This gallery contains 20 photos.
Some more photos from the Aberdeen FluteFling weekend November 2024 See the blog post about the weekend here. Click on the photos to enlarge. Credits: Linda Harkness, Gordon Turnbull; captions to follow.
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.
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
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
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 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.
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.
Joannie Madden from Cherish the Ladies will be appearing at Stonehaven Folk Festival. (c) Joannie Madden
Stonehaven Folk Festival takes place 11-14 July this year and our friends there have organised a weekend that features a number of whistle and flute concerts and workshops that are worthy of your attention.
With Joannie Madden and our own Kenny Hadden amongst them, there is something here for everyone and spaces available at the time of writing. Like many of these things, if we’re able to support them then they will continue to be offered.
Whistle (Intermediate) – JOANIE MADDEN
Friday, 12 July 11:00-13:00 – Community Centre £12.00
Whistle (Intermediate) – KENNY HADDEN
Saturday, 13 July 10:30-12:30 – Community Centre £12.00
Flute (Intermediate) – GUILLERMO DEL VAL
Saturday, 13 July 13:30-15:30 – Community Centre £12.00
Groupwork (Intermediate) – ROSS AINSLIE, TIM EDEY, MARC CLEMENT
Sunday, 14 July 10:30-14:30 – Community Centre £12.00
The main website is here:
https://tickets.stonehavenfolkfestival.co.uk
Thanks to John Crawford for sharing the information.
Ali Hutton and Tom Oakes perform at FluteFling 2023 (c) Gordon Turnbull
FluteFling returned to Edinburgh with a great full weekend in May, featuring Tom Oakes and Ali Hutton in concert and workshops with Davy Maguire, Sharon Creasey and Tom Oakes.
The sun shone on a sell-out event at our new venue in the north of Edinburgh, the Heart of Newhaven Community, for our first post-lockdown weekend in Edinburgh. Just West of neighbouring Leith, it proved to be the perfect setting. (See this blog post for peek behind the scenes).
Tom Oakes had initially been invited to perform at the cancelled 2020 event, so we were delighted that he was able to take to the stage with Ali Hutton in a new duo. Support came from Sharon Creasey on her Böhm system flute, with Tom’s delicate bouzouki underpinning her strong, brilliant sound as she treated us to some of the tunes from The FluteFling Collection. It’s always a treat to listen to other flute players that we don’t always get to hear, so kudos to Niall Kenny for stepping into the other support slot despite a long shift in his day job as agricultural vet. His tone shone through as he got into the groove.
A tuning issue between Ali Hutton’s pipes and Tom’s flute at warm-up meant a last minute change as Ali took a back seat and accompanied Tom. What followed was a flute masterclass in technique, control and tone, from fast-paced cascades of newly penned tunes in tumbling time signatures to slow airs with minimal foot pedal live effects. (“The best foot pedal control from a non-driver I have ever seen”, according to Ali Hutton). Underpinned by Ali’s sympathetic guitar, sometimes driving, sometimes holding back to provide more space to the music, the packed audience were mesmerised and appreciative. For more of that considered and thoughtful control, see Tom’s album Water Street. Look out for more of Ali and Tom in the future.
Tom and Sharon were to be teaching the following day and third tutor Davy Maguire arrived from Belfast during the concert. He joined them both on stage for a rousing set of tunes to wind up the concert and preface the session in the concert hall that followed.
Tunes after the Friday night concert. (c) Gordon Turnbull
Flute players going through the paces during an afternoon workshop. (c) Gordon Turnbull
The sun really shone for us on the Saturday, with blue skies marking the end of a cold spring. It contributed to a special day, as we had taken over the Anchor Hub at Heart of Newhaven Community and people were able to spill out into the sunshine at the breaks between the sell-out workshops.
It was great to see so many new and familiar faces, with people catching up with each other, reconnecting and making new friends.
