Category: harp

West End Festive Specials

concert, concerts, dundee, harp, music, traditional music

What says Christmas more than beautiful festive music played on the harp?  We’ve got some for you, not just once but twice!

As part of  West End Christmas Fortnight, tutor Mary Veal and the Wighton harp class warmly invite you to pop into Blackness Library (side door on the right) on Monday 8th December at 2pm to enjoy some Christmas music, and a cup of tea!

Our lovely harpers will also be having an informal session in the porch at St Joseph’s, Wilkie’s Lane, on Monday 15th December from 2pm, with Christmas tunes and festive fare! They would love to see you there!

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Saturday 26th October 11am: Cappuccino Concert: Chloe Matharu, song and harp

harp, music, Scottish, singer songwriter, song

Saturday 26th October 11a.m. Cappuccino Concert:  Chloe Matharu, song and harp.

Admission £5, tea & coffee available for a donation.

We are delighted to welcome back to the Wighton Chloe Matharu, award winning Scottish Indian singer songwriter and harpist from Wemyss Bay on the West Coast of Scotland. Many of her songs draw on her time as a Navigational Officer in the Merchant Navy, inspired by the natural world as experienced at sea. On tour she performs solo with her harp in English, Scots and Welsh. Her music offers “an intriguing insight into a new tradition of maritime folk music with thoughtful song writing embellished by her voice and superb harp playing” – The Herald.

 

She has performed at impressive venues such as Celtic Connections, Cambridge Folk Festival, Glad Cafe Glasgow, Green Note in London, Fringe by the Sea, Edinburgh Fringe and Hartlepool Folk Festival. She received Celtic Music Radio’s Album of the Year for her debut album, Small Voyages, which was released in October 2022. She was selected by Showcase Scotland in the WOMEX awarded Global Music Match 2022. In 2023 she was awarded a Danny at Celtic Connections; a Live Music Award at the Greenock Telegraph Community Awards; nominated by public vote in the Wales Folk Awards; and selected as one of five finalists in the Canadian Goderich Emerging Artist Showcase. In 2023 she performed live on BBC Radio Four Woman’s Hour, BBC Scotland News TV program The Seven, interviewed on BBC Radio Scotland’s The Afternoon Show. Chloe lives on her family run Alpaca Trekking and Goat Yoga centre.

“A beautiful dynamic movement that carries the listener along.” – Folk Radio UK

 

 

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Our Autumn season of song and music classes are in full swing – new and returning singers and players are always welcome!

Accordion, cello, clarsach, class, classes, fiddle, guitar, harp, Helen Forbes, keyboards, multi instrumentalist, Scots song, Scottish, song, traditional, traditional music

Saturday at 12.15pm, Whistle Class Tutor Helen Forbes, one of Scotland’s finest whistle players.        The class is suitable for all levels, fee £5

 Saturday at 1.30pm,  Fiddle Class Tutor Heather Miranda, an experienced strings teacher and performer. The class is suitable for all levels, fee £5

Tuesday at 2pm, The Wighton Singers Tutor Amy Lord,  experienced tutor and harmony wizard.     A friendly group who just love to sing, fee £5

Online

Saturday 11am

Mixed instrument classes, tutored by MoragAnne Elder, 11am (Payment £5 online or by cheque}

Zoom link   https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85293330814

 

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Saturday 23rd September 11am Here and There, admission £5

Celtic, concert, dance, harmony, harp, music, singer songwriter, song

“Here and There”  are Scottish/Irish folk duo, Pauline Vallance & Jacynth Hamill. Pauline who hails from Ayrshire in Scotland is a multi-talented musician – singer, harpist, flautist and songwriter. She has several CDs to her credit including “Golden Slumbers” a beautiful selection of soothing lullabys and her most recent, “The World’s a Gift”, a collection of her own songs – about life and those important to us. This has been nominated for Scottish Album of the Year. Jacynth, originally from Coleraine, lives in Belfast and loves to tour around sharing her clear, calming voice with audiences small and large. She often adds a little dancing to proceedings! Together they can be heard on “Red Winged Blackbird” – the final CD of “Caim”, the group they previously were in. On it there’s a flavour of what they do – traditional Irish and Scottish songs, covers and their own compositions. Their gigs reflect this mix, whether concerts, folk clubs, care homes or conferences. Solo and harmony singing, lively or soothing instrumental, story and dance – for some great craic come and enjoy “Here and There”.

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Chloe Matharu, singer, songwriter, harpist, sailor: Saturday 26th November, 11am

harp, music, Nae Coffee Concert, singer songwriter, song

“Her music is truly haunting” BBC Radio Scotland

Chloe Matharu is a singer songwriter and harpist from the West Coast of Scotland. A Navigational Officer in the Merchant Navy, she offers an authentic voice for the female seafarer in the folk scene. Her ethereal and innovative music gives a glimpse into the modern mariner’s life, and is truly unique.

