Workshops: Saturday
Foraging workshop with Gathering Nature (Natasha Lloyd BSc (Hons) NIMH AOF UKIPR)
Join qualified and experienced Medical Herbalist, Mycotherapist and Forager, Natasha Lloyd on a foraging workshop to produce your own condiments (pickle, chutney, ferment)
10am - midday
Meeting at Braemar Community Well
About Natasha
My passion for plants started young with gardening and discussions with my Mum, and a well thumbed copy of A Modern Herbal by Mrs Grieves. I still use that book today. This childhood inspiration has fuelled a lifetimes research and avid study. Trained at the College of Phytotherapy and then at the University of East London. Awarded a BSc (Hons) Herbal Medicine in 2013. Have been practicing since qualifying as a medical herbalist, and have been teaching foraging for over 20 years. Recently qualified in medicinal mushrooms as a mycotherapist. Gathering Nature is the culmination of passion, study and experience in these fascinating subjects.
Natasha was recently appointed as Director of National Institute of Medical Herbalists.
Small pipes workshop with Brìghde Chaimbeul
*You must bring your own instrument and purchase a ticket to participate in this workshop
Grasp the unique opportunity to learn from our Friday night main stage artist Brìghde Chaimbeul.
Where: Braemar Highland Games Centre: Gallery
About Brìghde
Brìghde Chaimbeul (Breech-huh Campbell) is a leading purveyor of celtic experimentalism and a master of the Scottish smallpipes; a bellows-blown, mellower cousin to the famous Highland bagpipes. A native Gaelic speaker, Brìghde roots her music in her language and culture. She rose to prominence as a prodigy of traditional music, but has since begun a journey to take the smallpipes into unchartered territory. She has devised a unique way or arranging for pipe music that emphasises the rich textural drones of the instrument; the constancy of sound that creates a trance-like atmosphere, played with enticing virtuosic liquidity. She draws inspiration from the world of interconnected piping traditions, but her most recent album brings in influence from ambient, avant garde and electronic music.
Her mesmerising musicianship has won her many awards and media recognition, including BBC Young Folk Award, BBC Horizon Award, SAY Award nomination and a wide array of collaborators include Caroline Polachek, Colin Stetson, Gruff Rhys, Radie Peat.
Brìghde’s smallpipes are made by renowned makers Fin Moore and Hamish Moore.
Fiddle workshop with
Aidan O’ Rourke
*You must bring your own instrument and purchase a ticket to participate in this workshop
Learn from highly acclaimed Scottish fiddle player Aidan O’Rourke who will perform alongside Brìghde Chaimbeul at our Friday night concert.
About Aidan
Aidan O’Rourke is a fiddler, composer, producer, curator and educator based in Edinburgh. He is one third of Lau and has multiple solo projects and collaborations.
Aidan grew up in an Irish family in Argyll and learned fiddle in Oban in the West Highland style. His roots are in Scottish and Irish music but he has a tendency to roam the edges of those traditions.
Lau came together in 2006 and has ventured a new sound in progressive, politically-charged folk music. The trio has released five studio albums, multiple live albums and EPs and a 2017 retrospective charting its first decade. Lau won Best Group at the BBC 2 Folk Awards an unprecedented four times.
In life outside Lau, Aidan joined The Caledonia Ramblers aged 14 in 1989; formed the duo Tabache with Claire Mann in 1994; was press-ganged into Blazin’ Fiddles in 1998; founded the quartet Kan with whistle player Brian Finnegan in 2010; formed a duo with jazz pianist Kit Downes in 2016; joined Donal Lunny’s new collective Atlantic Arc in 2017. He plays with Brighde Chaimbeul and produced her acclaimed debut album The Reeling in 2018.
Solo albums include Sirius (2006), An Tobar (2008), Hotline (2013), 365: Vol 1 (2018), Vol 2 (2019) and Best of 365 (2020). He was named Musician of the Year at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards in 2014. As a composer he has written for Scottish Ensemble, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Sage Gateshead, Celtic Connections, the Tolbooth in Stirling, An Tobar, Cottier Chamber Project, Capella Nova and is three-time awardee of the PRSF New Music Biennial commission at London’s Southbank Centre. In 2017 he wrote the official opening music for the new bridge across the Firth of Forth (Queensferry Crossing). His score for the feature-length Gaelic documentary Iorram premieres at Glasgow Film Festival in 2021.
