Under 16s £5)
Workshops £10
Saturday 21st March, 11am from the Taybank - THE BIG TREES WALK – with David Martin
Sunday 22nd March, 11am from the Taybank - THE NIEL GOW WALK – with Pete Clark
WORKSHOPS (at THE BIRNAM INSTITUTE)
£10 per workshop (all workshops 1 hour)
SATURDAY 21ST MARCH
Date
Time
Tutors
FIDDLE
Saturday 21st
March
10.30
Ruairidh MacMillan
11.45
Ross Couper
13.00
Brendan Hendry
OTHER INSTRUMENTS
Saturday 21st
March
10.45
Sandy Brechin (accordion)
12.00
Tom Oakes (guitar)
13.15
Johnny Toman (guitar)
SUNDAY 22ND MARCH
Date
FIDDLE
Sunday 22nd March
OTHER INSTRUMENTS
Sunday 22nd March
Time
Tutors
10.30
Jenna Reid
11.45
Kristan Harvey
13.00
Bruce MacGregor
10.45
Anna Massey (guitar)
12.00
Angus Lyon (accordion)
Dates for your diary:
The 17th Niel Gow festival will be held from 20th - 22nd March 2020 in the beautiful and historic
Perthshire village of Dunkeld &
Birnam, home of Niel Gow.
If you would like to make a donation to the Niel Gow Memorial Fund please use the PayPal button below
or see page Memorial for cheque donations:
Links:
New CD played on Niel Gow's fiddle
- proceeds to Niel Gow memorial. Click on CD cover for ordering information.
All content © 2004 - 2022 Niel Gow Festival Society unless otherwise stated
Click on the pictures to enlarge.
THE NIEL GOW FESTIVAL 2016 - PROGRAMME
Opening session at the Taybank from 3pm.
Fri. 18th
March
Sat. 19th March
Sun. 20th March
Concert
Recital
Open Stage
Concert
Concert
Concert
The Royal Dunkeld Hotel
The Music Room, Murthly Castle
Birnam Institute
Birnam Institute
Birnam Institute
Birnam Institute
8pm -10pm
11am-12noon
11am – 1.30pm
2.30pm -5pm
8.00pm -10pm
2.30pm -5pm
Pete Clark
&
Ron Shaw
OPEN STAGE
Whoever wants to play a 10 minute spot!
Matthews & Jim Nichol
Quintet (Eddie Maguire, Euan Drysdale, Ewan Robertson & Ian Crawford)
Gordon Gunn & Brian McAlpine
Houston & “Las”
Admission prices:
All concerts £12 (Under 16s £6)
Workshops £10
Walks – FREE (donations gratefully received)
THE BIG TREES WALK – with David Martin - Saturday 19th March, 11am from the Taybank
THE NIEL GOW WALK – with Pete Clark - Sunday 20th March, 11am from the Taybank
WORKSHOPS: upstairs rooms at THE BIRNAM INSTITUTE.
Cost £10 per workshop (£5 under-16s). Max. 15 persons per class.
Time
Tutor
Time
Tutor
Saturday
19th
March
(Fiddle)
10.30
11.45
13.00
March
Roddy Matthews
(Misc.)
Gordon Gunn
Bernadette Kellerman
Saturday
19th
10.45
Edel Ni Churraoin
(button accordion)
12.00
Wendy Weatherby (‘cello)
13.15
Steve Burnett Talk –
Violin Making & The Wilfred Owen Violin
Sunday 20th March
(Fiddle)
10.30
11.45
13.00
20th
Douglas Lawrence
March
(Misc.)
Marie Fielding
Alistair Savage
Sunday
10.45
Suzanne Houston (keyboard)
12.00
Eddie Maguire &
Ewan Robertson (flute & whistle)
13.15
Tom Orr (accordion/keyboard)
Dates for your diary:
The 17th Niel Gow festival will be held from 20th - 22nd March 2020 in the beautiful and historic Perthshire village of Dunkeld & Birnam, home of Niel Gow.
If you would like to make a donation to the Niel Gow Memorial Fund please use the PayPal button below or
see page Memorial for cheque donations:
Links:
New CD played on Niel Gow's fiddle - proceeds to Niel Gow memorial. Click on CD cover for ordering information.
All content © 2004 - 2022 Niel Gow Festival Society unless otherwise stated
NIEL GOW FESTIVAL 2017
The 14th Annual Niel Gow Festival will be held over the weekend of March
17th-19th. Based at Birnam Arts, this music extravaganza brings together not
only fiddle players professional and amateur, but also fiddle makers, music publishers and fiddle fans from all over Scotland and beyond.