Small Voyages is an eight track album of original songs inspired by Chloe’s time at sea as a deck cadet, sailing around the world on oil tankers. The songs are set to an evocative backdrop of Celtic harp music and field recordings of the natural world. Small Voyages is available from Small Voyages | Chloe Matharu (bandcamp.com) and all streaming platforms.

 Tickets £5 at the door

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Chloe Matharu, singer, songwriter, harpist, sailor: Saturday 26th November, 11am.

harp, Nae Coffee Concert, singer songwriter, song

Chloe Matharu is a singer songwriter and harpist from the West Coast of Scotland. A Navigational Officer in the Merchant Navy, she offers an authentic voice for the female seafarer in the folk scene. Her ethereal and innovative music gives a glimpse into the modern mariner’s life, and is truly unique.

Small Voyages is an eight track album of original songs inspired by Chloe’s time at sea as a deck cadet, sailing around the world on oil tankers. The songs are set to an evocative backdrop of Celtic harp music and field recordings of the natural world. Small Voyages is available from Small Voyages | Chloe Matharu (bandcamp.com) and all streaming platforms.

“Her music is truly haunting” BBC Radio Scotland

 

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Zoom Recital with Simon Chadwick Wednesday 3rd March 1-15 pm

concert, harp, lunchtime concert, Simon Chadwick, traditional music

Medieval Harp virtuoso Simon Chadwick needs no introduction to the Wighton audience.   As Musician in Residence, harp tutor and hard working secretary he was a mainstay of Friends of Wighton  for many years.  Since he moved to Armagh in 2018 though we have kept in touch. He has been sorely missed, so it is a particular delight to welcome him on the 3rd.

A Chadwick recital is always a treat and an adventure. During the last year’s lockdowns, Simon has been working on old Irish harp tunes from the Bunting collection, finding unusual tunes, and unusual versions of better known tunes. He will play some of them for you on Wednesday including some with interesting connections to versions in the Wighton collection.   

The Zoom link is below, the Recital is free but donations can be made on our webpage  www.friendsofwighton.com

Sheena Wellington is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: Wighton Lunchtime Recital
Time: Mar 3, 2021 01:00 PM Greenwich Mean Time

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87171364577?pwd=cnRvQW5jaytPMC9HekxRWlZOcHBmZz09

Meeting ID: 871 7136 4577
Passcode: 513416

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Simon Chadwick, traditional harp, in Dundee

clarsach, dundee, harp, lunchtime concert, music, Scottish, Simon Chadwick, traditional

This is first chance for us to enjoy a performance from our own Simon Chadwick since he appeared in the BBC documentary “Scotland’s Treasures” and was nominated for the prestigious “Tutor of the Year” accolade at the Scots Trad Music Awards!

Simon will bring along the big Irish harp and will play a selection of traditional Scottish and Irish harp tunes found in the old music books from the Wighton Collection, from the baroque delights of Carolan to a West Highland pibroch.

Simon has lived in Fife for 10 years now, and quickly became involved in the Scottish traditional music scene in Dundee with the Friends of Wighton. He had been interested in historical Scottish and Irish music before then, through his archaeological work on the ancient harp traditions.

“I love the way that Scottish music is intensely community-oriented and personal, yet has a depth and sophistication rivalling anything from elsewhere.”

The concert is on Weds 1st March at 1.15 pm in the Wighton Centre, Dundee Central Library, DD1 1DB. Admission is free.

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Historical Gaelic harp come and try!

clarsach, dundee, Gaelic, harp, medieval, music, open day, Scottish, Simon Chadwick, traditional, workshop

Historical Gaelic harp come and try!

Sat 10th September, 2pm,

Come and have a go at playing a medieval clarsach, in Dundee’s Wighton Centre, upstairs in the Central Library.

The old Gaelic harp of Scotland and Ireland is very different and much more ancient than the modern clarsach or Celtic harp you might be more familiar with. The ancient clarsach was shared between Ireland and Scotland from medieval times down to the 18th century.

The best known examples are iconic museum exhibits: the famous Brian Boru harp displayed in Trinity College Dublin, and the beautiful Queen Mary harp in the National Museum in Edinburgh. The Brian Boru harp is shown on the Guinness label!

Historical Gaelic harps are rare, and are hardly ever heard nowadays. Simon Chadwick is a historical musician and a leading authority in the old Scottish and Irish harp traditions, and he will bring beautiful historic replicas of the ancient harps into Dundee for this come-and-try session.

Simon, an inspiring teacher,  leads a regular harp class in the Wighton Centre in Dundee, and there are now spaces for new participants and harps available to rent. So come along on Saturday 10th to explore the oldest strands of Scottish and Irish music.

More info
https://friendsofwighton.com
http://www.simonchandwick.net

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