Muckle Sing, Saturday 20 February 2010

The next Muckle Sing Day, held in conjunction with West Lothian Arts Services, is at the recently refurbished Howden Park Centre in Livingston. The tutor for the day is Ali Burns. Tickets are on sale from the Box Office on 01506 777666. If previous experience is anything to go by it will be a sell out, so don't miss your chance – get your tickets ordered in good time. Email us at eltmsa@yahoo.co.uk if you need the pdf of the booking form.

Upcoming Branch Events

Two Carrying Stream Festival Sessions
For singers, musicians and listeners downstairs at the Royal Oak, Infirmary Street, Edinburgh EH1 1LT
3.00pm onwards, Sunday 8 November (Branch AGM at 2pm)
3.00pm onwards, Sunday 15 November (note change of start time due to later opening hours of venue)
Free!

Muckle Sing, Saturday 20 February 2010
The next Muckle Sing Day, held in conjunction with West Lothian Arts Services, will be in the recently refurbished Howden Park Centre in Livingston. The tutor for the day will be Ali Burns. Tickets will go on sale in late November and, if previous experience is anything to go by it will be a sell out, so don't miss your chance of a great uplifting day of singing – get your tickets ordered in good time from the Box Office on 01506 777666. More details on www.eltmsa.org.uk as they become available.

Also...
It was good to see people again at the One Fine Day concert last month. If you missed it or would like to be reminded of how great a night it was visit: www.myspace.com/onefinedayproject for some video excerpts.

We are currently in the process of organising Northern Streams 2010. We haven’t got finalised dates yet but we are aiming for the first couple of weeks in April. If it all goes to plan we expect to being working with Dancebase to have an enhanced aspect of Nordic and Scottish dance alongside the usual great music and song elements.

Upcoming TMSA events

The TMSA Young Trad Tour 2009
This is a showcase for the cream of the new generation of Scottish musicians - the 5 finalists and winner of the BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year Award 2009 who are: Ruairidh MacMillan (Nairn) Fiddle and 2009 winner; Daniel Thorpe (Inverurie) Fiddle; Lorne MacDougall (Argyll) Pipes and Whistles; Adam Holmes (Edinburgh) Guitar and Song; Jack Smedley (Cullen) Fiddle; Kenneth Nicholson (Isle of Lewis) Gaelic song; Ewan Robertson (Carrbridge) Guitar, Song and 2008 winner. The upcoming dates and venues are:
Tuesday 13 October, Howden Park Centre, LIVINGSTON 7.30pm
Wednesday 14 October, St Andrews in the Square GLASGOW 8pm
Thursday 15 October, Birnam Arts Centre, BIRNAM 7.30pm
Friday 16 October, 8pm Braemar Village Hall, BRAEMAR 8pm
Saturday 17 October Universal Hall,FINDHORN 7.30pm
Sunday 18 October, The Stables, CROMARTY 8pm
Monday 19 October, County Rugby Club STIRLING 8pm
Tuesday 20 October, The Lemon Tree, ABERDEEN 8pm
Wednesday 21 October, Heart of Hawick, HAWICK 7.30pm
More details at www.tmsa.org.uk

TMSA Patrons' Concert, Friday 30 October 2009, Queens Hall, Edinburgh, 8.00pm
Featuring Archie Fisher, Sheena Wellington, special guest Barbara Dickson and also past BBC Radio Scotland Young Tradition Musician Winners. Tickets £15.00 (£10.00) are available from the Queen's Hall Box Office on 0131 668 2019.
There is also a concert featuring Sheena Wellington, Margaret Bennett and local performers at the Lemon Tree in Aberdeen on 7 November 2009. More details at www.tmsa.org.uk

One Fine Day - Northern Streams Concert Extra!

