Working Towards a Book on Pre Civil War Fiddle Tradition in the United States – Chris Goertzen

January 22, 2018

It’s a good thing that our daughters and their spouses came home for Christmas.  This meant—among other, more worthy results—that I was compelled to fulfill a long-standing promise to tidy up piles of books and papers blighting one corner of our dining room.  The mess was populated principally by materials for the current and next … More Working Towards a Book on Pre Civil War Fiddle Tradition in the United States – Chris Goertzen

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‘Dialects and Dialogues’ – 11th to 15th July 2018

November 9, 2017

Plans are afoot for a dynamic and exciting Symposium to take place alongside the North Atlantic Fiddle Convention in 2018. Fiddle and fiddle-dance traditions can be found in many cultures across the world, and we are looking forward to broadening the scope of the symposium to explore the use of fiddle and other bowed string … More ‘Dialects and Dialogues’ – 11th to 15th July 2018

Writing (About) Music on Cape Breton Island

August 31, 2017

Autumn is a remarkable time here on Cape Breton Island. Not only are the trees undergoing a stunning transition that transforms the landscape, but the island also comes alive with local music and tradition. Fiddle music fills the island’s churches, halls, and theatres thanks to annual festivals and concerts. This year, Cape Breton University will … More Writing (About) Music on Cape Breton Island

Performance, participation, documentation and the archive. What can Performance Studies tell us? – Anna Birch

August 9, 2017

It was a great pleasure to meet some of you at the University of Aberdeen and I am looking forward to working with you in October at Cape Breton University. I have been invited to present on the role of Performance Studies and memory at NAFCo Workshop 3: ‘Memory, Music and Movement’ (Thursday October 5th … More Performance, participation, documentation and the archive. What can Performance Studies tell us? – Anna Birch

Challenges encountered putting together a book of Canadian Fiddle tunes – Iain Fraser

July 5, 2017

Introduction In 2014 I was invited by the Music Publisher, Schott Music to produce a book and CD of Canadian fiddle tunes as part of their world music series. One major caveat was that the tunes should no longer be in copyright. It was quite a challenge, no less because I hadn’t fully realised how … More Challenges encountered putting together a book of Canadian Fiddle tunes – Iain Fraser

Ruidhle an Eilein: aspects of the choreographic processes and ideas when creating a new solo step dance – Mats Melin

May 8, 2017

To be creative, for me, requires the right frame of mind. Working in the Academic environment with overlapping deadlines, multitudes of parallel work paths and the constant backlog of emails and so forth makes finding peace of mind to choreograph a challenge. However, sometimes I find the spark… Choreographing in traditional dance in the Scottish … More Ruidhle an Eilein: aspects of the choreographic processes and ideas when creating a new solo step dance – Mats Melin

On the Introduction of the Baroque Violin into the Gàidhealtachd – Michael Newton

March 5, 2017

One of the important aspects of the debate between William Lamb and myself about the history of the development of dance and dance music in the Scottish Highlands concerns the history of the violin / fiddle. A new form of the instrument was the favoured one for élite dance traditions in western Europe from the … More On the Introduction of the Baroque Violin into the Gàidhealtachd – Michael Newton

Discovering the Cape Breton Inverness County Dance Project – Heather Sparling

February 1, 2017

You’ve probably never heard of the Cape Breton Inverness County Dance Project. That’s because it’s been all but inaccessible since it was created in 1986. Carmelle Bégin, an ethnomusicologist who was working for the Museum of History in Ottawa (known as the Museum of Man at the time), commissioned Barbara Leblanc, a bilingual Cape Bretoner, … More Discovering the Cape Breton Inverness County Dance Project – Heather Sparling