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Press Release (For immediate use – 3 October 2016)
Scots Fiddle Festival – Fiddle 2016
20 Years of Fiddling
Featuring over 40 musicians and 50 events in one weekend in Edinburgh,
Scotland’s largest fiddle festival is celebrating its 20th year.
Fiddle 2016 features many top fiddlers who have performed at the festival in the past as well as new and upcoming talent.
Artistic Director, Eilidh Steel, a busy fiddler herself, said “I’m pleased we’ve been able to present another packed programme for fiddle lovers of concerts, ceilidhs, recitals, talks and workshops. Also that we’ve been able to celebrate our 20th year with our Saturday night concert bringing together some of the top fiddlers that we’ve featured in previous festivals. And alongside will be some people to look out for in the future, with a performance from our Outreach Project. I’m really looking forward to it all.”
The Friday night concert kicks off Fiddle 2016 proceedings with exciting American brother and sister duo Haley & Dylan Richardson and the Duncan Chisholm trio. The celebratory Saturday night concert includes Aonghas Grant Snr, Aidan O'Rourke, Catriona Macdonald, Chris Stout, Liz Docherty and Paul Anderson joined by Allan MacDonald and Mhairi Hall. Finishing off the festival on Sunday night is Adam Sutherland and friends with the Strathspey and Surreal Society. All the concerts take place at The Queen’s Hall.
You can also dance the evening away on the Friday with the Pentlands Ceilidh Band or Saturday with Hotscotch Ceilidh Band, then follow onto the Festival Club or late night session.
During the days there are workshops for all levels (including specifically for young people) covering fiddle and mixed instrument options from many top artists, recitals, talks, come and try sessions – ideal for those who have never played but want to try a fiddle, a slow session and stalls– all based at Summerhall. Before the weekend, representatives of the Festival visit local primary schools to share our passion for Scottish music and provide information packs for the teaching staff.
Taking place 18-20th November, tickets and more details about the Fiddle 2016 programme and performers are available from: www.scotsfiddlefestival.com or from The Queen's Hall Box Office, 85-89 Clerk St, Edinburgh, EH8 9JG, tel: 0131 668 2019. A number of activities are free during the festival and paid for event prices start from £5, with special prices for under 16s, and weekend tickets are on offer so you can see more for your money.
Organised by the Scots Fiddle Festival, Fiddle 2016 is made possible by funding from the City of Edinburgh Council, Foyle Foundation, Hugh Fraser Foundation and Ernest Cook Trust plus donations from the Scottish Fiddle Orchestra and Eskmills; and partners – Glasgow Fiddle Workshop, Stringers and Fèis Dhùn Èideann as well as all the volunteers and supporters who help the Festival run each year.
ENDS
For further press information contact:
Fiona Campbell / Allan MacDonald
Email: [email protected] Phone: 0795 191 8366
Photos are available by request
Notes to editors
The Scots Fiddle Festival originally started in 1996 with the aim to promote and sustain traditional fiddle music and 20 years on this is still our aim. Throughout the years, the amount of events at the festival has tripled. It brings people together from all over the world, both performers and audience members and continues to inspire thousands of people to enjoy and take part in traditional music, either as players, learners, listeners or dancers. Our all-volunteer committee spends the whole year organising the festival and is helped, at the weekend itself, by a further army of enthusiastic volunteers. The Scots Fiddle Festival Outreach Project has been running for four years with a new group of young fiddle players aged 12-18 in the run up to the festival who then perform at the Saturday night concert at the festival. Participants work with professional musicians to build repertoire, develop skills, confidence and gain experience. Also each year the Scots Fiddle Festival visit a number of schools in and around Edinburgh to talk about the festival, to educate and share our passion for Scottish music, providing an information pack for teachers with resources to use with their pupils. For more details about the Festival visit www.scotsfiddlefestival.com or contact: [email protected]