Instigated in order to raise funds for a memorial to 18th century fiddler Niel Gow of Inver, the
festival has itself become a living tribute to Dunkeld and Birnam's local hero (who incuded Robert Burns amongst his fans).
Guest artistes this year will be travelling from far and wide, and include the
Wrigley Sisters from Orkney, masters of the Donegal fiddle tradition Caoimhin Macaoidh and Peter Campbell and, making a return visit, Northumberland's Roddy Mathews. Home grown talents include Alastair McCulloch from Ayr, west highland fiddler Archie Mcallister from Argyll and Birnam's own Karys Watt.
Festival director and local hero Pete Clark will also be appearing over the
weekend, in the company of friends including 'cellist Ron Shaw and pianist extraordinaire Muriel Johnstone.
Young fiddlers are always welcome and, on the Saturday morning of the festival, the main stage at Birnam Arts will be given over to fiddlers from Perthshire schools. In recent years, the Dunkeld & District Strathspey & Reel Society has gone from strength to strength and, in keeping with what has become tradition, they will kick off the Sunday afternoon concert which brings the weekend's music to a close.
Many of the performers (fiddlers AND accompanists) give workshops as part of
their contribution to the weekend - an opportunity that budding traditional musicians should try not to miss!
With guided walks and spontaneous music sessions, the weekend is bound to draw a crowd, so book early to avoid disappointment! Tickets will go on sale 6th February 2017 from Birnam Arts.
Tickets will be on sale from Birnam Arts from Monday 6th February 2017
PROGRAMME
Friday at 1.45pm: The Royal School musical afternoon (NB this is a
private event)
Presented by Karys Watt, David MacFarlane and Pete Clark
Followed by Open Session at the Taybank from 3pm
Fri. 17th
March
Sat. 18th March
Sun. 19th March
The Royal Dunkeld Hotel
Little Dunkeld
Church
Birnam Arts
Birnam Arts
Birnam Arts
Birnam Arts
8pm -10pm
11am-12noon
11am – 1.30pm
2.30pm -5pm
8.00pm -10pm
2.30pm -5pm
SOLO FIDDLE CONCERT
SCHOOLS
ON STAGE
Hosted by Liam Manion
Fiddle / trad. music groups
from
Perthshire schools
Admission prices:
All concerts £15 (Under 16s £7)
Workshops £8 (Under 16s £5)
Walks –The guided walks are FREE, but donations gratefully received!
THE BIG TREES WALK – with David Martin Saturday 18th March, 11am from the Taybank
THE NIEL GOW WALK – with Pete Clark Sunday 19th March, 11am from the Taybank
Workshops
Time
Tutor
Saturday
18th March
(Fiddle)
Saturday th
18
March
(Misc.)
Sunday
19th
March
(Fiddle)
10.30
Caoimhin MacCaoidh
11.45
Roddy Matthews
13.00
Hannah Fisher
Sunday
19th
March
(Misc.)
12.00
although the main focus will be on tune playing instruments like fiddle, whistle.
10.45
Dave Ford (mixed
instruments / group work)
Harmony Workshop: This workshop aims to make musicians more confident at harmonising particularly at a session. Harmony not only adds colour & texture to the tune, but allows you play along with
tunes you're yet to learn. Harmony lines are often far
easier to play than the tune itself. Bring any instrument to
this mixed instrument class
13.15
Iain Anderson (accordion)
Liam Manion
(mixed instruments / group work)
Alistair McCulloch hails from Ayr in Scotland and is one of the country's best known fiddle
performers, teachers and composers. Past winner of many fiddle championships, Alistair is a fiddle instructor at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.
The Alistair McCulloch Trio featuring Aaron Jones of Old Blind Dogs, and whistle wizard
Marc Duff, regularly tours and Alistair is also a long standing member of the well known ceilidh band Coila and the Iain Cathcart Scottish Dance Band. Recently he has toured in
Australia and New Zealand with Australian fiddle champion Catherine Fraser and in the USA with guitarist Eamon Sefton.
To date Alistair has performed in over 20 countries, also including China, Kazakhstan,
Qatar, Nigeria, Venezuela, Canada and throughout Europe. To date, he has released three solo albums, most recently 'Four Seasons in One Day' – says the Scotsman "As the
mountain of fiddle CDs rises even higher, this one can climb straight to the summit ridge".
His latest music book the 'Alistair McCulloch Collection Volume 2' was recently published.
