Edinburgh FluteFling 2024 – Newhaven
A great turnout for the Edinburgh FluteFling in April (c) Gordon Turnbull
Well, we did it again! The 10th Anniversary Weekend was a great success, with our biggest ever concert and sold-out workshops. The sun shone for us too!
Thanks to everyone who helped to make this a success, and we look forward to seeing you at the next one.
Friday
The weekend opened with a stellar concert headlined by the award winning Calum Stewart with Luc McNally accompanying on guitar and Sophie Stephenson bringing her Scottish step dance footwork for percussive and visual interplay.
Dougie Pincock performing solo at Edinburgh FluteFling 2024. (c) Gordon Turnbull
There was a veritable buzz and a sense of occasion as people gathered in the atrium and the hall beforehand. The first half of the evening saw Dougie Pincock take the stage in front of a packed hall to promote the humble D whistle with a versatile and dazzling performance that included tunes in keys that normally wouldn’t be played on the instrument. The audacity and dexterity brought audible gasps from an audience that included many musicians.
Freya Rae (flute) and Siannie Moodie (clarsach) performing at Edinburgh FluteFling 2024. (c) Gordon Turnbull
Freya Rae took the stage next, accompanied by Siannie Moodie on clarsach. A multi-instrumentalist, Freya is known in Edinburgh for her Boehm flute playing of traditional music and we were treated to some recent dynamic compositions that went down well with the audience. If the duo were at all nervous, it wasn’t apparent in an assured and tight set. Hopefully we will all be hearing more of their music together, as their interplay and sound was perfect for what was to come.
Luc McNally, Sophie Stephenson and Calum Stewart in concert (c) Gordon Turnbull
The main concert lived up to its promise, with an energetic and vibrant performance from Calum, Luc and Sophie, three performers at the top of their game, complementing and playing off each other throughout. The uilleann pipes were crisp and clear, the flute rich and sonorous as Calum presented new material alongside more familiar tunes from earlier recordings.
Luc McNally and Calum Stewart (c) Gordon Turnbull
A mix of newly composed tunes with older ones from his native Moray, the blend was finely balanced. Luc’s guitar alternated between rhythm and melody, the bell-like tones augmented by a bass octave pedal to give a sudden sonic depth to the music. The top end of the sound was provided by Sophie’s intricate percussive steps, sometimes highlighting the beat, at other times playing off the melody line.
One the strands of FluteFling is participation, and after the encores, the room was turned around to create a session space for the many musicians in the audience, and continue the music into the night.
Edinburgh FluteFling Friday night session (c) Gordon Turnbull
Saturday
The workshops were the busiest yet, the Anchor Hub building buzzing with activity as people caught up with each other in between immersion in flute talk and playing. The relationship between the pipes and the flute, Boehm system, keyless systems and whistles were all explored.
Workshop with Dougie Pincock (c) Gordon Turnbull
Workshop with Sharon Newton Creasey (c) Gordon Turnbull
Flute-maker George Ormiston had a pop-up space that allowed people to try out various models of his instruments and there was a constant flow of people in and out all day.
Sharon and Kenny try out George Ormiston whistles. (c) Gordon Turnbull
While the flute workshops were taking place, Sophie Stephenson also held a couple of dance workshops and joined Calum for a demonstration and talk on the relationship between dance and music in what became a celebration of two reviving traditions, Scottish step dance and Scottish flute.
Calum Stewart and Sophie Stephenson demonstrate aspects of playing for dancing. Host Peter Saunders looks on. (c) Gordon Turnbull
Everyone reconvened later that evening for another session into the night at the Heart of Newhaven Community.
The Saturday night session at the Heart of Newhaven Community (c) John Crawford
Sunday
We tried a new venue for the Sunday farewell session, having outgrown the Sandy Bells space, which struggled to accommodate the numbers last year. Thanks to Marie-Elaine Maguire for suggesting Leith Depot, which is on main public transport routes and has good food and drink. The atmosphere was relaxed and the tunes mellow.
Leith Depot Session (c) John Crawford
Leith Depot Session (c) John Crawford
Leith Depot Session (c) Gordon Turnbull
Leith Depot Session (c) John Crawford
What people enjoyed
What did people say they enjoyed about the weekend? This is some of the feedback we had.
Meeting other flute players
New ornamentation techniques, a fantastic session experience and a sense of community.
Varied and interesting teaching sessions
There were some great pieces of advice in the workshops… Reminders of various techniques for practising tone… relationship between Scottish piping & fluting… a more general understanding of the flute in Scottish trad.
An inspiration to look out more in the way of resources on the internet, and a resolution to: pay more attention to embouchure and tone; and to pick up the flute every day.
…inspiration and new musical connections
Would certainly recommend it.
Really enjoyed the workshops… Already recommended it to a friend.
Loved it, can’t wait til the next one
Excellent event and would definitely recommend it
Positive & reinforcing. Just good to hang out with other flute players who have similar enthusiasms. Always good to see younger people as a part of the whole thing. Would and have recommended to others.
Next: Aberdeen 1-3 November
After drawing breath, the team are now looking towards making Aberdeen a success. The event takes place 1-3 November 2024, so look out for tickets going on sale later in the summer. We’re also making plans for Edinburgh 2025 and will reveal more towards the end of the year.
As always, make sure you are signed up to the mailing list to hear about it all first before tickets go on general sale.