Following a fantastic show last February, a lively programme of traditional Scottish music - reels, strathspeys, jigs, marches & slow airs awaits, all performed by wonderful musicians, supported by mezzo soprano Colette Ruddy and the pipe band of the RAF Central Scotland. What an evening is in store!
The Scottish Fiddle Orchestra is one of Scotland's foremost traditional music organisations. The Orchestra was formed in 1980, deriving its origins from Fiddlers Rallies which were – and are - held throughout the country. After one of those Rallies, a group of enthusiasts met to consider the formation of an orchestra which would draw its members from a' the airts and would form a cohesive, vigorously rehearsed group of musicians. The aim was to have a group of approximately 150 keen and interested musicians who would play together consistently, provide a series of concerts, in the main, in Scottish cities and work together to create the finest possible standard of orchestral fiddle playing without distracting from the strong traditional strains of our music. The inaugural concert of the Scottish Fiddle Orchestra was on 20th March 1980 in the Music Hall, Aberdeen. Since that time the orchestra has settled into a sequence of six or seven major concerts each year in: The Royal Concert Hall (Glasgow), The Usher Hall (Edinburgh), The Music Hall (Aberdeen) and Perth Concert Hall along with one or two major venues south of the border including The Sage (Gateshead), The Symphony Hall (Birmingham), The Barbican (York) and The City Hall (Manchester). A number of “special” concerts have taken place whilst touring overseas including in countries such as China, Australia, New Zealand and Canada. The members were delighted when, in December 1993, Princess Anne, The Princess Royal, agreed to be the Orchestra's patron. All of our concerts are given in aid of one or more charities. Over the years these charities have benefitted by a sum in excess of one million pounds.
Conductor: Blair Parham Compere: Robert Lovie