Boston Scottish Fiddle Club

Online Workshop with Patsy Reid
2021-03-15 14:00 - 15:30 UTC | Zoom Meeting online
An ONLINE Workshop Series – for Members Only
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Patsy Reid – Since stepping back from super-folk-group, Breabach in 2011, Patsy Reid has been in constant demand as a session player and arranger, animating others’ projects with her unique blend of fiddle and violin playing. A one-woman string quartet, Patsy has contributed violin, viola and cello to recordings by the likes of Zakir Hussain, Donald Shaw, Flook, Kathryn Tickell, and Duncan Chisholm, whilst on stage, she can be found performing with the who’s who of the Scottish folk scene, including Julie Fowlis, Donald Shaw, Ross Ainslie & Ali Hutton and Hamish Napier. Having been given her first teaching break at the legendary Taransay Fiddle Camp back in 2002, she has been in high demand as a guest tutor ever since.
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We encourage people to tip the workshop leader if you can via Paypal, directly to the leader’s account. Touring musicians have had all of their gigs cancelled and this is a chance to help them out.
These are intermediate workshops. Any member can participate online.
This will be a Zoom meeting – Members will receive the Zoom link via email the day before the workshop.

Alasdair Fraser & Natalie Haas: Highlanders Farewell
2021-03-12 19:30 - 21:00 | Online via link
A live virtual concert on Friday, March 12, 2021, 7:30pm Eastern Time
The Boston Scottish Fiddle Club is excited to be taking part in the Alasdair Fraser & Natalie Haas live virtual concert, Highlander’s Farewell, being held on Friday, March 12, 2021 at 7:30pm Eastern Time.
The concert will be the third in a series of six retrospective concerts celebrating the music that Alasdair & Natalie have recorded over the past 20 years. Each concert will contain totally different music from the other shows.
Following the performance, the audience will be invited to jump onto a Zoom call with Alasdair & Natalie so everyone can have a post-concert social gathering!
Alasdair and Natalie
The musical partnership between Alasdair Fraser, long regarded as Scotland’s premier fiddle ambassador, and the sizzlingly-talented Californian cellist Natalie Haas may not seem an obvious one, but the duo’s dazzling teamwork, driving rhythms, and their shared passion for improvising on the melody and the groove of Scottish tunes has helped reconstruct and revive the Scottish tradition of playing dance music on violin and cello. They have toured internationally for over twenty years, wowing audiences at festivals and concerts worldwide with their unique sound and have released six critically acclaimed and award winning albums along the way.
The Boston Scottish Fiddle Club receives a portion of the ticket proceeds so be sure to use our specific link to purchase tickets.
Tickets:

$20 General
$30 Family/Household
$10 Student
$5 Times are Hard
$50 Music Supporter

Purchase Tickets

Workshops with Katie McNally - Sunday Meeting
2021-03-07 15:15 - 16:15, 2021-03-07 14:00 - 15:00 | Zoom meeting, MA, United States
For Members only

Katie McNally has made waves in both the American folk music scene and abroad since the release of her debut album, Flourish, in 2013. Her latest project synthesizes her elegant and powerful fiddle playing with the talents of genre-crossing pianist Neil Pearlman and bluegrass phenom Shauncey Ali on viola.

Zoom Workshop Schedule:

2:00 – 3:00pm Beginner/Intermediate workshop
(learn tunes at a slower pace)
3:00 – 3:15 Break
3:15 – 4:15 Intermediate/Advanced workshop
(faster-paced and more advanced)

* Members will receive the Zoom link the day before the workshop.

