Strathspey and Reel Society of New Hampshire

Preview of Scottish Fun?

srsnh — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 13:23:17 +0000

Click here for a look at an upcoming animated film about Scotland’s Highlands. It debuts in August of 2012. Patrick Doyle of South Lanarkshire, Scotland, will compose the music for the Pixar film. Doyle, who has scored many major films, said of Brave, “I want to make it accessible, but to honour the Celtic traditions if I can. It’s a real fable set in Scotland. I could possibly use the bagpipes as a drone or something that gives atmosphere, but I will resist instantly using them until I see what’s going on … they are extremely loud.”

Celtic Connections Festival

mivose60 — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 15:30:00 +0000

One of Scotland’s largest music festivals starts January 19, 2012 in Glasgow. The Celtic Connections 2012 event runs through February 5 with hundreds of performances and workshops/lectures. Visit this link to learn more.

Buskers Alert!

srsnh — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 12:49:05 +0000

Dying to spend some quality time in the Scottish Highlands this fall, but don’t know how to pay for it? The town of Pitlochry invites buskers to take to the streets during the Enchanted Forest light show. Check out this link for all details. And polish up that instrument!

Young Trad Musicians of Scotland

srsnh — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 17:21:05 +0000

The Celtic Connections Festival stages a competition each year to uncover the top traditional musician in Scotland. Twenty-two year old fiddler Kristan Harvey took home the trophy for 2011.

To see and hear Kristan, and the other finalists, click here. The competition includes singers as well as accordionists, harpers, and pipers.

SRSNH Lass Wins Folk Heritage Award

srsnh — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 23:26:33 +0000

The New Hampshire State Council for the Arts on March 30 informed Sylvia Miskoe that she had been selected to receive the Folk Heritage Award, one of the Governor’s Arts Awards for 2011.

This prestigious award “recognizes a New Hampshire traditional folk artist who has made a significant contribution to his or her art form and to his or her cultural community, reflecting a lifetime of achievement.” Sylvia’s selection marks the first time that this award has gone to a woman.

Sylvia’s lifetime of teaching music and dance spans six decades. This award recognizes her many contributions to the New Hampshire folk music and dance community, from playing with the Canterbury Country Dance Orchestra to being a founder of the Strathspey and Reel Society of New Hampshire.

The Governor’s Arts Award program ran every two years from 1995 until 2007, but skipped 2009. This year’s awards are the first issued since 2007. The awards ceremony takes place on April 27 at the State House in Concord.

SRSNH members send out a hearty congratulatory “Huzzah!” to Sylvia!

The Subtleties of Tartan

srsnh — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 14:02:56 +0000

“Wait a minute! That looks like the New Hampshire tartan,” thought a recent observer of the picture of Keith Lockhart on the CD cover of the Boston Pops The Celtic Album.

Could that be true? A visit to the closet to pull out a kilt made with the New Hampshire tartan launched an inspection and comparison of the two plaids. Lockhart’s tartan, according to the CD’s liner notes, “..is from the Ayrshire District, which contains the Lockhart family clan.” Both tartans feature alternating panels of green and purple, separated by white lines.

Looking more closely, however, you can see a yellow double line through some panels of Lockhart’s tartan. And, an occasional blue panel that almost looks green. Definitely different from the New Hampshire design.

A database search revealed that Lockhart indeed was wearing the Ayrshire District tartan (left photo) in that CD picture. One wonders why he did not wear the Lockhart tartan (right photo). Likely, the costume shop did not have that tartan available.

Ah, the subtleties of tartan. It makes you wonder how they were able to recognize each other in the field!

Some Scottish Music History

srsnh — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 13:09:09 +0000

In Scotland, music flourished on the streets and in kitchens rather than in concerts halls as was more common in England and France, according to the compilation of Scottish music historical vignettes located here.

Learn more about the earliest roots of the traditional roots of the music of Scotland by perusing these sources.

Degree in Scottish Music?

srsnh — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 18:43:41 +0000

Scotland offers many college degree programs in Scottish traditional music. Maybe the college-bound lass or lad in your household would find such a program attractive.

At the high school level, The National Centre for Excellence in Traditional Music at the Plockton School has an exciting program described here.

If a student wants to study Gaelic, take a look at this program.

Look here to see what’s on during the upcoming season on the Ilse of Skye.

Newcastle University offers an interesting degree program described here.

Almost makes you want to move to Scotland!

The 18th Year of Celtic Connections

mivose60 — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 00:36:40 +0000

Over 1,500 artists will perform at this year’s Celtic Connections festival, which kicked off today in Glasgow. Read more here.

SRSNH Members Link to Ralph Page

srsnh — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 00:54:23 +0000

Many SRSNH members get involved each year in staging a dance event named for a famed New England dance caller. The 24th Annual Ralph Page Dance Legacy Weekend runs January 14 – 16, 2011 in the Memorial Union Building at UNH in Durham, NH. This outstanding weekend of contra and square dancing celebrates the New England tradition with excellent music, great callers, and friendly dancers. Additionally, there are some great workshops and jam sessions for musicians. For more information, please see www.neffa.org and click on the RPDLW link.