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Càirdeas nam Pìobairean (Hamish Moore’s organisation, The Fellowship of Pipers) prepares to present the 2017 School of Traditional Scots and Gaelic Song, Music and Dance in Barga.
The forthcoming school which will take place in Barga Vecchia from 2nd-9th September 2017 – more information can be found here on the Hamish Moore site.
Hamish Moore established a similar school, “Ceòlas”, in the heartland of Gaelic culture on The Hebridean island of South Uist twenty years ago. The coined name, Ceòlas is a combination of two Gaelic words namely, ceòl which means music and eòlas which means understanding.
So – what of Barga and The School here?
Firstly the school will eschew the stereotypical view of what Scottish Culture is – the parody of itself which was a politically motivated creation.
They will be rediscovering and celebrating with the help of the best of their tradition bearers their beautiful past traditions which have been saved for them, are now main stream, and represent a living tradition. The school in Barga is just a small strand of the exciting movement which has overtaken Scotland.
More than this they will be breaking down the artificially created barriers between the different elements of our tradition.
For this reason they study two disciplines, each interrelated and they will come together at the end of each day for an integrated session. Each of these parts when re-united will support and enhance each other and the product will be greater than the sum of the parts. There will be tears of joy and sadness when alchemy is achieved.
Barga will provide the rest: – The Conservatorio, the wonderful welcoming people, the spectacular food, the beauty of the city where magic happens and the chance and random meetings will constantly take place in piazzas and inspire a tune or a song – living – soaring – maybe even to heaven. — Hamish Moore
Tutors:
Gary West – Pipes
Fin Moore – Pipes
Fiona Hunter – Scots song
Kathleen MacInnes– Gaelic song
Sarah McFadyen – Fiddle
Derrick Cameron (Cape Breton) – Guitar accompaniment
Melody Cameron (Cape Breton) – Step dance and Fiddle
Pat Ballantyne – Step dance
Hamish Moore site can be seen here and all the articles written on barganews by Hamish since 2008 can be seen here
The first Barga School of Scottish Music Song and Dance with more than 50 students and tutors first took place in Barga in 2010 ( article here)
In 2012 it was cancelled as there were problems in sorting out the accommodation but according to Hamish for 2016 it’s all systems go once more.
The final dates have still to be fixed but it is looking as though the school will take place during the second two weeks of September 2016.
This afternoon he left Barga on his way to visiting the South of France to the establishment of Franco and Daniele Rigotti where he chooses and purchases his cane that he uses to make the reeds for his world-famous Scottish small pipes.
He is apparently the last pipe maker in the world using natural canes for his reeds, the rest of the makers having moved over to the far easier to find, use and play, synthetic reeds.
Hamish’s first public performance of the Barga bells back in 2008 ( article here )