Online Workshop with Douglas Montgomery
2021-02-22 02:00 | Zoom Meeting online
An ONLINE Workshop Series – for Members Only
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Douglas Montgomery – “I love what I do and I do what I love. I have been teaching the fiddle in Orkney for over 20 years, 18 of which have been in the primary and secondary schools around the county. I teach around 100 students each week, am involved in various fiddle bands and orchestras, both in school and in the community. I perform with Saltfishforty and The Chair and I am the musical director of Orkney Folk: The Gathering. I have been a guest tutor at Newcastle University, Blazin’ in Beauly and The Cromarty Fiddle Weekend. I have also led workshops at various festivals such as Celtic Colours, Scots Fiddle Festival, Cambridge Folk Festival, Shetland Folk Festival, Heb Celt and many more.”
_____________
We encourage people to tip the workshop leader if you can via Paypal, directly to the leader’s account. Touring musicians have had all of their gigs cancelled and this is a chance to help them out.
These are intermediate workshops. Any member can participate online.
This will be a Zoom meeting – Members will receive the Zoom link via email the day before the workshop.

Scottish Session with Katie McNally & Neil Pearlman
2021-02-17 19:30 - 21:00 | Facebook Live
These sessions takes place on the Boston Scottish Fiddle Club Facebook group page. If you are not a member of that Facebook group you should go to that page and request to join. You will be accepted as long it looks like you are a human with no bad intentions. Anyone can join.

On Wednesday evening when you go to the Facebook group page you should see the Facebook Live event underway or about to begin.

In lieu of a donation basket at the door you can send a tip to paypal.me/neilpearlman or Venmo: @neil-pearlman. Select “Send to someone you trust” so there are no fees at their end.

“See” you at the session!

LIST OF POPULAR TUNES played at these sessions here.
Data on which tunes were played each month or frequency of tunes over time: Lance Ramshaw’s site.
Questions? Send us an email.
(During non-Covid times these sessions take place in person on the Third Wednesday of each month (September – June) at the Canadian American Club in Watertown, MA.)

Online Workshop - Leader TBA
2021-02-07 15:15 - 16:15, 2021-02-07 02:00 - 15:00 | Zoom meeting, MA, United States
For Members only

Zoom Workshop Schedule:

2:00 – 3:00pm Beginner/Intermediate workshop
(learn tunes at a slower pace)
3:00 – 3:15 Break
3:15 – 4:15 Intermediate/Advanced workshop
(faster-paced and more advanced)

* Members will receive the Zoom link the day before the workshop.

Online Workshop with Charlie Mckerron
2021-01-18 02:00 - 15:30 | Zoom Meeting online
An ONLINE Workshop Series – for Members Only
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Charlie Mckerron has been a major figure in the traditional music scene since the early 1980’s and is internationally regarded as one of Scotland’s finest fiddlers. He is a key member of the highly successful Capercaillie but has collaborated with many other musicians and played with other noted bands such as SessionA9 and Big Sky Charlie was brought up with the Northeast fiddle tradition learning from his father and Great uncle but has immersed himself in the Gaelic tradition with Capercaillie and in doing so has helped to bring this music to high acclaim on the International stage.
_____________
We encourage people to tip the workshop leader if you can via Paypal, directly to the leader’s account. Touring musicians have had all of their gigs cancelled and this is a chance to help them out.
These are intermediate workshops. Any member can participate online.
This will be a Zoom meeting – Members will receive the Zoom link via email the day before the workshop.

Online Workshop with Natalie Haas
2021-01-03 15:15 - 16:15 | MA
For Members only

Zoom Workshop Schedule:

2:00 – 3:00pm Beginner/Intermediate workshop
(learn tunes at a slower pace)
3:00 – 3:15 Break
3:15 – 4:15 Intermediate/Advanced workshop
(faster-paced and more advanced)

* Members will receive the Zoom link the day before the workshop.

Natalie Haas is one of the most sought after cellists playing traditional music today. She and Scottish fiddler Alasdair Fraser have toured as a duo for over 15 years, wowing audiences at festivals and concerts worldwide with their unique sound. A graduate of the Juilliard School, Natalie discovered the cello at age nine. In addition to having extensive classical music training, she is accomplished in a broad array of fiddle genres. Her music journey found purpose when she fell in love with Celtic music at the Valley of the Moon Scottish Fiddling School at age 11. Inspired and encouraged by director Fraser, she began to investigate the cello’s potential for rhythmic accompaniment to fiddle tunes, and to this day, the two continue to resurrect and reinvent the cello’s historic role in Scottish music. Natalie’s skills as an educator make her one of the most in demand teachers at fiddle camps across the globe. She also teaches privately and in a workshop setting, and holds an associate professorship at the Berklee College of Music. Natalie now makes her home in Boston, where she is an active member of the traditional music scene.

