Personnel

John M. Mason, MBE
Musical Director

Music in general and Scottish music in particular have been the lifelong interests of this lawyer from Troon in Ayrshire, whose fiddling stems from his Orcadian roots followed by his later upbringing in Wigtownshire. The Scottish Fiddle Orchestra is largely his creation and he has been its Director of Music and Principal Conductor since the first performance in 1980. With few exceptions, the orchestral arrangements, both instrumental and vocal, have been penned by John and these now approach some 400 items! He maintains that he could wallpaper his house with all the handwritten parts but it would be a bit boring. In 1987 John’s efforts both in music and in and raising of charity monies through music were recognised in his being awarded the MBE by Her Majesty the Queen at Buckingham Palace which is a day he will never forget. It is generally accepted in Scottish musical circles that John has been very much responsible for the “popularising” of Scottish fiddle music over the last thirty years and he has seen the change of teaching attitude towards such music from being the “poor relation” in violin teaching to the vibrant force the “ fiddle” presently enjoys.

Andrew McGarva
Conductor

Andrew is a graduate of the Royal Scottish Academy of Music in Glasgow during which time he studied violin performance under Warren Jacobs. A post-graduate degree in teacher training having been successfully completed, the dual professions of teaching and public performance are now graced by this exciting young musician. He is a member at the ceilidh band Coila (go...) who, amongst many other important engagements played at the European première of Rob Roy. Andrew made his debut conducting the SFO in 1992 and is now well established as co-conductor. From the A to Z of music, classical to traditional, and all points in between, Andrew is a musical master of them all.

Bill Cook
Leader

Bill Cook has been the leader of the Orchestra since the early 1980’s and took over from the original leader, Willie Dunlop. He lives in the historical town of Clackmannan and takes part in many of the local musical activities. He is also the conductor of The Stirling Caledonian Strathspey and Reel Society, holding this post since 1970. Bill is also involved in the Country Dance Band scene and has broadcast with numerous dance bands. A well-known figure in traditional and Scottish traditional fiddling circles, Bill has been invited to adjudicate at many prestigious competitions and, as a soloist of note, has played in most of the larger venues in Scotland. He has published a number of books, the most important being “A Guide to Scottish Fiddling” which is on its third reprint. For more information, have a look at Bill's website (go...).

Orchestra members - go...