Sat 12 September, 7.30pm at The Lot, Grassmarket, Edinburgh EH1 2JU
Another chance to hear Calum Stewart (flute, Scotland); Daniel Carlsson (soprano saxophone, Sweden) and Heikki Bourgault (guitar, Brittany) who sold out at our Northern Streams Festival earlier this year. Adding to the musical mix will be Nicolaj Busk (piano, harmonium) and Hal Parfitt-Murray (fiddle/viola) - both from Denmark - winners of two Danish Folk Music Awards this year! I have heard these two play at the Hojby Festival in Denmark and they are amazing - so I have no trouble endorsing one audience member's comments from the April concert - "splendid evening's entertainment" will be in store in September.

Tickets will be £12 on the door, or you can get them for only £10 if you prebook with me (Fiona) or are a TMSA member. You can now book and pay online for your ticket online (a small booking fee applies) using one of the TMSA's secure online payment channels at https://tmsas.workwithus.org/onefineday. Or contact me on 0795 191 8366 or e: eltmsa@yahoo.co.uk if you also want to save your money 'offline'!

I'm sorry but due to The Lot's licence, we can't have anyone under 14.

An example of Calum Stewart, Hal Parfitt Murray and Nikolaj Busk playing to whet the appetite! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LeDuyeOfMKU

If you want to know more about the musicians and the project in general (including the three concerts they will be playing up north as part of the Blas Festival and at Findhorn) go to Calum's page at www.myspace.com/calumfrancisstewart or the other performers' pages:
www.myspace.com/danielcarlsson
www.myspace.com/halparfittmurray
www.myspace.com/nikolajbusk
www.myspace.com/heikkibourgault

The next big thing!

Thanks to all those who came to enjoy the Northern Streams Festival this year. (If you want to see what you missed if you didn't attend any of the events - feel free to scroll down the page!)

The next big thing for the TMSA in Edinburgh is the regular Homecoming Session which is running in Jenny Ha's Pub, down near the bottom of the Royal Mile. If you want to check out the session out, it starts at 7.30pm on every second Tuesday night.
The dates are:
28 April
12 & 26 May
9 & 23 June
7 & 21 July
4 & 18 August
1, 5 & 29 September
13 & 27 October
10 & 24 November

All are welcome to come, play, sing, or appreciate the atmosphere. Other Homecoming Sessions are starting up elsewhere around Scotland - visit www.tmsa.org.uk for details. Thanks to VisitScotland for supporting the TMSA to organise these sessions to complement the traditional music & song scene around the country.

Northern Streams 2009

Welcome to the TMSA Edinburgh & Lothians Branch new blog style website!

Listed below is the programme for the Northern Streams 2009 Festival. The first four postings detail the concerts being held outside of Edinburgh in Newcastle, Hawick, Dundee and Glasgow. We are pleased that we have been able to work with so many people to bring the performers to different places in Scotland. The further following posts give the detail of events in Edinburgh. We hope you get a chance to come to at least one of the events but if you are thinking of coming to more in Edinburgh - do consider the great value weekend ticket covering concerts and workshops. Also do continue scrolling through all the posts - including 'older posts' to get the detail of each different part of the programme...

Hope to see you soon!

Fiona Campbell
TMSA Edinburgh & Lothians Branch Convener

Northern Streams: Evening Concert - Newcastle

Wednesday 1 April
The Bridge Hotel, Castle Square, Newcastle NE1 1RQ
7.30pm
£8/£6

Kirstine Sand (fiddle) and Marie Sønderby Larsen (piano) met at the Carl Nielsen Academy, and play a mix of traditional music and new tunes, influenced by Kirstine’s time at the Newcastle Traditional Music Degree course.

They will be supported by The House Sisters: Carly Blain, Rachel Cross and Kira Slater - a trio of young musicians who recently graduated from the Traditional Music Degree at Newcastle University. They will play tunes and sing songs from the Scottish Borders and the rest of Scotland, as well as music from Scandinavia and their own compositions.

Tickets available from 0777 361 4458 or 0795 191 8366 or on the door. Concessions include TMSA members.