Online Workshop with Natalie Haas
2021-01-03 14:00 - 15:00 | Zoom meeting, MA, United States

Online Workshop with Adam Sutherland
2020-12-21 14:00 - 15:30 | Zoom Meeting online
An ONLINE Workshop Series – for Members Only
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Adam Sutherland comes from Errogie on the south shores of Loch Ness in the Highlands of Scotland. In his late thirties, he is one of Scotland’s most exciting fiddle players, composers and teachers in a thriving scene, drenched with talent. Outfits that Adam has been a part of include The Treacherous Orchestra, Session A9, Peatbog Faeries, Babelfish and Croft no. Five. He has also played with a host of other well known acts including Salsa Celtica and Manran. Adam’s tunes are perhaps his most impressive legacy and are played in music sessions and on youtube videos in many countries.
_____________
We encourage people to tip the workshop leader if you can via Paypal, directly to the leader’s account. Touring musicians have had all of their gigs cancelled and this is a chance to help them out.
These are intermediate workshops. Any member can participate online.
This will be a Zoom meeting – Members will receive the Zoom link via email the day before the workshop.

Scottish Session with Katie McNally & Neil Pearlman
2020-12-16 19:00 - 21:00, 2020-12-02 19:00 - 21:00, 2020-11-18 19:00 - 21:00, 2020-11-04 19:00 - 21:00, 2020-10-21 19:00 - 21:00, 2020-10-07 19:00 - 21:00 | Facebook Live
These sessions takes place on the Boston Scottish Fiddle Club Facebook group page. If you are not a member of that Facebook group you should go to that page and request to join. You will be accepted as long it looks like you are a human with no bad intentions. Anyone can join.

On Wednesday evening when you go to the Facebook group page you should see the Facebook Live event underway.

In lieu of a donation basket at the door you can send a tip via Paypal(sign in here) during the session directly to Katie and Neil using Katie’s Paypal email: mcnallykl@gmail.com. Select “Send to someone you trust” so there are no fees at their end. This is how we can help Katie and Neil during this very difficult time for touring and performing musicians.

* On Paypal enter Katie’s email, enter the $ amount, click “Continue”, select “Send to a friend“. This will eliminate the fee at Katie and Neil’s end.

“See” you at the session!

LIST OF POPULAR TUNES played at these sessions here.
Data on which tunes were played each month or frequency of tunes over time: Lance Ramshaw’s site.
Questions? Send us an email.
(When life is normal these sessions take place in person on the Third Wednesday of each month (September – June) at the Canadian American Club in Watertown, MA.)

Online Workshop with Laura Risk
2020-12-06 15:15 - 16:15, 2020-12-06 14:00 - 15:00 | Zoom Meeting online
For Members only

Zoom Workshop Schedule:

2:00 – 3:00pm Beginner/Intermediate workshop
(learn tunes at a slower pace)
3:00 – 3:15 Break
3:15 – 4:15 Intermediate/Advanced workshop
(faster-paced and more advanced)

* Members will receive the Zoom link the day before the workshop.

Laura Risk’s fiddling has been described by filmmaker Ken Burns as “a revelation and achingly beautiful” and Living Tradition hails her “powerful, percussive style… bursting with energy and passion.” Originally from California, now living in Montreal, Laura performs and teaches Scottish and Québécois fiddling internationally and has over a dozen albums to her credit. Her distinctive sound and compelling interpretations of traditional tunes are intensely personal yet grounded in meticulous archival and ethnographic research. Laura has toured with Cordelia’s Dad, Triptych, Ensemble Galilei, and dancer Sandy Silva; served as musical director for ensembles Childsplay and Revels North; and produced seven albums, including three for fiddler Hanneke Cassel. Her research credits include articles in Ethnomusicology and MUSICultures, co-authorship of The Glengarry Collection: The Highland Fiddle Music of Aonghas Grant (Mel Bay), and the CD-booklet Douglastown: Music and Song from the Gaspé Coast, awarded the 2014 Prix Mnémo. Laura holds a PhD in Musicology from McGill University, for which she received the 2017 Governor General’s Gold Medal

Online Workshop with Anna Wendy Stevenson
2020-11-16 14:00 - 15:30 | Zoom Meeting online
An ONLINE Workshop Series – for Members Only
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Anna Wendy Stevenson is a fiddler specializing in Celtic music, she has toured the world as a performer and teacher working with a range of artists and community groups. As a composer, she has written music for film, theatre, animation, TV and Royal Conservatoire exam boards. In 2011, her Celtic Connections festival commission My Edinburgh was nominated for a BBC MG Alba Composer Of The Year award. Anna-Wendy has produced several albums and recorded on over 35, working with many artists from different genres including her grandfather, composer and pianist Ronald Stevenson. She has directed for several TV shows and documentaries including BBC Itrad and BBC Christmas service which featured her students from Benbecula. She was also nominated Music Teacher Of The Year for the Scottish Music Industry Awards in 2011.
_____________
We encourage people to tip the workshop leader if you can via Paypal, directly to the leader’s account. Touring musicians have had all of their gigs cancelled and this is a chance to help them out.
These are intermediate workshops. Any member can participate online.
This will be a Zoom meeting – Members will receive the Zoom link via email the day before the workshop.

Online Workshop with Ed Pearlman
2020-11-01 15:15 - 16:15 | Zoom Meeting online
For Members only

Zoom Workshop Schedule:

2:00 – 3:00pm Beginner/Intermediate workshop
(learn tunes at a slower pace)
3:00 – 3:15 Break
3:15 – 4:15 Intermediate/Advanced workshop
(faster-paced and more advanced)

* Members will receive the Zoom link the day before the workshop.

Ed Pearlman plays with heart and an unusual depth of knowledge about Scottish and Cape Breton music. He is a full-time fiddler and teacher living in the Portland, Maine area. His band, Highland Soles, with wife Laura Scott and 3 kids, offers a contemporary take on traditional Scottish and Cape Breton dance and music, and his new CD, On the Edge, features the innovative piano playing of his son Neil. Ed directed the Boston Scottish Fiddle Club for 18 years, building it from about 15 to nearly 200 members, and creating events such as the 15-year annual Scottish Fiddle Rally, spotlighting each year a different soloists from Scotland and Cape Breton with dancers and Fiddle Club members. A CD of Rally highlights is on Greentrax Records. The Fiddle Rally pioneered, for the general public, the connection between the fiddling of Scotland and Cape Breton. Ed also created and directed for 7 years the Celtic Festival at the Hatch Shell, featuring top Irish, Scottish and Cape Breton artists, and led the Fiddle Club on two performing tours to Cape Breton. Since the mid 90s, Ed has written the music column for Scottish Life magazine. Ed’s Portland America Distributing was for 11 years the US distributor for recordings from Scotland, Atlantic Canada, and selected titles from Ireland, Brittany and Wales; this distribution has continued under a new owner since 2003. Ed has taught many camps, including Blazin-in-Beauly in Scotland, Ohio Scottish Arts School since 1995, Pinewoods, Maine Fiddle Camp, Ashokan, Rocky Mountain Fiddle Camp. Ed created the music committee and music books for the RSCDS Boston Branch, and has played other styles as well, including contra dances (he ran Roaring Jelly for a few years and currently runs a monthly contra dance in Portland), and a swing jazz band.