Commissions have included a suite for William Grant & sons of Glenfiddich whisky and an
orchestral score to celebrate the visit of the Olympic torch to southern Scotland.
Alistair is musical director of the dynamic young group 'Innovation' and was formerly a soloist with the Scottish Fiddle Orchestra. His playing style is driving and precise, described by the Living Tradition as "fresh, fiery and full of fun".
Alistair is an enthusiastic and inspirational teacher and has recently been invited to tutor at the Swannanoa Gathering
Celtic Week in North Carolina, the Southern Hemisphere International School of Scottish Fiddling in New Zealand,
Pinewoods Dance Camp in Massachusetts and Boston Harbor Fiddle School.
"This collection confirms him as one of the finest
fiddlers and composers of his generation" - Living Tradition
envelope" - Scots Magazine
"a tremendous first album from an outstanding musician" - Folk Roots
"a second collection that showcases a master of his instrument taking its capabilities to the edge of the
Archie McAllister is a West Coast style fiddler with influences from pipe music and also from the North East fiddle style which he played since he started.
He plays and has recorded with many different bands from both the folk and dance band
scene; these include Skipinnish, Ross Kennedy and the Jura Ceilidh Band. He continues to play in different line-ups and also teaches fiddle in Lochgilphead. Sileas Sinclair will join
him on piano and accordion.
Multi-instrumentalist Dave J Ford has been fronting Funkeilidh for over 10 years. Yet he rarely finds himself playing the tune, always drawn to the more subtle lines which add spice to the band sound.
Festival director and local hero Pete Clark will also be appearing over the weekend, in the
company of friends including 'cellist Ron Shaw and pianist extraordinaire Muriel Johnstone.
Roddy Matthews is a very well known fiddle player both at home in Northumberland and
throughout Scotland. He comes from a musical family; his father was personal piper to the Duke of Northumberland and his mother was National Convenor of Commun na Clarsach (Scottish harp society) and co-founder (with her clarsach colleagues) of the Edinburgh
International Harp Festival.
At the age of eight he received his first fiddle as a gift from Jack Armstrong of "Barnstormers" fame but was massively inspired at the age of ten when he first heard Farquhar Macrae at Lochailort in the western highlands.
The love of west highland music along with Northumbrian tradition has never left him. Further inspiration has come from his many trips to The Shetland Isles and players like Bryan Gear. Roddy's slow airs are both sensitive and haunting, and his hornpipes full of
local flavour which contribute to his superb wider style.
Roddy has played for a number of well known Scottish Dance Bands and broadcast for
the BBC with both Gary Forrest and Robert Whitehead on 'Take the Floor.' He has also
appeared solo on several occasions on 'The Reel Blend' and in recent days on the growing internet Scottish music
radio channels.
Sìleas Sinclair is from Connel, near Oban in Argyll, and has followed her dad‘s footsteps
into the traditional dance music scene. Playing both accordion and piano and being
brought up in the lively West Coast cèilidh dance culture, Sìleas has also been very much
influenced by the native Gaelic scene around her. Conducting the Oban Gaelic Choir who
have recently returned from performing in Verona, Italy, running the Oban High School
Traditional School of Music, teaching music privately and playing with her own cèilidh band – “Drams Allowed” - keeps Sìleas busy, not to mention having the privilege to play with great traditional artists such as Archie MacAllister, Rachel Walker, Skipinnish and
others regularly.
Caoimhin MacAoidh is a Donegal fiddler and scholar. During his youth he had much opportunity to learn from and play with many of the greats of Donegal fiddle playing including John Doherty, Danny O’Donnell, Francie Dearg O’Beirn, Con Cassidy, the Campbells and many others. He has written and broadcast profusely on the Donegal tradition. His
extensive work documenting the strong linkeages between the Scottish Strathspey repertoire forming the basis for the
Donegal Highlands repertoire resulted in the publication of a major collection which he will expand upon during the weekend. In recent times he has been performing in duet with Peter Campbell and focussing on the repertoire played
by the older generations at house dances in Donegal. He is the founder of World Fiddle Day and has recently completed a commissioned suite for solo uilleann pipes commemorating the life and achievements of Eamonn
Ceannt, one of the leaders of the 1916 Rising, an uilleann piper and an Irish language activist. His works can be accessed at
www.ceoteo.net. Information on World Fiddle Day can be accessed at www.worldfiddleday.com
(Disappointing news that Peter Campbell can't be with us for the festival, owing to an illness in the family. We
wish him well.)
