James Scott Skinner (1843-1927), “The Strathspey King” was born in Banchory. He started his young musical career playing violincello for his elder brother, Sandy, and later for the celebrated Aberdeen fiddler and teacher Peter Milne. At a still early age, he became...
The SFO is set to tour the north eastern seaboard of the USA and Canada in March and April 2020. The tour will include a concert in Halifax, Nova Scotia, on Tartan Day 2020, 06 April 2020. To quote Wikipedia: “Cape Breton fiddling is a regional violin style which...
Bill Cook passed away suddenly on Saturday 05 October 2019. Bill had been troubled with poor health recently but still managed to lead the orchestra with his customary flair at Glasgow Royal Concert Hall on 07 September 2019, shortly after his 80th birthday. He will...
(SFO Member, Peter Brash, explains how he discovered he had a surprising "personal" connection to a tune by Scottish Fiddle Music legend, James Scott Skinner). Though it’s a few years since it featured in the SFO’s regular programme, Scott Skinner’s Cradle Song has...
Aly Bain helped get me through my Highers. A cassette recording of the album “Open Road” by Boys of the Lough was the soundtrack to much of my revision. At that time, the Boys were a four-piece band, featuring Irishman Cathal McConnell and Northumbrian brothers, Dave...
One of the highlights of this year's SFO programme is "Macpherson's Farewell" (also known as "Macpherson's Rant"), which our conductor and musical director, Blair Parham, has arranged for orchestra and bagpipes. This famous air was written by the infamous James...
The SFO’s concert programme for 2014 includes a tribute to Shetland fiddler, Willie Hunter, who died in 1994 at the age of 60. Yla Steven plays probably Willie’s best-known composition - the Slow Air “Leaving Lerwick Harbour” - in an arrangement by the SFO’s late...