One big difference was the space that we had and in the middle of it all, a desk run by Coralie Mills and Linda Harkness who kept things running smoothly on the ground.
Kenny Hadden speaking on the traditional flute revival in Scotland. (c) Gordon Turnbull
As in previous years, the teaching was rounded off with a talk. Kenny Hadden gave a presentation on the history of the flute in the Folk Revival in Scotland.
Updated from the one he gave at the book launch in Stonehaven in 2022, it was an illustrated form of the introduction he wrote for The FluteFling Collection and introduced many people to a subject that is little known or misunderstood.
One highlight was the presence of Dougie Pincock, who had arrived during the day to give a talk in the evening. As a member of The Battlefield Band, Dougie had a significant part to play in the Scottish flute revival himself.
Dougie Pincock then and now, standing in front of a photo taken during his time in The Battlefield Band (c) Gordon Turnbull
Davy Maguire and Sharon Creasey listen closely as Dougie Pincock performs a set of tunes on the Highland pipes. (c) Gordon Turnbull
After a now-traditional group curry, Dougie went on to give a talk and demonstration in the hall on Highland piping and the flute.
Always a particularly engaging and entertaining speaker, Dougie is a contributor to The FluteFling Collection. Take-aways included a better understanding of the role of bagpipes in the Folk Revival, the need to learn correct versions of tunes and the importance of grace notes or articulation in Highland pipe tunes.
Following the talk, the remainder of the evening saw another session take place before we all had to make our ways home.
Some of the contributors to The FluteFling Collection. L-R: Rebecca Knorr, Davy Maguire, Sharon Creasey (back), Kenny Hadden (seated), Gordon Turnbull (c) John Crawford
With another return to our previous traditions, brunch was in town near Sandy Bells. Rebecca Knorr joined us and we had a photo opportunity to have a gathering of tunebook contributors. Not the complete set, but the biggest number yet in the same place.
The session in a near-empty Sandy Bells was as good as any previously, with a great sound produced by all in the back space of the pub. As ever, we were joined by Cathal McConnell (also a tunebook contributor) who has become like a patron saint of the organisation.
The Sunday session in Sandy Bells. Clockwise L-R: Cathal McConnell, Sharon Creasey, Ann Ward, Martin Duckworth, Davy Maguire, Rebecca Knorr, Gordon Turnbull, Richard Elliot, Kenny Hadden.
While people had to make a move for the road home, there was still time for a final fling as a handful of us joined the excellent Waverley Bar session regulars for a short while.
The Waverley Bar session: L-R: Davy Maguire, John Martin, Geoarge Duff, Allan MacDonald (c) Gordon Turnbull
It wound up a fine weekend of music and togetherness, much needed by all of the FluteFling community after the difficulties of the past few years.
Now that we have broken the ice and found a way to do this kind of thing again, we have plans to do so again.
Not only do we have the Aberdeen weekend dates in place (3-5 November), we are already working hard for 2024, which will be the 10th anniversary of FluteFling, which we hope will be very special.
Thanks again, to all of the contributors, participants and well-wishers. In the meantime, sign up to the newsletter to keep up with these and other FluteFling activities.
The Edinburgh FluteFling Weekend is taking shape nicely. Firstly, we welcome Munro Gauld, who brings his studies into strathspey playing to the day of workshops on Saturday 27 April alongside Rebecca Knorr and Claire Mann.
In addition, we are really excited that The Cathal McConnell Trio will be performing an early evening concert after the workshops and before the evening session. The acoustic concert takes place in the same building as the workshops, will have a bar and takes advantage of the magnificent old church hall at Bellfield — essentially similar to the Queen’s Hall in central Edinburgh. It should be a real treat.
Further details, including links to tickets for both events, can be found on the Weekend web page.
I have also been able to record tunes for the February Edinburgh workshop and update the Repertoire page for 2019 properly. Irish, Scottish, Breton, Swedish? Lots of tune types covered so far this year and the recordings for March have also been updated. Have fun!