Peter Campbell comes from one of the great families of Donegal fiddle playing. His grandfather, Peadar, was a renowned house dance player in the Croaghs Mountains in the central Donegal Gaeltacht. He played regular host to the legendary Doherty brothers, most notably Mickey and John. In the Campbell household Peadar's
sons Jimmy, Vincent and Columba learned directly from the Dohertys and all of the other gifted local fiddlers who flourished in the
area. Peter's father, Jimmy and uncles Vincent and Columba have been major influences on his playing and echoes of
the Doherty's music can be clearly heard in Peter's dynamic performances. Peter is a regular performer at sessions and festivals throughout Donegal and wider afield. He also partners Caoimhin Mac Aoidh in the duet known as "Fiddle Cases". .
For over three decades this talented twosome have been household names in the global traditional mu-sic scene. The unique tuned tones of twin sisters’ Jennifer (fiddle) and
Hazel (guitar and piano) is augmented with soft spoken stories and imbued with a see-saw mischievous Scottish dialect. Rooted in the ancient isles of Orkney off the far north of
Britain their music has been described as a dancing dialect of “songs without words” and
has been wooing and enchanting audiences from Bergen to Brisbane to critical acclaim.
The Wrigley Sisters are unquestionably regarded as at the forefront of Orkneys’ incredible yet quietly confident rise to fame.
The Wrigley Sisters already maintain a well established and internationally acclaimed reputation and can ably demonstrate an extensive understanding, knowledge and wide
experience of local, national and international cultural com-munities. Indeed they are unquestionably two of a number of high profile cultural and creative arts ‘ambassadors’ to emanate from, or to be associated with, the islands over recent times and are clearly
appreciated as such within their home community.
They originally started performing together as a formal duo in 1987 and since then have
risen in international prominence. During this time they have recorded six acclaimed
albums, undertaken three world tours, visited forty seven countries (including sixteen trans-Atlantic trips) and appeared in countless television and radio productions.
They have undertaken many musical and education related initiatives and collaborations, several with internationally
renowned artists such as Evelyn Glennie. In addition they have also undertaken and delivered extensive teaching and music workshop initiatives throughout the world.
Over and above their international teaching demands, they have also tutored extensively at home in Orkney – a
commitment and dedication shortly to ‘celebrate’ its 20th year.
The sisters were extensively involved in ‘Live Music Now’ – a tutorial initiative who’s patrons are Yehudi Menuhin and Prince Charles. Indeed Prince Charles himself was a member of the audience when the sisters appeared at London’s
Barbican Centre in 1997 to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the ‘Live Music Now’ initiative. The initiative is primarily
aimed at positively impacting upon the lives of disadvantaged members of communities, including the disabled and the
elderly among many others. Their work in this respect also took them to prisons, care homes and many other
such establishments.
Over the years the sisters have won a number of national and international awards, with Jennifer Wrigley herself a
past winner of the BBC Young Tradition Award, the UK’s premier accolade for emerging folk music talent.
Hazel Wrigley is an outstanding world class Guitarist and Piano accompanist. As a mostly self-taught player her early
influences came from local Orcadian players who passed on decades of experience in the aural tradition. She was a
dear friend to Shetland guitarist ‘Peerie Willie Johnson’ who mentored her from a young age and with whom she has a
strong musical affiliation. Her long line of outstanding students, many of whom are coming the fore internationally as
great players in their own right, only increase demand for her at the ‘Wrigley Sisters School of Music at The
Reel’ Kirkwall. A long waiting list for lessons at home is a reflection of her popularity and this is an extremely rare opportunity
to grab some tips and hints from a true accompanying master out with her homeland.
The Scotsman – ‘Hazel’s jazzy, mischievous, strongly rhythmic accompaniments’
Jennifer Wrigley is highly respected globally not only as a world class fiddler but as an ambassador for
traditional Orkney music. She is internationally recognised as one of the leading fiddle players and composers to come out of
Scotland in recent years; influencing and inspiring players all around the world. Her style reflects ages of
musicianship that has been passed down aurally from her heroes including players from her Scandinavian influenced homeland of the Orkney Islands. It is rare to find such an advanced player with the understanding of
a true traditional fiddle style who can also teach to the highest technical standard – anyone who wants to improve technique or their general understanding in the fiddle should not miss this workshop.
Glasgow Herald – ‘Jennifer's multifaceted fiddling - ranging from coquettish twists to full-blooded expression-as well as
her consistently high-quality tunesmithery’
Dates for your diary:
The 17th Niel Gow festival will be held from 20th - 22nd March 2020 in the beautiful and historic Perthshire village of Dunkeld & Birnam, home of Niel Gow.
