It’s going to be a busy summer for Nordic Viola. Well, when I say summer, I really mean up until the autumn equinox. After all, that’s the period when the further north you are, the more daylight you have.
In fact, we’ll start with 24 hours’ daylight in Ilulissat (and also Nuuk) in Greenland. We’ll be on holiday rather than performing, but visiting World Heritage Site Disko Bay with its famous icebergs is sure to be inspirational. I’ll also be on the lookout for new music and hope to catch up with some friends whilst we’re in Nuuk.
Out of the Box, Inverness Cathedral, 26th July
At the end of July, David Martin and I will be performing as part of Fiona Driver’s “Out of the Box” concert in Inverness Cathedral. I first met Fiona and husband Trevor in Orkney last year. Fiona and Trevor are top class fiddle players from the Northern Isles but are also good classical players and enjoy good music of any type. Reflecting their open-minded approach to music of all genres Fiona has assembled a group of interesting musicians currently working in the north. “Out of the Box” will feature traditional music from Fiona and Trevor. Representing the younger generation of Shetland fiddlers will be rising star Anya Johnston. Finally there is David Chadwick playing the Nyckelharpa, a Swedish folk instrument. I’m really looking forward to seeing this unusual instrument at close quarters and you can get a sneak preview here.
David Martin and I will be playing a set of Icelandic folk tunes, Judith Weir’s “Sleep Sound ida Morning” from “Atlantic Drift” and “Lullaby”, which is an early piece by Sibelius. We’ve also invited Fiona to join us in my piece “Mjørkaflókar“, inspired by the Faroes and her trio “Hoy’s Dark and Lofty Isle”.
You can find out much more about the concert and perfomers and also hear some of their music here.
Shoormal Conference “New Coasts and Shorelines: Shifting sands in the creative economy” Shetland 18th-20th September
In September I’ll be returning to Shetland and working again with composer Gemma McGregor from Orkney. We’ll be presenting and performing at the Shoormal Conference, hosted by University of the Highlands and Islands and Shetland Arts at the Mareel Centre in Lerwick.
“Shoormal” is a Shetlandic word for the shoreline or high water mark, reflecting the conference’s focus on islands, culture and heritage and young people. Gemma and I will be talking about our creative workshops in Orkney last year and will demonstrate how to create a piece inspired by the landscape and natural sound.
Our concert will feature written and improvised works for viola and flute by ourselves and other composers from the North Atlantic.The conference also looks at innovation, challenges and opportunities of working in the islands and so we will be illustrating ways of creating a broad palate of sound from limited resources and within the restrictions of flying on small planes in remote regions. We will follow the performance with a short discussion of the issues that musicians encounter when performing in remote areas.
Isle of Coll Music Group, 21st September
Putting into practice some of the issues we explored in Shetland, I’ll immediately head west to the Isle of Coll with old friends David Martin (viola) David Hubbard ( bassoon) and Helen Brew (flute). We’ll be playing music from all around the North Atlantic and I’ll post more on the programme nearer the time. To whet your appetite, here’s our absolute favourite, “Uyeasound Nocturne” by Adrian Vernon Fish and Emily Doolittle’s evocative “Social Sounds from Whales at Night.” In fact, I hope we might get to spot some whales off the coast of Coll whilst we’re there.
If you’ve never been to Coll, why not come and join us on the 7:15 boat from Oban on 21st September, spend the day exploring this small island and then come to our concert. You’ll then have Sunday morning to see more of the island or hop over to neighbouring island, Tiree, before heading back to the mainland.
Hope to meet some of you on the boat!
nordicviola 