Online Workshop with Ed Pearlman
2020-11-01 14:00 - 15:00 | Zoom Meeting online
(Note: daylight savings time ends – clocks “fall back”)

For Members only

Zoom Workshop Schedule:

2:00 – 3:00pm Beginner/Intermediate workshop
(learn tunes at a slower pace)
3:00 – 3:15 Break
3:15 – 4:15 Intermediate/Advanced workshop
(faster-paced and more advanced)

* Members will receive the Zoom link the day before the workshop.

Ed Pearlman plays with heart and an unusual depth of knowledge about Scottish and Cape Breton music. He is a full-time fiddler and teacher living in the Portland, Maine area. His band, Highland Soles, with wife Laura Scott and 3 kids, offers a contemporary take on traditional Scottish and Cape Breton dance and music, and his new CD, On the Edge, features the innovative piano playing of his son Neil. Ed directed the Boston Scottish Fiddle Club for 18 years, building it from about 15 to nearly 200 members, and creating events such as the 15-year annual Scottish Fiddle Rally, spotlighting each year a different soloists from Scotland and Cape Breton with dancers and Fiddle Club members. A CD of Rally highlights is on Greentrax Records. The Fiddle Rally pioneered, for the general public, the connection between the fiddling of Scotland and Cape Breton. Ed also created and directed for 7 years the Celtic Festival at the Hatch Shell, featuring top Irish, Scottish and Cape Breton artists, and led the Fiddle Club on two performing tours to Cape Breton. Since the mid 90s, Ed has written the music column for Scottish Life magazine. Ed’s Portland America Distributing was for 11 years the US distributor for recordings from Scotland, Atlantic Canada, and selected titles from Ireland, Brittany and Wales; this distribution has continued under a new owner since 2003. Ed has taught many camps, including Blazin-in-Beauly in Scotland, Ohio Scottish Arts School since 1995, Pinewoods, Maine Fiddle Camp, Ashokan, Rocky Mountain Fiddle Camp. Ed created the music committee and music books for the RSCDS Boston Branch, and has played other styles as well, including contra dances (he ran Roaring Jelly for a few years and currently runs a monthly contra dance in Portland), and a swing jazz band.

Young Fiddlers Workshop Series with Hanneke Cassel
2020-10-23 20:00 - 20:30 | Zoom meeting, MA, United States
These workshops will be faster paced evenings geared toward musicians under 25.
All instruments are welcome
Expect to learn a tune or two by ear.
Older members welcome to “audit” with audio & video turned off to keep the focus on the younger musicians

Effervescent and engaging, Boston-based fiddler Hanneke Cassel is a performer, teacher and composer whose career spans over two decades. Her style fuses influences from the Isle of Skye and Cape Breton Island with Americana grooves and musical innovations, creating a cutting-edge acoustic sound that retains the integrity and spirit of the Scottish tradition. Hanneke’s music is a blend of the contemporary and traditional, described by the Boston Globe as “exuberant and rhythmic, somehow wild and innocent, delivered with captivating melodic clarity and an irresistible playfulness.”

Online Workshop with Anita MacDonald
2020-10-19 14:00 - 15:30 | Zoom Meeting online
An ONLINE Workshop Series – for Members Only
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Anita MacDonald, along with her duo partner Ben Miller, have become renowned across Canada and further afield, for their synergistic approach to traditional Scottish music. Blending Scottish Lowland pipes with Cape Breton fiddle, Gaelic song and step-dance, Ben and Anita join together the threads of Old and New World traditions, while constantly exploring new ways to bring their instruments closer together. Their music has been hailed as “Playful, poignant, and passionate all at once” — “Fresh, yet totally traditional.”
_____________
We encourage people to tip the workshop leader if you can via Paypal, directly to the leader’s account. Touring musicians have had all of their gigs cancelled and this is a chance to help them out.
These are intermediate workshops. Any member can participate online.
This will be a Zoom meeting – Members will receive the Zoom link via email the day before the workshop.

