Inverness traditional music concert

An end of session concert celebrating the achievements of students at Inverness Traditional Music workshops - Clasaichean ceòl traidiseanta Inbhir Nis takes place tonight (Thursday 9 June 2011).

Pupils and parents will gather at Charleston Academy, Inverness from 7 – 9pm.

The TMC Project which first started in March 2001 has been funded by Creative Scotland (formerly Scottish Arts Council), the National Lottery and supported by The Highland Council.

Each year pupils participate in 26 weeks of tuition from beginners to advanced levels in their choice of class including accordion, bodhran, mandolin and banjo, ceilidh dance, fiddle chanter, guitar and keyboards.

In January, around 200 hundred people joined the weekly classes.  Tutor-led informal sessions were also held on the last Saturday of each month in Millburn Academy.

Highland Council’s Traditional Music Co-ordinator Margo Maclennan said: “The end of year concert is a great way for our advanced pupils to showcase their talents to family and friends.

“Workshops held in late March in accordion and fiddle with Wayne Robertson and Claire Telford were a great success. Working in the rural areas fiddle and whistle classes were organised in Strathdearn Primary School, Tomatin.

“Ten of the students who play at advanced level and are known as the TMC fiddlers along with their tutors, Irene Fraser and Gordon Ferguson visited Kirkwall, Orkney on the 3rd June to link in with Douglas Montgomery from Saltfish 40 band and his group of young musicians called Broken Fiddles.”

Over the past nine years the Caledonian Canal Ceilidh Trail team sponsored by British Waterways Scotland and The Highland Council have promoted traditional music, Gaelic language, song and dance.

The Inverness Traditional Music TMC project was ‘Winner of the Scot Trad Music Award re the Caledonian Canal Ceilidh Trail 2009’ and ‘Winner of the Highlands and Islands Tourism Awards re Caledonian Canal Ceilidh Trail 2010’.