If you would like to make a donation to the Niel Gow Memorial Fund please use the PayPal button below or
see page Memorial for cheque donations:
Links:
New CD played on Niel Gow's fiddle - proceeds to Niel Gow memorial. Click on CD cover for ordering information.
All content © 2004 - 2022 Niel Gow Festival Society unless otherwise stated
PROGRAMME
Tickets available now from Birnam Arts
Press release available here.
Festival Programme for Printing
Pictures for sale by sealed bid at festival - proceeds to Niel Gow Festival Memorial Fund
Programme Details:
Friday at 1.45pm: The Royal School musical afternoon (NB this is a private event) presented by Karys Watt & David MacFarlane.
Followed by an Open Session at the the Tap (The Birnam Inn) from 3pm.
Fri. 16th
March
Sat. 17th March
Sun. 18th
March
The
Royal Dunkeld Hotel
Little Dunkeld Church
Birnam
Institute
Birnam Institute
Birnam
Institute
Birnam
Institute
8pm –10pm
11am - 12noon
12.30 – 2.00pm
2.30pm – 5pm
7.30pm – 10pm
2.30pm – 5pm
SOLO FIDDLE CONCERT
Tickets
£15.00
And
£5.00
(Under-18s)
YOUNG FIDDLERS
Strathallan School
Ardvreck School
All tickets £5.00
CONCERT
Tickets
£15.00
And
£5.00
(Under-18s)
THE NIEL GOW FESTIVAL 2018 – WORKSHOPS AT THE BIRNAM INSTITUTE
Time
Tutor
Saturday
17th March
(Fiddle)
Saturday 17
th March
(Misc.)
Sunday
18th March
(Fiddle)
Sunday
18th March
(Misc.)
10.45
12.00
Grainne Brady, Emma Tomlinson Rufus Huggan (group work / mixed instruments)
13.15
(Harmony workshop / mixed instruments)
WORKSHOPS £10 (Under 18s £5)
NB Entry to the film “The Groove Is Not Trivial” by DONATION
PRE-RECITAL WALK to the Birnam Oak & Little Dunkeld Church Led by
David Martin, Saturday 17th March, 10am from the Birnam Institute
THE NIEL GOW WALK to Niel Gow’s Cottage for soup and a dram! th March, 11am from the Birnam Institute.
Led by Pete Clark, Sunday 18
(The guided walks are FREE - but donations to the Niel Gow Memorial fund gratefully received!)
Biographies
ALASTAIR SAVAGE & EUAN DRYSDALE
Alastair Savage is originally from Ayrshire and has performed traditional and classical music throughout
his life. He won both the Ayrshire and National sections
of the ‘Land O’ Burns’ Scots fiddle competition in his youth and followed this with classical training at the R.S.A.M.D (now the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland)
and at the Royal Academy of music in London. As a traditional fiddle player he
has broadcast as soloist on BBC Radio Scotland, Radio 3 and on U.S.A. National Radio. He has been a member of the BBC Scottish Symphony
Orchestra for the past 20 years with whom he has performed throughout the
world. Alongside this he has recorded 4 solo traditional albums featuring
classic Scots fiddle melodies alongside his own compositions. Joining him on guitar/piano is Euan Drysdale, originally from Bathgate. He has co-arranged
much of the repertoire on Alastair’s fiddle albums and has an established
background in music education being head of performing arts at Chryston High School near Glasgow. Euan's early musical life was as a trumpet
player, studying at the R.S.A.M.D and has subsequently performed in a variety of line
ups as a composer and arranger in the world of rock and blues music.
Multi-instrumentalist Dave J Ford has been fronting Funkeilidh for over 10 years. Yet he rarely finds himself playing the tune, always drawn to the more subtle lines which add spice to the band sound.
Harmony Workshop: This workshop aims to make musicians more confident at harmonising, particularly
at a session. Harmony not only adds colour & texture to the tune, but allows you play along with tunes you're
yet to learn. Harmony lines are often far easier to play than the tune itself.
Bring any instrument to this mixed instrument class although the main focus
will be on tune playing instruments like fiddle, whistle.
