One of Highland Perthshire’s prime cultural attractions, the annual Niel Gow Festival is set to warm the hearts of Scottish music aficionados this weekend.
The Dunkeld and Birnam-based extravaganza returned last year following a two-year absence and has a host of stellar performers lined up for its 18th edition opening tonight.
18th Century fiddler
Started in 2004 by fiddler Pete Clark to celebrate the life of 18th Century tunesmith Niel Gow – he was raised at Inver, a stone’s throw from Dunkeld – the festival has long nurtured homegrown talent in both the traditional and contemporary spheres.
A packed programme kicks off tonight, with fiddlers including Ryan Young, Liam Manion, Jake Paterson, Charlie Walden, Pete Clark and Cailean McKerron performing at Birnam Arts from 7pm.
Mr Clark is joined by pianist Muriel Johnstone for a recital at Little Dunkeld Kirk – Niel Gow is buried in its graveyard – tomorrow at 10am.
That’s followed by a bumper afternoon concert at Birnam Arts starting at 2.30pm that features fiddle and Irish bouzouki duo Elizabeth Davidson-Blythe and Daniel Quayle plus pianist Suzanne Fivey with fiddler Rua MacMillan, as well as an array of invited musicians from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.
A full programme
Festival regular and Capercaillie legend Charlie McKerron is top of the bill tomorrow evening alongside his Session A9 colleague Marc Clement.
Joining them at Birnam Arts will be upcoming fiddler Ryan Young and his multi-instrumentalist foil Owen Sinclair, along with an ensemble from the 1932-founded Dunkeld and District Strathspey and Reel Society, with Pete Clark conducting.
The festival’s closing day on Sunday has a Birnam Arts lunchtime set from former Glasgow Fiddle Workshop head honcho Iain Fraser, who’ll be performing music from his new album Kōterana from 12.30pm with such collaborators as Wendy Weatherby, Freya Rae and Sarah Wilson.
A quick turnaround at the Station Road venue will see the festival draw to a close with its grand finale concert at 3pm, complete with turns from a host of big names.
With acclaimed ex-Breabach star Patsy Reid, cellist Alice Allen, Dunkeld-born fiddler Hannah Fisher, harpist Ciostaidh Beaton and youthful Celtic big band the Gordon Duncan Experience all taking part, the show has serious depth of quality.
Away from the main stages, the festival also offers a plethora of other related events this weekend, with Dunkeld watering holes the Royal Hotel, the British Legion clubrooms and the Taybank hosting evening music sessions tonight, tomorrow and on Sunday respectively.
Music workshops
For intermediate musicians there are workshops covering a range of instruments being led by some of the festival performers taking place tomorrow and Sunday from 10am through to 3.30pm. Bookings can be made via Birnam Arts.
Separately, outdoor types might fancy either of two guided walks in the programme. The first tomorrow takes in some of Birnam’s most notable trees, with Sunday’s outing heading along the banks of the River Braan to Niel Gow’s Cottage at Inver.
Dunkeld Community Archive at the town’s Cross is also staging an exhibition of items relating to Niel Gow to coincide with the festival, while for children there’s an introduction to trad music tomorrow morning at Birnam Arts followed by a class for pre-teen fiddlers.
Tickets for events March 17-19 at nielgowfestival.co.uk
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