Northern Streams: Evening Concert - Hawick

Thursday 2 April
Heart of Hawick, Kirkstile, Hawick, TD9 0AE
7.30pm
£10/£8

Ante Mikkel (featured in Joanna Lumley’s ‘Northern Lights’ BBC TV programme) and Inger-Biret Gaup provide a rare opportunity to hear "joik", the unique vocal tradition of the northern Saami culture from a very special father and daughter duo.

Kirstine Sand (fiddle) and Marie Sønderby Larsen (piano) met at the Carl Nielsen Academy, and play a mix of traditional music and new tunes, influenced by Kirstine’s time on the Newcastle Traditional Music Degree course. They will be supported by

Carly Blain, Rachel Cross and Iain Petrie (Scottish Borders): Fiddlers Carly Blain and Rachel Cross (from The House Sisters group and Border Fiddles) – both graduates of the Newcastle University Traditional Music course have been working with Iain Petrie - a local singer/songwriter. They will play tunes and sing songs from the Scottish Borders and the rest of Scotland, as well as music from Scandinavia and their own compositions.

In partnership with TMSA Borders Branch & Scottish Borders Council.

Tickets available from tel: 01450 360 688 or book online at www.thebooth.co.uk or in person - the Box Office is open Mon, Wed 10am-5.30pm; Tues, Thurs 10am-6.15pm; Fri, Sat 10am-7.45pm and Sun 12-3.30pm. Concessions include TMSA members.

Northern Streams: Lunchtime Concert - Dundee

Friday 3 April
Wighton Heritage Centre, Central Library, The Wellgate, Dundee DD1 1DB
1.15pm
Free with donations welcome!

Top nyckelharpist, Ditte Andersson, performs a mixture of traditional Uppland and other Swedish music "spiced" with her own tunes and folk songs with pianist Anders Göransson.

In partnership with Friends of Wighton.

For more details contact: 0795 191 8366 or visit: www.eltmsa.org.uk

Northern Streams: Evening Concert - Glasgow

Sunday 5 April
The Universal, 57–59 Sauchiehall Lane, Glasgow G2 4AB
7.30pm
£10/£8

Calum Stewart (wooden flute), BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician finalist 2007, combines with Daniel Carlsson (soprano saxophone) from rural Sweden in the "...search for fresh, new and innovative music with a deep commitment to tradition." (Rob Adams) - accompanied by Heikki Bourgault on the guitar.

Ante Mikkel (featured in Joanna Lumley’s ‘Northern Lights’ BBC programme) and Inger-Biret Gaup provide a rare opportunity to hear "joik", the unique vocal tradition of the northern Saami culture from a very special father and daughter duo.

In partnership with TMSA Glasgow Branch.

Pre-book tickets tel: 0795 191 8366 or buy on the door. Concessions include TMSA members.

Northern Streams: Duodji Saami Exhibition

3-4 April 2009
The Scottish Storytelling Centre
10.00am
Free

“Duodji” is a collective term for various activities such as homecrafts, handicrafts and woodwork of the indigenous Saami people of northern Scandinavia, Finland and northwest Russia. It initially consisted of practical items and clothing created for individual use, but later on these were produced for trading and sale. “Duodji” is expressed differently from area to area and uses various materials, techniques and processes. The products are functional, mirroring the Saami way of life, environment and cultural traditions and are a part of the Saami identity. This is an exhibition of images created for the Northern Streams Festival of “Duodji” items.

For info: 0795 191 8366, e-mail: eltmsa@yahoo.co.uk.

Northern Streams: Friday Evening Concert

03 April 2009
The Scottish Storytelling Centre
7.00 pm
£10/£8 (concession)
Weekend* £27/£21 (concession**)

Ante Mikkel (featured in Joanna Lumley’s ‘Northern Lights’ BBC TV programme) and Inger-Biret Gaup provide a rare opportunity to hear “joik”, the unique vocal tradition of the northern Saami culture from a very special father and daughter duo, while Claire Hewitt, storyteller, singer and harpist presents ‘Tales and songs of Sun, Moon, Reindeer and Hare’, inspired by journeys around the Arctic Circle and Scotland.

