One of Scotland’s most popular traditional music events will see an Aberdeenshire farm hit all the right notes this weekend.
The twelfth staging of the Traditional Singing Weekend at Cullerlie Farm Park and Heritage Centre on July 20-22 is expected to attract scores of song enthusiasts to the Aberdeenshire steading.
The festival, jointly organised by the University of Aberdeen’s Elphinstone Institute and Cullerlie Farm Park, brings together outstanding traditional singers from Scotland, England, and Ireland for a weekend of ceilidhs, singarounds, workshops and talks.
Held in memory of Tom and Anne Reid, the legendary North-East singers, the festival was shortlisted for Event of the Year at the Scottish Trad Music Awards 2011 for the second time.
Tom (known as ‘Tam’) was crowned the Bothy Ballad King in 1977 before a crowd of 10,000 at the Haughs in Turriff – a title that he kept until his death in January 2003. Anne, also a fine singer, died in June 2006.
This year a stellar line-up of singers from Cork to Kirkwall will descend on Cullerlie for this year’s gathering.
Professor Ian Russell, Director of the Elphinstone Institute, said: “The weekend is designed to be informal and friendly and is a great way to hear some of the finest traditional singers from across the UK and Ireland.
“Last year was a great success and a most fitting salute to Tom and Anne’s memory. We have another wonderful line-up for the coming weekend including concerts with guest singers, singarounds, and craft workshops, so there is something for people of all ages to enjoy.”
Guest singers at the event include: from Scotland – champion bothy ballad singers Joe Aitken and Jock Duncan, Natalie Chalmers from Fraserburgh, Kate Taylor from Garlogie, Sarah Jane Gibbon from Orkney and Chris Wright from Dundee; from England – Mike Tickell from the North Tyne Valley and Jeff Wesley from Northamptonshire; from Ireland – Len Graham from County Antrim and Irish Traditional Singer of the Year 2012, Nell Ní Chróinín.
The Traditional Singing Weekend at Cullerlie takes place from Friday, July 20 – Sunday, July 22. Although all the weekend places are sold, there are still tickets for the Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon concerts. To book, phone 01224 645486 or 01330 860549. For further information on the guest singers, visit: