Niel Gow Festival

Mar 12 2010 by Alison Anderson, Perthshire Advertiser Friday

MUSICIANS from the top drawer of traditional music contribute to the seventh annual Niel Gow Festival in Dunkeld and Birnam next weekend – March 19-21.

This delightful wee festival in highland Perthshire was established to celebrate the life of local fiddle maestro Niel Gow (1727-1807).

The weekend of fiddle music and good craic opens next Friday night in the Duchess Anne Hall in Dunkeld Square, with solo performances from four young fiddlers from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama – Ryan Young, Fiona Wylie, Jack Smedley and Charlie Hayes – plus Gordon Gunn (Session A9) from Wick and Ivonne Hernandez from the USA.

In contrast to the solo fiddlers of Friday night, Saturday’s bill of fayre gets underway with a morning concert featuring Philomusica of Edinburgh under the leadership of Lawrence Dunn. Philomusica specialise in the orchestral, more classical side of the Scots fiddle repertoire.

A lunchtime recital by festival organiser Pete Clark and The Niel Gow Ensemble precedes an afternoon concert featuring Aongais Grant, legendary left-handed fiddler from Lochaber, accompanied by Paul Connolly on guitar and melodeon. Local duo Hannah and Kirsty Fisher, special guest from Canada Laura Risk, and Shetland sisters Jenna and Bethany Reid complete the bill.

Saturday night sees the welcome return visit of Ronan Martin and Johnny Hardie (Old Blind Dogs). Also making a return visit is Lauren MacColl, this year in the company of guitarist Barry Reid. Making a special guest appearance on Saturday night, the youngest performer on the bill is 13-year-old Lauren Kelly from Dalry in Ayrshire, and making her first visit to the Niel Gow Festival, Sarah Jane Summers with guitarist Ewan MacPherson.

On Sunday afternoon, Dunkeld and Birnam Strathspey and Reel Society open the final concert of the weekend, which includes a second chance to hear Jenna and Bethany Reid and Sarah Jane Summers and a rare performance by The Birnam Quartet, featuring fiddlers Angus Grant Jnr. and Sarah Hoy, mandolinist Luke Plumb from Tasmania and Jamie Jauncey on piano.

This year most of the concerts are in the Duchess Anne Hall, while The Birnam Hotel hosts Sunday’s headliner.

Many of the performers will present workshops during the weekend, providing budding musicians with a great opportunity to be inspired by and learn first-hand from the masters.

Music aside, the Sunday morning Niel Gow Walk under the guidance of Pete Clark is an opportunity to learn something of the local history and to experience the beautiful landscape which surrounds Dunkeld and which inspired so many tunes.

Further information can be found online – www.niel-gow.co.uk – or by calling The Taybank (between 9am and 5pm) on 01350 728920.