Corrina Hewat sings praises for the Gordon Duncan Experience

Jul 29 2011 by Alison Anderson, Perthshire Advertiser Friday

TAKE 30 talented young local musicians, add two major driving forces on Scotland’s music scene, plus the cream of music tutors – and be there on Wednesday evening to hear the Gordon Duncan Experience raise the roof of Perth Concert Hall!

This ensemble made their highly impressive debut at the National Treasure IV concert in the Perth venue last September, and they return on Wednesday – even bigger and better, says their musical director Corrina Hewat.

Scotland’s own Celtic big band capture the spirit of their namesake – the late Gordon Duncan, the piper from Pitlochry whose innovative style of composing and playing blew away the rule book.

Corrina and her husband David Milligan are also innovators who just love crossing musical boundaries and who are involved in many projects within traditional music, jazz and musical theatre.

Last year they moulded 19 raw young talents aged between 12 and 17 from Perth and Kinross into the Gordon Duncan Experience (GDE).

Since the debut last September, Corrina and David re-cast the net and discovered even more promising youngsters to swell the GDE ranks to 30.

“We have quite a mix of instruments now,” explained Corrina. “There’s a really lovely six-strong pipes section, harp, piano, guitar, two mandolins which is lovely, fiddles, viola, two cellos, three flutes, a horn and tenor sax, two double bass players, percussionist and a drummer.

“It’s really exciting because this year members come from different music circles, not just from traditional music.

“The GDE is not just about them playing the tunes; this year they are doing what Gordon Duncan did with his music – they’re bringing people together and they’re very much into the social aspects of music.”

And Corrina believes Perth and Kinross can offer up even more in the way of young talent: “I think we’re really only just scratching the surface – we just have the kids who responded to the invitation to apply for the GDE then passed the audition but I know there is still a massive wealth of talent out there.”

Thanks to funding from the Gordon Duncan Memorial Trust and other youth music initiatives, the Gordon Duncan Experience will in the future be inviting other young musicians to apply.

In the meantime, rehearsals are in full flow for Wednesday’s exciting double bill in Perth Concert Hall featuring the GDE and the Aberdeen-based big band Ceol Mor as part of the Aberdeen International Youth Festival.

“Rehearsals have been very intensive and the children have had to do a lot of work on their own as well because it’s such complicated music,” continued Corrina.

“Happily they’ve all risen to the occasion. To give that dedication is really exciting.”

Corrina and David are co-musical directors of the GDE, and they’re helped by tutors Patsy Reid for the strings and Steven Black who is working with the young pipers.

“David and I are working to get them all playing as a group which can be challenging.

“Also as part of the GDE project we’re training up two young musical directors who have had some musical training but have never worked with running such a group.”

Corrina acknowledged the help, support and expertise given to the GDE by the Gordon Duncan Memorial Trust, chaired by Gordon’s brother Ian. His son Alex and daughter Tina are in the GDE.

Corrina urged local people to support young local talent by buying tickets for Wednesday’s concert.

“Ceol Mor and the GDE will be playing their own sets and then joining together as one full band of about 50 young musicians to play Martyn Bennett’s Mackay’s Memoirs.

“There are lots of Gordon Duncan tunes in our set plus the Lorient Suite which David and I wrote for the Unusual Suspects a few years ago.”

And for fans of David and Corrina’s folk big-band (of grown-up musicians), the good news is that the current slimmed-down 17-piece Unusual Suspects play Perth Concert Hall on October 29.

l Tickets for Wednesday’s concert with the Gordon Duncan Experience and Ceol Mor (costing £10 or £8 for concessions), and Unusual Suspects on October 29 are available from the Perth Concert Hall box office, telephone 01738 621031 and online www.horsecross.co.uk