ROO GEDDES & NEIL SUTCLIFFE
Roo Geddes has lived with a eclectic spectrum of
music all his life. He currently studies Classical violin at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland but is experienced across a varied spectrum of musical genres and styles. Roo performs with a multitude of ensembles, spanning Gypsy Jazz to Americana and has studied Scottish music with Lauren MacColl, Adam Sutherland, Lynsey Tait and many others. The music of the Gow family
continues to be a rich source of inspiration for him and
in March 2017 he won second place in the Niel Gow
Scottish Fiddle Awards. Roo first visited the Neil Gow festival when he was eleven years old and is honoured and excited to be involved in this year’s events.
Neil Sutcliffe comes from a broad musical background, being exposed to everything from Scottish ballads to boogie-woogie from a young age. He is originally from Stirling, and picked up the accordion
from his dad and fiddle from his mum: family has been
at the core of his experience of Scottish traditional music, continuing to influence and inspire him. Neil
is currently studying classical accordion at the Royal
Conservatoire of Scotland, but remains active in the
traditional music scene. He has taught accordion in several community
workshops, and for Feis Fhoirt. He has been performing with Roo Geddes for several years, and accompanied him at the Niel Gow Scottish Fiddle Awards in 2017. Neil is looking forward to taking part in the Niel Gow Festival for the first time this year.
ARCHIE McALLISTER & SILEAS SINCLAIR
Archie McAllister is a West Coast style fiddler with influences from pipe music and also from the North East fiddle style which he played since he started.
He plays and has recorded with many different bands from both the folk and dance band scene; these
include Skipinnish, Ross Kennedy and the Jura Ceilidh Band. He continues to
play in different line-ups and also teaches fiddle in Lochgilphead. Sileas Sinclair will join him on piano and accordion.
Sìleas Sinclair is from Connel, near Oban in Argyll, and has followed her dad‘s footsteps into the traditional dance music scene. Playing both accordion and piano
and being brought up in the lively West Coast cèilidh
dance culture, Sìleas has also been very much influenced by the native Gaelic scene around her.
Conducting the Oban Gaelic Choir who have recently returned from performing in Verona, Italy, running the Oban High School Traditional School of Music, teaching music privately and playing with her own cèilidh band – “Drams
Allowed” - keeps Sìleas busy, not to mention having the privilege to play with
great traditional artists such as Archie MacAllister, Rachel Walker, Skipinnish and others regularly.
Dunkeld's own Hannah Fisher along with guitarist and Mull native, Sorren Maclean, have been touring as a duo for the past six years. Playing a mix of traditional & contemporary Scottish tunes, they incorporate a love of
bluegrass music having spent some time travelling and playing around America, Japan and Europe. Both play
with well known Scottish artists Karen Matheson and Dougie Maclean, to name
a few, and have recorded their own album and EPs within the past couple of years.
Since Hannah's first appearance at the Niel Gow Festival in 2005 with the Dunkeld & District Strathspey and Reel Society, her music has taken her as far as Japan and America, playing with some of Scotland's
finest musicians including Karen Matheson, Dougie
MacLean and Roddy Woomble. Her fiddle playing
mixes touches of bluegrass and country with her Scottish origins, both in her
own original music and the more traditional tunes that she reworks.
Charlie Walden began playing fiddle as a teenager
when inspired by players in a fiddling contest at the Boone County Fair in his native Missouri. With the generous help and encouragement of older master fiddlers he went on to be recognized as one the best Midwestern-style old-time fiddlers of his day.
He is recognized as an aficionado, collector, teacher, and performer of traditional fiddling.
Charlie’s interest in Scottish fiddle music began on the
early 1980s as a result of his attempts to determine the origins of the local
fiddle tunes being played in Missouri. Through considerable effort, relative to
the ease with which we locate and order materials in the internet age, he
obtained his first collection of Scottish music, Kerr’s Merry Melodies, from
Mozart Allan in Glasgow. In the ensuing years he has maintained a keen in
interest in Scottish tunes as played in both Scotland and in the Canadian Maritimes.
Major concert and festival appearances include: Festival of American Fiddle Tunes, Smithsonian Festival of Folklife, Masters of the Folk Violin Tour, numerous U.S. National Folk Festivals, University of Chicago Folk Festival,
and the National Folk Festival of Australia.
Patt Plunkett grew up on a farm in west central Illinois.
She first heard traditional fiddle music as played by her grandfather Carl Voorhees. Patt has accompanied the best old-time and Celtic
musicians in the Midwest. Her piano style projects the high energy necessary for
accompanying dance music, especially for contras and squares.
Patt has been dancing, calling and teaching social dancing for many years and is particularly interested in traditional square dancing, especially Western and Appalachian square formations. She once called the figures for the "World's
Largest Square Dance" held in Chicago's Grant Park in conjunction with
the WFMT Chicago Folk Festival.
