Shetland Arts is delighted to announce the full details for this year’s Fiddle Frenzy, including this year’s tutors, Fiddle Frenzy Fringe classes, Fiddle Frenzy tours, and Festival Club hours.
The fiddle tutors this year are Jenna and Bethany Reid (who are also curating the Festival), Lois Nicol, Kirsten Hendry, Margaret Scollay, Pauleen Wiseman, and Andrew Gifford. The tutors deliver two classes a day during Fiddle Frenzy week, teaching Shetland tunes as well as bowing and style techniques.
In addition to fiddle, there is also a guitar class for mixed abilities. Guitar accompaniment is common in the Shetland tradition, its best known exponent being the late ‘Peerie’ Willie Johnson who played with both Dr Tom Anderson and Aly Bain amongst many others. This year we are delighted to welcome Hazel Wrigley, one of the Wrigley Sisters from Orkney as our guitar tutor. Hazel learned Willie’s unqiue guitar style directly from the man himself. She said: “My playing was most directly influenced by the local people of Orkney and Shetland. The swing style of guitar that was introduced by the legendary Peerie Willie Johnson was all around the two islands and Willie was always there, encouraging and helping me along.”
A class tutored by Jenna Reid at last year's Fiddle Frenzy
We also provide a week of Fringe classes in the form of arts activities, either for non-musicians or as a break for musicians during the week. These activities are curated by local artist Amy Fisher.. Amy has enlisted local artists to share their skills ranging from printmaking, textiles, sculpture and photography. These classes run alongside music classes, with two sessions per day. The perfect chance to try something new and learn from artists living and working in Shetland.Sightseeing tours are also available to students and visitors travelling with them, each day of the festival. Tours this year are delivered by local company Unseen Shetland, run by Michele Wishart and Tom Deyell. They include a trip to Sunday Teas, visit to the Croft House Museum & St Ninians’ Isle, and the Westside.
Students and members of the public are invited to welcome the Fiddle Frenzy Festival Club to its new home in Mareel Café Bar, open each night til 1am. Sessions are encouraged, so bring an instrument and join in, or just sit back and enjoy the tunes!
Shetland Arts’ Marketing Officer, Lisa Ward, said: “Fiddle Frenzy 2013 is all set to be another great year for Shetland Arts’ annual summer-school, which is celebrating its 10 year anniversary this year. Fiddlers, and their family and friends, have been travelling to Shetland for the past 10 years for this unique cultural experience, and the 10th year of the Festival looks like it’s going to be very special indeed.”
Fiddle Frenzy is a celebration of the music and musicians of Shetland. Sisters Jenna & Bethany Reid are at the creative helm this year as curators. Packages (including a Full Frenzy Package, Week of Classes, & Day Packages) as well as tickets for the individual concerts are all on sale now via Shetland Box Office in Mareel & Islesburgh, over the phone on 01595 745 555, online at www.shetlandboxoffice.org and www.mareel.org
Find out more about Fiddle Frenzy at www.shetlandarts.org/fiddlefrenzy