Online Workshop with Wendy MacIsaac
2020-10-04 15:15 - 16:15 | MA
For Members only

Zoom Workshop Schedule:

2:00 – 3:00pm Beginner/Intermediate workshop
(learn tunes at a slower pace)
3:00 – 3:15 Break
3:15 – 4:15 Intermediate/Advanced workshop
(faster-paced and more advanced)

* Members will receive the Zoom link the day before the workshop.

Wendy MacIsaac is a renowned fiddler from Cape Breton who has been playing music for over 30 years. She is recognized as one of the “old school” style of players who has kept the traditional sound going and has a deep respect for it. Wendy is also a sought after piano accompanist and step dancer. Besides performing as a solo artist, Wendy tours with Mary Jane Lamond. Wendy can also be seen performing with Heather Rankin and occasionally Beolach who she toured with for 11 years. Wendy is in high demand for her skills at teaching the Cape Breton style of fiddling. She travels throughout North America and overseas as well as teaching from her home in Halifax.

ONLINE Workshop with Wendy MacIsaac
2020-10-04 14:00 - 15:00 | Zoom Meeting online

Online Workshop with Rua MacMillan
2020-09-21 14:00 - 15:30 | Zoom meeting, MA, United States
An ONLINE Workshop Series – for Members Only
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Hailing from Nairn, Rua Macmillan is one of Scotland’s top fiddlers. Having graduated with a B.A.(Hons) in Scottish Music from the R.S.A.M.D. (now Royal Conservatoire of Scotland), and being awarded the prestigious title of BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year in 2009, Rua has toured extensively throughout Europe and North America, inlcuding performances at some of the world’s most prominent Folk Festivals, including Celtic Connections (Sco), Cambridge (Eng), Ortigeuira (Spn), and Winnipeg (Can). His debut album, ‘Tyro’ (CDTRAX346) was voted instrumental album of the year in the Fatea Awards, and was picked by Songlines Magazine as a ‘Top of the World’ album.
In 2014, Rua joined the multi-awardwinning Blazin’ Fiddles
In addition to touring, Rua is in great demand as a tutor, and teaches regularly with Fèis Rois, the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Glasgow Fiddle Workshop, as well as internationally.
_____________
We encourage people to tip the workshop leader if you can via Paypal, directly to the leader’s account. Touring musicians have had all of their gigs cancelled and this is a chance to help them out.
These are intermediate workshops. Any member can participate online.
This will be a Zoom meeting – Members will receive the Zoom link via email the day before the workshop.

Cancelled! Scottish / Cape Breton Session with Katie McNally & Neil Pearlman
2020-09-16 19:00 - 21:00 | Facebook Live
The session will take place on the Boston Scottish Fiddle Club Facebook group page. If you are not a member of that Facebook group you should go to that page and request to join. You will be accepted as long it looks like you are a human with no bad intentions. Anyone can join.

On Wednesday evening when you go to the Facebook group page you should see the Facebook Live event underway.

In lieu of a donation basket at the door you can send a tip via Paypal(sign in here) during the session directly to Katie and Neil using Katie’s Paypal email: mcnallykl@gmail.com. Select “Send to someone you trust” so there are no fees at their end.

This is how we can help Katie and Neil during this very difficult time for touring and performing musicians.

Wearing headphones may help to hear Katie and Neil while you play along with them.

* On Paypal enter Katie’s email, enter the $ amount, click “Continue”, select “Send to a friend“. This will eliminate the fee at Katie and Neil’s end.

“See” you at the session!

LIST OF POPULAR TUNES played at these sessions here.
Data on which tunes were played each month or frequency of tunes over time: Lance Ramshaw’s site.
Questions? Send us an email.
(When life is normal these sessions take place in person on the Third Wednesday of each month (September – June) at the Canadian American Club in Watertown, MA.)

Annual Meeting / Social / Session
2020-09-13 15:00 - 18:00 | Zoom meeting, MA, United States
Come join us for our Annual Meeting. There will be time for socializing, a quick report and then a session with Barbara and Robert McOwen!
3:00 – Socialize
3:15 – Annual Meeting
More socializing
4:00 – 6:00 Session with Barbara and Robert McOwen
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