Karys and David have performed together for 8 years and play a variety of styles of fiddle music. For the pupils at the Royal School of Dunkeld, they will be playing a selection of tunes by Niel Gow and his family,
introducing the differences between reels, jigs,
strathspeys and slow airs. The pupils will be encouraged to participate in
activities and talks about Niel Gow and his music, and will also have the opportunity to learn a Scottish dance designed to be accessible by all ages within the school.
From Perthshire, Patsy Reid is a Scottish musician, composer and educator.
After stepping back from Breabach, she has clearly carved out a niche for herself - since then she has been in constant demand to help animate others’ projects, as both a musician and producer. As the youngest and twice winner of the prestigious
Glenfiddich Fiddle Championship, it’s no surprise Patsy
has been longing to return to her roots, and her latest release, A Glint o’ Scottish Fiddle showcases
her love of traditional Scottish fiddle tunes.
Featuring the wonderful pianist, Alistair Iain Paterson, the new album was officially launched at Celtic
Connections 2018 and they will be delighted to perform
it once again in full, during the Sunday afternoon concert.
The Routes Quartet is an exquisite blend of the folk and classical genres,
featuring evocative arrangements of traditional tunes and stunning original
compositions. The quartet is made up of the classical string quartet
instrumentation of cello (Rufus Huggan), viola (Emma Tomlinson) and two
fiddles (Gráinne Brady and Tricia Mullan). "Routes" explores the textures,
tones and intimate qualities of the string quartet whilst drawing on the
heritage and inspiration of folk music from Scotland, Ireland, England and beyond. Their
debut album, "Windrose", is out now.
The highly acclaimed Junior Conservatoire music programme has been
running for over 50 years. We have some of the country’s best teachers,
enjoying Scotland’s best facilities and engaging with some of the most talented
young musicians from far and wide. The Trad Ensemble, aged 12-18, hail from
all corners of Scotland to rehearse together on Saturdays led by some of Scotland’s leading traditional musicians. https://www.rcs.ac.uk/juniorc/juniors/music/traditional-music/
Dates for your diary:
The 17th Niel Gow festival will hopefully take place on the 18th to 20th March 2022 in the beautiful and historic Perthshire village of Dunkeld & Birnam, home of Niel Gow.
If you would like to make a donation to the Niel Gow Festival Fund please use the PayPal button above or see page Memorial for cheque donations.
Niel Gow Festival on Facebook
Links:
New CD played on Niel Gow's fiddle - proceeds to Niel Gow memorial. Click on CD cover for ordering information.
All content © 2004 - 2022 Niel Gow Festival Society unless otherwise stated
THE NIEL GOW FESTIVAL 2020
Cancellation and tickets
To those who purchased tickets for Niel Gow Festival 2020 events ….
In line with Government guidelines published on the 16th March we, the Niel Gow Festival Society committee, made the difficult decision to postpone the festival in light of the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic. This will reduce the risk of infection to staff, performers and audiences.
We recognise the undoubted disappointment of anyone with a ticket/tickets for any of the Niel Gow Festival events. When it becomes possible, we will reschedule the festival as best we can, though we couldn’t guarantee the same line-up for the concerts. It may well be the case that the festival is postponed until next year.
The administrative burden which this postponement places on the staff at Birnam Arts is considerable and likely to take quite some time to process. And it is Birnam Arts who have to deal with the matter of refunds (and not just for the Niel Gow Festival). It is a big ask, but perhaps you might consider treating all or part of your ticket expenditure as a donation to be shared equally between the NGF Society, Birnam Arts and the musicians who were to have been playing? (The amount for each musician would be small but welcome during this prolonged period of cancelled bookings.)
The Festival relies on ticket sales for its success and continuation with any surplus going towards the proposed Niel Gow Memorial. We, the NGFS Committee, share your disappointment and truly appreciate your understanding at this difficult time.
Pete Clark & the Niel Gow Festival Society Committee
19th March 2020
IN LIGHT OF THE UK GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCEMENT REGARDING THE ONGOING HEALTH CRISIS, THE 2020 NIEL GOW FESTIVAL HAS BEEN POSTPONED.
THIS WAS A SAD DECISION TO MAKE, BUT UNDOUBTEDLY THE RIGHT ONE, GIVEN THE CIRCUMSTANCES. THE NGFS COMMITTEE SHARES YOUR DISAPPOINTMENT.