Watch Aidan O Rourke live with Brìghde Chaimbeul at the King’s Place here
Piano workshop with Iona Reid
*You must bring your own instrument and purchase a ticket to participate in this workshop
Join Celtic Connections Danny Kyle Award winner Iona Reid for a workshop on all things folk/trad piano
About Iona
Iona is a passionate and driven musician, committed to creating and sharing expressive music with the wider community. Determined to pass on the living Scottish tradition to future generations, she hopes to inspire passion to keep the flame burning. After graduating from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland with a first-class BMus Honours in Traditional Music (piano), Iona returned to the building last September on the Continuing Education course in the jazz department. After winning the Danny Kyle award at this year’s Celtic Connections festival, Iona will record an EP with her band ‘Beatha’ this year.
Cutting her teeth in the Ceilidh band world of piano playing, Iona was then enraptured by the solo Trad piano community which she discovered after her move to Glasgow in early 2017. Iona studied with James Ross at Junior conservatoire, and later with Mary McCarthy and Alistair Paterson during her degree, through whom she discovered much of her personal musical language. The solo Trad piano world is so new, so small, and yet bursting with colour and ingenuity; Iona is excited to be involved in this community as it finds its’ home.
Iona’s compositions are inspired by her love for people and nature; culminating, most recently, in her final recital performance of original pieces about water. Entitled ‘at Home in the Water’, she explored the places where she felt most grounded by the natural world, and allowed this feeling to flow through her music; she hopes to record this collection to help it reach more people.
Watch Iona with her band ‘Beatha’ at Piping Live, Glasgow 2023
Whistle workshop with
Kenneth MacFarlane
*You must bring your own instrument and purchase a ticket to participate in this workshop
Learn folk/trad whistle technique with Royal Conservatoire Alumni Kenneth Macfarlane
About Kenneth
Originally from Bearsden, just outside of Glasgow, Kenneth took lessons at the National Piping Centre from age 6 under double silver medalist Gordon Bruce, and Field Marshal Montgomery piper Ryan Canning.
Having played with 1st Bearsden BB band and won internal competitions, Kenneth joined his first competitive band aged 10 - Strathendrick in Grade 4, and a few years later made the commitment to join the Boghall & Bathgate Juvenile Pipe Band, where he received regular critique and advice from some of the World's top band players, as well as a Scottish Championship title.
It was around this time that Kenneth joined the National Youth Pipe Band of Scotland under Alistair McLaren, and latterly RURA piper Steven Blake. Originally beginning in the Development Band, before progressing to the Senior Band and eventually into a leadership role as the Pipe Major of the Development Band, Kenneth has performed on several tours around Switzerland, Spain, to the Royal Family on several occasions including at Buckingham Palace, and several sold out tours around Scotland.
Kenneth joined Grade 2 band The Glasgow Skye Association under Ewan Henderson for the 2017 season, winning both European and World Championship titles and culminating in promotion to Grade 1, the highest level of band competition. By this point, Kenneth had began his studies at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, and was undertaking lessons from 8 time Glenfiddich Champion Willie McCallum & Director of the National Piping Centre, Finlay MacDonald.
While at the RCS, Kenneth began to focus more seriously on his Whistle playing, and took lessons from Marc Duff & Hamish Napier, but primarily from fellow piper Ross Ainslie. From this, Kenneth discovered a love for the wider Traditional Music scene, and since then has played numerous sold out Celtic Connections shows, with Phil Cunningham & Aly Bain for their St Andrew's Day party, and a solo spot at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall.
Since graduating, Kenneth has been writing and releasing his own music with his band, playing ceilidhs and weddings around the UK with some of the country's most in-demand ensembles, and teaching both pipes and whistles at Fèis events and 1 to 1 lessons. He also featured on Hans Zimmer's soundtrack for 'Dune', alongside a lineup of some of Scotland's finest pipers.
Most recently, Kenneth performed with his band for BBC Introducing @ Celtic Connections, Battle of the Folk Bands, and guested on tour in the South of France with rock band Celtic Pipes Rock!
Bodhran workshop with
Cam Lawson
*You must bring your own instrument and purchase a ticket to participate in this workshop
Learn folk/trad bodhran technique with Australian drummer Cam Lawson.
About Cam
TBA