News

Dee and Don Ceilidh Collective – Tuition Workshops

After a difficult 18 months for so many, the Dee and Don Ceilidh Collective are delighted to launch a series of workshops encouraging people to not only connect with their local landscape and each other online but to work with some of Scotland’s most revered traditional musicians to learn specially composed music and song.

The project, which is free to all taking part, is entitled “Our Living Rivers and Glens” and has encouraged participants to explore their local environment and to collect their responses in word, sound, video and images which have then been uploaded on an online map. The composers, including fiddlers Charlie McKerron of Capercaillie and Tarland’s Paul Anderson have drawn inspiration from the map to form new music and have met with participants through online zoom workshops which allowed them to be involved in the creative process.

Participants can also work alongside fiddlers Adam Sutherland and Arthur Coates and multi instrumentalists Hamish Napier and Fraser Fifield but there have also been three new songs composed by singers Jenny Sturgeon, Iona Fyfe and Shona Donaldson. As well as first class composers, experienced and well regarded tutors Averil Blackhall, Grace Banks, Pete MacCallum and Carola MacCallum are involved in the zoom workshops and will teach the new tunes on a variety of instruments including fiddle, guitar, voice and clarsach.

Workshops start from the 25th October and run through until mid November. They are free and suitable for all ages and levels of ability. For more information on how to sign up please see the Dee and Don Ceilidh Collective Facebook page or website www.deedonceilidhcollective.com or email [email protected]

24th October 7pm – Singing with Iona Fyfe
25th October 7.30pm – Hamish Napier (all instruments welcome)
27th October 7.30pm – Singing with Grace Banks
31st October 11am – Paul Anderson (melody instruments welcome)
2nd November 7.30pm – Charlie McKerron and Pete MacCallum (all instruments welcome)
6th November 10am – Averil Blackhall (beginner/intermediate)
9th November 7.30pm – Fraser Fifield (all instruments welcome)
10th November 7.30pm – Arthur Coates (all instruments welcome)
13th November 11am – Adam Sutherland (all instruments welcome)
13th November 1pm – Pete and Carola MacCallum (singing and accompanying instruments welcome)

The Dee and Don Ceilidh Collective is a charity based in central Aberdeenshire and have previously run workshop weekends throughout Deeside and Donside and would welcome people of all ages, abilities and backgrounds to sign up to be part of this innovative new project.