76 Pine Street
South Portland ME 04106
USA
207-767-6396
309-406-1648 FAX
Email:
Website:
www.highlandsoles.com
Travels to: Anywhere
Biography:
My intensive focus for 25 years has been fiddle music, though I was classically trained starting in 1961 by members of the Chicago Symphony and Boston Symphony, and played with the Yale Symphony and other orchestras & chamber groups. I love music of all kinds when it is well played. I currently teach fiddle and folk groups at the Portland (Maine) Conservatory of Music, including fiddle workshops for violin teachers. I perform with Highland Soles, a family band offering high-quality Scottish and Cape Breton dance & music; have served as annual summer fiddle instructor since 1995 for Ohio Scottish Arts School at Oberlin College; directed the Boston Scottish Fiddle Club for 18 years and continue to serve regularly as guest workshop leader; directed/performed in Boston Celtic Festival at Hatch Shell, 198794; led Scottish Fiddle Rally concert & workshop series, 1985-1999 (CD available on Greentrax Recordings, including 5 top Scottish and Cape Breton soloists); taught Fiddle Club kids sessions (ages 7-12) and teen sessions (ages 13-17) from 1991 to 1999; directed Ashokan's Celtic Week camp for two summers. Led two Fiddle Club performing tours to Cape Breton, Nova Scotia; taught fiddle at Maine ASTA string camp 2003. I've performed for countless dances, concerts, festivals, music/dance camps, radio, TV, throughout the U.S. and eastern Canada. Scottish fiddling judge since 1980s, including 3 U.S. National Scottish Fiddle Championships and many regional competitions around the U.S., always including performances and workshops. Non-Celtic: Directed Roaring Jelly for 3 years (oldest open-membership New England contra dance band); coordinated a week of workshops at MIT by the Hungarian State Folk Ensemble followed by 2 years of playing in Hungarian dance band; played in klezmer band; currently working with Grapelli-style swing jazz band (though primary performance work is Scottish). Related work: Music columnist for Scottish Life magazine since 1996; founded and ran music distribution company, 19912002, called Portland America Distributing (portlandamerica.com), distributing CDs from Scotland, Atlantic Canada, Ireland, Brittany, and Wales to stores throughout the U.S.Each Style a Language, Each Tune a Story
This clinic includes a listening survey of dozens of styles of fiddling from around the world, primarily Europe and North America, with commentary, opening ears to the artistic achievements of the many cultures represented by nonclassical violin music. A hands-on portion offers approaches for bringing tunes to life; prioritizing rhythm, notes, ornamentation; easy methods for learning by ear while improving musicianship. A book of tunes is included, personally selected, offering beautiful and stirring tunes in various tempos, styles, and for different levels of students. Can be geared towards violin teachers, or towards students.
The Treasure of Scottish Fiddling
Ranging from near-classical to thoroughly folksy, from 4#s to 4bs, from stirring slow airs, through unique rhythmic strathspeys, to high-flying reels, Scottish fiddling is a treasury of high-quality music that can inspire any curious musician. This clinic presents a broad range of Scottish fiddle music through demonstration and teaching, opening doors to a well-developed tradition of music that can provide rewards and challenges to players at every level.
Playing for Dancing
Nothing sharpens a fiddler's rhythmic edge like playing for dancing. Rhythm is the heart of music, musicianship, and ensemble playing, and it serves as the foundation for layers of melody, phrasing, and intertwining voices. What makes music danceable? What provides lift? When does it need drive? When must it flow? And how do we provide those qualities while keeping a strong pulse? While many dance forms can be discussed, the key points can be made through a focus on Scottish & American music suitable for some or all of these dance forms: Highland dance, Highland folk, hardshoe, ceilidh & couples dances, Cape Breton stepdance, Scottish country dance and New England contras & squares. A dancer can be provided for demonstration; Highland Soles can offer a performance in conjunction with the music workshop. A participatory dance, and/or accompanying dance workshop by Ed's wife, Laura Scott, can also be arranged.
Ed's solo album, Boston Hospitality, was called a "milestone album for the Boston Celtic community" (Boston Globe); a "precious artistic jewel" (TacTalk Canada).
Regarding the dance workshop and the possibility of including dancer Laura Scott, she was considered a "spectacularly nimble and graceful performer" (Washington Post); "a showstopper . . . enchanting, graceful and high-twirling" (Boston Globe)