Samling, comprising Anne Sofie Linge Valdal (vocals, Norwegian flute), Naomi Elysia Harvey (vocals), Barry Reid (guitar, vocals), Kevin O’Neill (flute, vocals), and Fiona MacAskill (fiddle) combine Norwegian and Gaelic vocal music traditions in the ‘Nu-Nordic’ genre!

Book online at Ceilidh Culture website

*Weekend ticket (available through SSC box office 0131 556 9579) includes two evening concerts, all workshops, and entitles you to a 10% discount in the café on the day.

**Concessions include: TMSA and Scottish Storytelling Centre Network members.

For info: 0795 191 8366, e-mail: eltmsa@yahoo.co.uk

Northern Streams: Workshops

4 April 2009
The Scottish Storytelling Centre
10.00am
£7/£5 (concessions) per workshop

Weekend* £27/£21 (concessions**)

10.00am: Swedish tunes led by Ditte Andersson on nyckelharpa - suitable for any melody instrument.

10.00am: Swedish songs in choral/harmony style with Anders Göransson.

12.30pm: Saami joiking and songs for adults with Ante Mikkel and Inger-Biret Gaup – no knowledge of Saami required!

12.30pm: Danish and Shetland tunes led by Kirstine Sand (fiddle) learned from her homeland and Catriona MacDonald. Suitable for any melody instrument.

3.00pm: Scandinavian Dance with an emphasis on Swedish dances such as the Polska and Schottis with Kajsa Djärv and live music.

3.00pm: Great tunes for wind instruments with Calum Stewart (wooden flute) and Daniel Carlsson (Swedish soprano saxophone).

Book online at Ceilidh Culture website

*Weekend ticket (available through SSC box office 0131 556 9579) includes two evening concerts, all workshops, and entitles you to a 10% discount in the café on the day.

** Concessions include: TMSA and Scottish Storytelling Centre Network members.

For info: 0795 191 8366, e-mail: eltmsa@yahoo.co.uk

Northern Streams: Kids Singing Workshop

04 April 2009
The Scottish Storytelling Centre
10.30am
£5 (children)*

A chance for children (5-10 years) to try joiking with Ante Mikkel Gaup (featured in Joanna Lumley's 'Northern Lights' BBC programme) and his daughter Inger-Biret Gaup from Finnmark, northern Norway. Also to learn about the Saami people who inhabit northern Scandinavia, Finland and northwest Russia, and whose distinctive culture has at least ten language variations! The Saami vocal music style called joiking bears similarities to Native American music but has its own uniqueness. One of Ante's other daughters is part of the famous group Adjagas. Workshop explanations will be in English.

Tickets also available from 0795 191 8366 or e-mail: eltmsa@yahoo.co.uk

* Children must be accompanied by an adult (accompanying adults free and welcome to join in!)

Northern Streams: Saturday Evening Concert

04 April 2009
The Scottish Storytelling Centre
7.00 pm
£10/£8 (concession)
Weekend* £27/£21 (concession**)

Kirstine Sand (fiddle) and Marie Sønderby Larsen (piano) met at the Carl Nielsen Academy, and play a mix of traditional music and new tunes, influenced by Kirstine’s time on at the Newcastle Traditional Music degree course course.

Calum Stewart (wooden flute), BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician finalist, combines with Daniel Carlsson (soprano saxophone) from rural Sweden in the ‘...search for fresh, new and innovative music with a deep commitment to tradition.’ (Rob Adams).

Top nyckelharpist, Ditte Andersson, performs a mixture of traditional Uppland and other Swedish music spiced with her own tunes and folk songs with pianist Anders Göransson.

Book online at Ceilidh Culture website

*Weekend ticket (available through SSC box office 0131 556 9579) includes two evening concerts, all workshops, and entitles you to a 10% discount in the café on the day.
**Concessions include: TMSA and Scottish Storytelling Centre Network members.

For info: 0795 191 8366, e-mail: eltmsa@yahoo.co.uk