Flute Workshop
Aberdeen FluteFling returns 31st October - 2nd November with a Friday concert and workshops for flutes and whistles taking place on Saturday 1st and Sunday 2nd November. There will be sessions all weekend.
This years tutors are Hamish Napier (Granton-on-Spey) and Kirsten Allstaff (Ireland/ Scotland)
Come and be part of the traditional flute and whistle revival in Scotland, with sessions, workshops, talks, performances and more. This is a great opportunity for students to experience different styles and approaches to learning and performing traditional music on flutes and whistles in this much-anticipated event.
Whistlers should be playing whistles or low whistles in D and be beyond the complete beginner stage. There will also be space for Beginner flute players with 1-3 years experience as well as those with more than 3 years experience. These are rough guides only, please get in touch if you are not sure.
The workshop is open to Boehm system (metal, classical) musicians and those playing simple system wooden flutes (keyed or unkeyed) alike. This is an opportunity to explore and develop your playing in the context of Scottish traditional music, whichever instrument you play.
Topics covered will include:
- different playing styles
- tune types
- technique
- breathing, phrasing and tone improvement
- history
For more details about the weekend and further updates, please see http://www.flutefling.scot
For FAQs about our events see here: https://flutefling.scot/resources/flutefling-faqs/
For event guidelines relating to Covid and other Health and safety matters, please see http://flutefling.scot/resources/flutefling-health-and-safety-guidance/
Hamish Napier
Hamish Napier is a Scottish folk flautist, pianist, singer, educator and composer inspired by the heritage and nature of his native landscape of Strathspey.
5 years ago, after nearly 2 decades living and working in Glasgow and Boston’s vibrant, multi-genre music scenes, he returned home to his native Strathspey to begin his ‘Strathspey Pentalogy’ – an ambitious 10-year project to produce 5 landscape and heritage inspired albums. The River (‘16) and The Railway (‘18) received 5- stars in national newspapers. The Woods (’20) won ‘Album of the Year’ in the Scots Trad Music Awards, and Hamish contributed significantly to two other recent winners Black Cuillin (‘23) and Sandwood (’18) by Duncan Chisholm, with whom he has a successful long-standing co-writing partnership with.
Hamish has collaborated with leading artists such as Ross Ainslie, Donald Shaw, Julie Fowlis, Blue Rose Code and Martyn Bennett. He has performed several times on national television and radio – and has presented BBC Radio Scotland’s Travelling Folk programme.
He has appeared at festivals, theatres, music camps and universities throughout the UK, Europe and North America. He strives for a balance between tradition and innovation, celebrating and respecting Scotland’s rich musical heritage while transcending boundaries, with jazz, classical and modern music production techniques.
His work is often interdisciplinary: syncing music to landscape films or incorporating poems and stories. Hamish produced a film ‘Strathspey Stories’ with David Francis that premiered at the Scottish International Storytelling Festival. He is the writer and voice of over 10 hours of historical audio stories for smartphone travel apps ‘Highland Discovery’ and ‘Badenoch the Storylands’ for Transport Scotland and Badenoch Heritage.
Over the last 3 years, he has been highly involved in the community arts in Cairngorms National Park, particularly through the Storylands Sessions event series co-created with writer Merryn Glover – a hugely successful performance hub for poetry, stories, music, art and song for all ages.
Hamish’s website is here | Bandcamp page here
Kirsten Allstaff
Scottish-born Kirsten Allstaff is one of the founders and directors of The Online Academy of Irish Music. She is an acclaimed flute and tin-whistle player and has played music throughout Ireland, Europe, North America and Asia with various Irish dance shows and groups.
Upon graduating from the University of Glasgow with an M.A.Honours degree in Celtic Civilisations and Scottish History, she went on to study traditional Irish music at Ballyfermot College, Dublin. Shortly after it’s completion she began teaching and lecturing on The Northern Rhythms Program of Music in Falcarragh, Co. Donegal.
In 2002, she graduated with a First-Class Honours Masters Degree in Traditional Irish Music Performance from the University of Limerick (U.L) and subsequently began tutoring flute and whistle at The Irish World Academy of Music and Dance. She taught there for 10 years before moving to Co. Clare where she currently resides, playing sessions and teaching online and locally.
Since graduating from U.L, she has toured extensively with various internationally acclaimed bands and dance shows – Gaelforce Dance, Celtic Legends, Rhythm of the Dance and most recently Clare based bands The Fiddle Case and Los Paddys De Las Pampas. Gallowglass is her debut solo album which blends the music of her Scottish and Irish homeland . FOUR / 4, the follow up album, as the name may imply, is dedicated to reels.
George Ormiston
Once again, we welcome back George Ormiston, who will be on hand to discuss his flutes and whistles, repairs and more. George will have a few of his flutes to try out and will be available all day.