Four eminent scholars and outstanding performers in the field of fiddle music and dance will lead a major worldwide conference at next week’s North Atlantic Fiddle Convention (NAFCo) in Aberdeen.
The world renowned speakers will travel from the US and Ireland to explore the role of fiddling and dance in the past, present and future when they deliver keynote speeches at the Connecting Cultures conference, which runs in conjunction with the festival.
NAFCo is one of the biggest events of its kind in the world and takes place over five days from next Wednesday, July 26, to Sunday, July 30, at the University of Aberdeen and other arts venues around the city and beyond. The festival celebrates the excellence of traditional fiddlers, fiddle music and dance and has attracted musicians and dancers from as far afield as Canada and the US, to Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Lithuania, Ireland, and all over the UK.
Organised by the University of Aberdeen’s Elphinstone Institute, in partnership with SCaT (Scottish Culture and Traditions Association), NAFCo 2006 is set to attract more than 4,000 visitors to the region next week.
At the centre of NAFCo is the combination of an academic conference and a performance celebration. The Connecting Cultures conference will feature four widely respected scholars who are: Dr Alan Jabbour – a former Head of the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress; Professor Colin Quigley, of the World Arts and Cultures Department at the University of California at Los Angeles; Professor Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin, Director of the Irish World Music Centre at the University of Limerick; and Dr Peter Cooke, Honorary Research Fellow at SOAS (School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London).
Their keynote speeches will cover topics such as: the relationship between Old World and New World fiddle traditions; rhythm as the most defining characteristic of local and regional style in fiddling around the North Atlantic; the remarkable fiddle traditions upheld by Gypsy Travellers in Ireland; and common threads linking a number of musical traditions from around the world.
Dr Ian Russell, Director of the Elphinstone Institute, and co-organiser of NAFCo 2006, said: “One of the great strengths of NAFCo is that it draws on scholars who are also fine performers, such as Alan Jabbour.
“In fact, there will be several other performer-scholars delivering talks throughout the festival from Ireland, North America, Scandinavia, and the UK.
“Aberdeen is the ideal setting for a celebration of fiddle and dance music and the city will be buzzing with musical influences from all over the world. The North-East of Scotland is renowned for its fiddle tradition and we will be sharing our own distinctive and captivating sound with international performers and audiences.”
All confirmed artists due to perform at NAFCo are available by visiting the website at: http://www.abdn.ac.uk/elphinstone/nafco/
NAFCo will link up with a number of local, national and international arts and cultural organisations and has received the support of the City of Aberdeen, the Scottish Arts Council, the MacRobert Trust, EventScotland and Scottish Enterprise Grampian. The arts venue, the Lemon Tree, will be the official NAFCo Festival Club where concerts, workshops and dance events will be held every day of the festival.
Tickets for NAFCo 2006 are still available by contacting The Elphinstone Institute on +44 (0) 1224 272996 or email@ NAFCo@abdn.ac.uk or visit: www.abdn.ac.uk/elphinstone/nafco/