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Gregor Borland
Gregor Borland
has had the good fortune of being the only current performing
fiddler to have been taught by both Hector MacAndrew of Cults,
(whose grandfather was a pupil of James MacIntosh of Dunkeld,
the last pupil of the famous Neil Gow) and Donald Riddell of
Clunes, who was the leader of the Highland Strathspey and Reel
Society, also a prolific teacher in the Inverness area. Both
these fiddlers are now legendary in Scottish traditional fiddle
music.Gregor has also had much success in competitions, winning
the Daily record Junior Golden Fiddle Award in 1978 and then
going on to win as many as eight Scottish Championships throughout
Scotland over the next five years, including the "Henry
Williams Trophy" at the Scottish Championship Contest,
held in Inverness.
He has recorded and toured with many bands and artistes, including
the Kathryn Tickell Band, Burach, Caledon, (With Davie Steele)
and also Jim Malcolm to name but a few.
Gregor currently is living in Spain with his family where he
has started a Traditional Scottish Fiddle School, in the beautiful
town of Biar , north of Alicante. He is also a fully qualified
Piano Tuner and has recently started making fiddles, one of
which he now plays on tour.
www.gregorborland.com |
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Laura
Risk
We are delighted
to welcome back Laura Risk to SHISSF 2008. A California native,
Laura Risk began playing Scottish fiddle music as a teenager.
Her love of traditional fiddling has led her into a rich journey
of performing and teaching the beautiful and diverse repertoires
of Scotland, Cape Breton and, most recently, Quebec, where she
now lives. As evidenced in several highly-praised albums, her
playing is extremely expressive and versatile, ranging from
elegant music composed for 18th-century Scottish drawing rooms
to driving strathspeys and reels suitable for a Cape Breton
dance floor.
www.laurarisk.com |
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Catherine
Fraser
Catherine Fraser
is one of the Southern Hemisphere's finest Scottish fiddlers
and has gained a reputation as a world class performer and teacher.
Acknowledged for her ability to combine a high level of technical
skill with a rare depth of emotional expression, Catherine presents
the music of her heritage with finesse, passion and sensitivity.
The recipient of numerous scholarships and awards, she combines
her love of performing with highly developed teaching skills.
17 years experience as an instrumental teacher as well as 5
years as a primary school class music teacher means she brings
to her workshops a wealth of knowledge and sensitivity, and
a unique ability to tailor her classes to be inclusive of all
ages and ability levels.
www.catherinefraser.com |
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Duncan
Smith
Duncan Smith
is in demand as a performer and teacher of Scottish musicand
dance throughout Australia and New Zealand, and across North
America. A multi-instrumentalist and singer, he has performed
in a wide range of musical styles including medieval plainchant,
rock and roll, jazz and bluegrass. A native of Boston (USA)
currently based in Melbourne, Australia, he began playing piano
for Scottish Country Dancing in 1980 as the first pianist in
Barbara McOwen’s band “Tullochgorum”. In recent
years he has specialised as an accompanist and teacher of accompaniment
for Scottish music and dance. Since starting to work with Catherine
Fraser in 2001, he has developed a unique improvisational approach,
fusing multiple musical styles to create a sensitive and imaginative
backdrop for the rich emotional range of the Scottish fiddle
repertoire.
www.duncansmithmusicanddance.com |
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