16th March 2020
2020 Niel Gow Festival
Festival program and tickets available from:
Birnam Arts
Web: https://www.birnamarts.com/
Tel: 01350 727674
Email: info@birnamarts.com
Performers include:
Aaron Jones | Adam Sutherland | Alastair J. Hardie | Alastair McCulloch | Alastair Savage | Anne Taylor | Brian McAlpine | Charlie McKerron | Chris Amer | David MacFarlane | Douglas Lawrence | Dunkeld & District Strathspey & Reel Society | Gordon Gunn | Graham Mackenzie | Hannah Fisher | Iain Anderson | Iain Fraser | Karys Watt | Liam Manion | Marc Clement | Marie Fielding | Maureen Rutherford | Muriel Johnstone | Paul Anderson | Pete Clark | Riddell Fiddles | Roddy Matthews | Ruairidh MacMillan | Ryan Young | Sorren MacLean | Suzanne Houston
3 superb watercolours which will be raffle prizes:
The 17th Niel Gow festival will be held on the 18th to 20th March 2022 in the beautiful and historic Perthshire village of Dunkeld.
Happy 294th Birthday to Niel on the 22nd March!
Thanks to everyone, including the committee, who contributed to The Niel Gow festival at Tunes in the Hoose. It was a great success with brilliant performances from the musicians. Special thanks to Martin and Martin Junior MacLeod who did a superb job putting together the films and interweaving them with footage from Martin junior's film from a couple of years ago. It has all helped to make the memorial a reality.
If you would like to make a donation to the Niel Gow Memorial Fund please use the PayPal button below or
see page Memorial for cheque donations:
Links:
New CD played on Niel Gow's fiddle - proceeds to Niel
Gow memorial. Click on CD cover for ordering information.
All content © 2004 - 2022 Niel Gow Festival Society unless otherwise stated
The 17th Niel Gow Festival
18th - 20th March 2022
Updates:
Niel Gow Exhibition on Friday and Saturday at the Community Archive, 12 The Cross, Dunkeld - 10am to 3pm. More information can be found here.
If you would like to make a donation to the Niel Gow Festival Fund please use the PayPal button above or see page Memorial for cheque donations.
Niel Gow Festival on Facebook
Links:
Pete Clark and Muriel Johnstone's CD played on Niel Gow's fiddle - proceeds to Niel Gow memorial. Click on CD cover for ordering information.
All content © 2004 - 2022 Niel Gow Festival Society unless otherwise stated
UPDATE: 17/03/2022
Due to unforeseen circumstances, sadly Charlie McKerron has had to pull out of the festival. However we are delighted that Eilidh Shaw will take his place.
Paul Anderson is unable to perform on Friday night and is unable to take the workshop on Saturday. He is hopeful that he can make it to the Saturday night concert. We will have a stand in tutor for his workshop.
With COVID-19 restrictions easing across the country, we are delighted to announce that we will be going ahead with The 17th Niel Gow Festival. This will be taking place on the 18th to the 20th March 2022.
During the festival, we will be adhering to Government guidelines as they are announced, and we will take every precaution to ensure that you feel safe whilst attending the various concerts over the weekend.
We just want to take a moment to thank every one of you for your continued support throughout this difficult time - without you we would not be able to continue to put on this festival, and for that we are truly grateful.
Please see the programme detailing the great concerts, workshops and events that we are running this year.
And, as always, there will be sessions running into the early hours of the morning, so bring your instrument and play to your heart's content. You don't want to miss this one!
We've missed you. Welcome back.
Niel Gow Festival 2022
Festival program and tickets available from:
Birnam Arts
Web: https://www.birnamarts.com/
Tel: 01350 727674
Email: info@birnamarts.com
Performers include:
Aaron Jones | Adam Sutherland | Alastair J. Hardie | Alastair McCulloch | Alastair Savage | Anne Taylor | Brian McAlpine | Eilidh Shaw | Chris Amer | Roddy Matthews | David MacFarlane | Douglas Lawrence | Dunkeld & District Strathspey & Reel Society | Gordon Gunn | Graham Mackenzie | Hannah Fisher | Iain Anderson | Iain Fraser | Karys Watt | Marc Clement | Marie Fielding | Maureen Rutherford | Muriel Johnstone | Paul Anderson | Pete Clark | Riddell Fiddles | Roddy Matthews | Ruairidh MacMillan | Ryan Young | Sorren MacLean | Suzanne Houston | Donald Knox
3 superb watercolours which will be raffle prizes:
