Ferley - securing the future of trad music
Item Posted: Wednesday 6th October , 2004
A packed village hall greeted ‘Ferley’, a group of leading young traditional musicians, at Lochgoilhead Fiddle Workshop’s end of term professional concert.
Hailing from as far apart as Alaska, Texas, Germany and Canada, plus lots of home grown talent from Skye and Helensburgh, they are being groomed as a group by the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. All the musicians are second year students at the Academy, and the tour is a showcase of individual talent on a wide variety of instruments, with a good helping of Scots and Gaelic song. What was maybe more surprising than the quality of their individual playing was the speed at which they were able to be a cohesive group in ensemble pieces. Not having the total slickness of a top touring band was actually a positive in terms of audience reaction, as we warmed to their cheerful and relaxed stage personas – particularly when one musician forgot that she was meant to play in a particular set! Once they had relaxed into the event they had stage presence beyond their years, and well constructed sets which gave scope for stunning solos, often of their own compositions, moving combinations and driving ensembles. The audience clearly enjoyed the sheer fun of the event, and the unusual opportunity in a small village of having twelve musicians on stage.
The Academy is at the forefront of the training and development of young traditional musicians. There is no doubt that the demand is there from the young, and that workshops throughout Scotland have the potential to respond to the potential talent and interest. Brian McNeil, head of Scottish Traditional Music at RSAMD, commented recently in The Herald about the growth of enthusiasm for events such as the Edinburgh Fiddle Festival: ‘Fifteen years ago I played to a small crowd of enthusiasts. Two years ago you couldn’t move for 12-15 year old kids who are desperate to play the fiddle. To play a traditional instrument is “cool” today.’
Loch Goil is now well used to top quality fiddle playing and accompaniment, but this gave a rare opportunity for a rural audience to sample the whole range – song, fiddles, clarsach, harp, pipes, piano, tabla, flute and concertina. As Derek Prescott, MC for the night commented: ‘ with Scottish Traditional music in hands such as these, surely its future is secure.’
At the interval there was a draw for the Grand Raffle, which included worthwhile prizes including a food hamper donated by Loch Fyne Oysters, a week’s holiday cottage rental, and £250.00 of cash. The raffle raised over £1,800 much needed money to help with the continuation of the Workshop’s educational and concert programmes, and everyone who sold or bought raffle tickets was warmly thanked.
Appropriately the evening ended with a party and session in a member’s house with musicians from the college playing alongside Workshop members (occasionally interrupted by raucous comments on the England-France football match!). Bringing live music back into the community- whether in village halls or homes – is surely what it should all be about!