Wighton Centre 10th anniversary concert
This month it is the 10th anniversary of the opening of the Wighton Centre in Dundee. To celebrate a decade of this very special music and cultural place, the Friends of Wighton are organising a day of music, books and entertainment on Saturday 23rd November from 10.30am.
The popular monthly Cappuccino Concert will start as usual at 11, and will be performed on violin by Liam Lynch, accompanied by Michael Bawtree on harpsichord and Emily Walker on cello. The trio will play a selection of old Scottish music from the rare books and manuscripts preserved in the Wighton Collection.
Before the music starts, there will be a special ceremony, where the Lord Provost on behalf of the City of Dundee will be presented with books recently acquired for the Library by the Friends of Wighton:
music books and unique 18th century manuscripts from the Sir Jimmy Shand Collection as well as a number of interesting books donated to the Friends by Alice Palmer.
After the concert finishes at about 12 noon, there will be wine, coffee, cakes and other refreshments served, and some of the books will be out on display for visitors to look at. Members of the Friends of Wighton Committee will be on hand to answer questions about the books and the collections. There will also be informal music-making by members of the Friends’ popular Scottish music classes, with whistle, fiddle, harp and song.
The cappuccino concert is £5 admission. Places are limited and tickets can be booked on 07720 891664. The exhibition and music in the afternoon is free and open to all.
The Wighton Heritage Centre was opened by Sheena Wellington in November 2003. Located upstairs in Dundee Central Library, it provides a dedicated space for the storage and display of the internationally important Wighton Collection. These 700 volumes of old Scottish music were collected together in the early 19th century by Dundee merchant Andrew Wighton, and were bequeathed to the city after his death. The books are now kept in glass-fronted bookcases in the Wighton Centre. The Centre also acts as a bright, atmospheric performance and study centre, allowing scvholars to access the riches of the collection, and providing a lovely performance space for music and other events.
The centre also houses a very good harpsichord, which will be used in Saturday’s concert. Michael Bawtree will play the harpsichord, alongside Emily Walker on cello (a classic 18th century Scottish combination!), to accompany violinist Liam Lynch. Liam graduated with first class honours from the RSAMD in Glasgow, and has played with many of Scotland’s top orchestras including the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. He was leader of the acclaimed Alba Quartet for nearly ten years with whom he played extensively throughout Scotland and is currently guest leader of the Maxwell Quartet. Liam has given recitals of both Scottish traditional and chamber music in Ireland, England, Germany, Romania, Hungary, Switzerland, Italy, and in New York, and the Friends of Wighton are delighted to welcome him to Dundee for this very special concert.
The Friends of Wighton organises concerts and classes in the centre.
As well as the monthly cappuccino concert, and a free wednesday lunchtime recital every month, the Friends run classes in traditional Scottish music every week: Scots song, Gaelic song, fiddle, whistle and clarsach (Scottish harp). The Friends also work towards the conservation and cataloguing of the collection of books, and have made some important acquisitions to add to the collection. Most recently, important books from the collection of Sir Jimmy Shand were sold at auction in Edinburgh, and the Friends were able to secure these books for Dundee. Jimmy’s musical taste was exemplary, as shown by the lovely 18th and 19th century manuscripts in his collection.
For more information please visit https://friendsofwighton.com or call 07792 336804
Friends of Wighton gratefully acknowledge the support of EMS, BBC Performing Arts Fund, Bòrd na Gàidhlig, Creative Scotland, Leisure & Communities Dundee, MMG Archbold Chartered Accountants, and The Weavers Café, Dundee Central Library