Posts for February, 2025

Come and join us for this extra special music event – home-grown folk music, local heritage and good company, in the cozy atmosphere of Edinvillie Community Hall, near Aberlour.

Local musicians Hamish Napier (flute, whistles, harmonium, vocals) and Jordan Neil (guitar, Scottish small pipes), a brand new all-Strathspey musical duo, will present a programme of folk music themed on River Spey, surrounding hills and local heritage.

★★★★★ “Napier has the composer’s gift of painting a picture with sound, more evocative that an artist. Superb.” FATEA Magazine

Come and join us for this extra special music event – home-grown folk music, local heritage and good company, in the cozy atmosphere of Laggan Village Hall in Badenoch.

Local musicians Hamish Napier (flute, whistles, harmonium, vocals) and Jordan Neil (guitar, Scottish small pipes), a brand new all-Strathspey musical duo, will present a programme of folk music themed on River Spey, surrounding hills and local heritage.

★★★★★ “Napier has the composer’s gift of painting a picture with sound, more evocative that an artist. Superb.” FATEA Magazine

Jenn Butterworth & Laura Beth Slater
Live at Glenbuchat Hall
Saturday 19th July 7.30pm
Entrance £15

Jenn Butterworth and Laura-Beth have each been a presence on the UK folk scene for a number of years. Although both originally from England, they were brought together by the close-knit and progressive Glasgow folk music community, spending lots of their time jamming an eclectic mix of folk music from across the globe, particularly the UK, Scandinavia and America. The years of playing together brought a deep affinity between the two artists; their rhythms lock tightly, their voices blend so closely that it’s often hard to tell them apart. They have developed a natural telepathy: two musicians bound together. Their first duo album ‘Bound’ named in recognition of this enduring connection was released in November 2016, and Jenn and LB are currently working on material for their second album

Jenn Butterworth is one of the UK’s leading folk accompanists, and was awarded ‘Musician of the Year’ at the Scots Trad Music Awards, and nominated for the same category in the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards.

Laura-Beth Salter takes influence from the Oldtime and Bluegrass music that her parents played whilst she was growing up in Lincolnshire. After spending time studying a Traditional Music Degree in Newcastle she became heavily involved in the folk scene. She is a founding member of The Shee and her most recent collaborations involve Shooglenifty and The MacLean Project led by the world renowned Perthshire singer Dougie MacLean.

As well as touring with their duo, Jenn and Laura-Beth are also members of Kinnaris Quintet, brand new, five-strong band of vigorous, driving, high-spirited musicians who are appearing at festivals

Join acclaimed local Strathspey musician and composer Hamish Napier for an imersive day delving into top trad tunes, arrangements and creativity. This workshop is designed for players who want to deepen their skills and explore traditional Scottish tunes in a welcoming group setting.
Open to people age 16+ who play a folk instrument at intermediate to advanced level.

We will focus on:
🎵 Expanding your trad session tune repertoire
🎶 Learn a few cracking local tunes from Badenoch & Strathspey
🎻 Exploring ornaments and variations to bring melodies to life
🎼 Learning how to arrange music for small folk ensembles

Come and kick your heels up at the Storylands Sessions Ceilidh Concert in the Kincraig Community Hall.

Celebrating the rich culture and connections of our Highland community, this multi-generational event brings together the best of traditional music, dance and storytelling with an upbeat, contemporary twist.

There will be music from Grantown piano player / dance-caller Hamish Napier, Cromdale fiddle player Eric Pirie and the Fèis Spè Junior Ceilidh Band. All the popular folk dances from the Gay Gordons to the Virginia Reel interwoven with performances from Merryn Glover and other writers, storytellers and poets, this is set to be a very special night.

BYOB – Bring your own drinks. Juice, teas and coffees provided.

Image credit Peter Dennis

Our Footloose-Themed Dance Workshop brings the iconic and infectious spirit of the classic movie to life. This workshop is all about freedom, fun, and feeling the beat.

No dance experience? No problem! Just bring your energy, enthusiasm and kick off your Sunday shoes! We’ll have you dancing along to this epic soundtrack in no time!

Join acclaimed musician and composer Hamish Napier for a series of engaging folk music workshops, designed for players who want to deepen their skills and explore traditional Scottish tunes in a welcoming group setting.

🎵 Expand your trad tune repertoire
🎻 Explore ornaments and variations to bring melodies to life
🎼 Learn how to arrange music for small folk ensembles

Open to people age 16+ who play a folk instrument at intermediate to advanced level.

Strathfest is up and running again this year, with competitions from 24th February to 27th February, culminating in a Showcase concert on Saturday 1st March. Competitions, spread along the Strath, are open to all school age youngsters, in classes covering traditional instruments, classical instruments, singing and Gaelic.

Some of the winners will be performing in the Showcase Concert, 6.30pm in the YMCA Community Centre, High Street, Grantown-on-Spey. Everybody is welcome to come and enjoy the youngsters’ music for a suggested donation of £5. An appreciative audience will be a great encouragement to the young musicians.

See https://www.strathfest.org to discover the heritage and scope of this long-running festival.

Our fully inter-generational themed shows draw out the storytelling, music, poetry and song of the area, and feature an invited guest to share about their work in the arts, heritage, ecology or adventure spheres.

Our young performers will be programmed into the first half, but are welcome to stay the whole time, and our guest will feature in the second half.

Follow the booking link for guidance on how to contribute at a Storylands Sessions event.

We welcome:

– folk who just want to come along and listen. You don’t have to perform to be taking part and thunderous applause is always appreciated!
– all kinds of stories: historical, myth and legend, your own experiences – or a mix!
– poetry: ideally your own, but your faves from other poets are welcome, too
– music: traditional, contemporary, original or borrowed; instrumental or sung; solo or ensemble
– art, photography, video and other multi-media presentations

Thunder in the Glens, by Dunedin Chapter Scotland (9083).

The Biggest and best Chapter run Rally in Europe. This event is held in the grounds of the MacDonald Resort and the event is supported by the whole of Aviemiore.

A must-do part of the Harley-Davidson rally scene.

Images credit Andy Martin