PHOTO OPPORTUNITIES: Today (Friday, July 28) – Sunday, July 30 – see below for details
Anyone looking for something to do in Aberdeen this weekend can take full advantage of the international line-up of musicians and dancers taking part in the UK’s biggest fiddle and dance event in the city.
The North Atlantic Fiddle Convention (NAFCo) is the UK’s biggest event of its kind and runs until Sunday (July 30) at the University of Aberdeen and other arts venues around the city and beyond.
The line-up for NAFCo 2006 is the most international to date with musicians and dancers participating from as far afield as Canada and the US, to Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Lithuania, Ireland, and all over the UK.
Organised by the University of Aberdeen’s Elphinstone Institute, in partnership with SCaT (Scottish Culture and Traditions Association), NAFCo 2006 is attracting thousands of visitors to the region. Festival organisers are enjoying the busiest NAFCo yet with over 4,000 people expected to take part in events – breaking the previous box office record for the festival.
This weekend, big international names in traditional music and the cream of local talent are participating in a packed programme of concerts, ceilidhs, fiddle and dance workshops, and musical sessions. There is also an on-going series of talks, busking tours, and visits to local hospitals and businesses to bring the spirit of NAFCo all over the city and North-East.
Saturday (July 29) NAFCo highlights:
· 12.00noon – 2.30pm – Free Lunch Concert: Metis & Quebecois – Lemon Tree Café. Featuring Anne Lederman and Quebecosse. This engaging concert will demonstrate some of the transformed fiddle styles of Canada, Scotland and France.
· 2.00pm – 3.15pm – Free Concert Series at the Cowdray Hall – Russia & Orkney. Featuring Circassian music and dance and the Orkney Traditional Music Project. The Circassians will demonstrate the music and dance traditions from the Republic of Adyghea in Russia, while the ever-growing ensemble of young musicians from Orkney will demonstrate that the future of tradition is in good hands.
· 3.45pm – 5.00pm – Free Concert Series at the Cowdray Hall – Scotland, England & Denmark. Featuring Iain Fraser, Sophy and Emily Ball, and Fromseier Rose. Representing three very different traditions, each of these performers also present their own contemporary take on the music and their cultural influences.
Perhaps the biggest highlight of the festival is the NAFCo Gala Concert, featuring Alasdair Fraser and Natalie Haas. The concert takes place at the Aberdeen Music Hall on Saturday from 8.00pm – 11.00pm.
Dr Ian Russell, Director of the Elphinstone Institute, and co-organiser of NAFCo 2006, said: “The Gala Concert is truly a dream concert for music lovers, with some of the world’s most dazzling fiddlers on the same concert stage.
”Alasdair Fraser has been a major force behind the resurgence of traditional Scottish fiddling. His dynamic fiddling, engaging stage presence and deep understanding of Scotland’s music have created a constant and international demand for his concerts.
“Joined on Saturday by young cello virtuoso, Natalie Haas, this duo, and the rest of this world-class line-up will be sure to present an awe-inspiring performance.”
Sunday (July 30) NAFCo highlights:
· 12.00noon – 2.30pm – Free Lunch Concert: Norway & Ireland – Lemon Tree Café. An intimate performance by three fiddle maestros. A performance from one of Norway’s premier hardanger players, Arne Anderdal, followed by two of Ireland’s greatest Sliabh Luachra tradition bearers, Matt Cranitch and Seamus Creagh.
· 2.00pm – 3.15pm – Free Concert Series at the Cowdray Hall – Youth Showcase. An amazing showcase of youthful mastery, these performers show how they will continue the fiddle traditions in the future.
· 3.45pm – 5.00pm – Free Concert Series at the Cowdray Hall – NAFCo Fiddle Frenzy! The final stramash to end the festivities of NAFCo 2006. Brilliant fiddle and cello duo Alasdair Fraser and Natalie Haas will lead off this final exploration of cultural connections.
Dr Russell added: “NAFCo is for everyone who enjoys the sound of the fiddle, whether audience or player, young or old.
“It will be an unrivalled opportunity to experience the best in live traditional fiddle music and dance.”
More highlights from other countries include: Lithuania, Sweden, England, and Wales. The Scottish line up includes: Pat Ballantyne, Elizabeth Durness, Iain Fraser, Aonghas Grant (Senr), Christine Hanson, Carmen Higgins, Douglas Lawrence, Catriona Macdonald, Pete McCallum, Lauren McColl, Mats Melin, Sara Reith, Karen Steven and Lori Watson, and Claire White, as well as the Cullivoe Fiddlers from Yell in Shetland, Fochabers Fiddlers, the Orkney Traditional Music Project, and Aurora.
All other artists are available by visiting the NAFCo website at: http://www.abdn.ac.uk/elphinstone/nafco/
NAFCo links up with a number of local, national and international arts and cultural organisations and has received the support of the City of Aberdeen, Scottish Arts Council, MacRobert Trust and Scottish Enterprise Grampian. The arts venue the Lemon Tree, is the official NAFCo Festival Club where concerts, workshops and dance events are being held every day of the festival.
Tickets for NAFCo 2006 are still available by contacting The Elphinstone Institute on +44 (0) 1224 272996 or email@ NAFCo@abdn.ac.uk or visit: www.abdn.ac.uk/elphinstone/nafco/