Friends of Wighton forthcoming Cappuccino Concert

From Friends of Wighton :

Saturday Morning Cappuccino Concert

Saturday at 11am - Wighton Heritage Centre, Central Library, Wellgate

Admission £5

February 22nd Katherine Liley, fiddle, plus workshop.

Katherine Liley is an excellent fiddle-player and also a researcher and teacher.

She is no stranger to the Wighton Centre and we know we can look forward to a great mix of tunes and stories.

All welcome!

Friends of Wighton Cappuccino Concert tomorrow

Friends of Wighton's Saturday morning Cappuccino Concert takes place tomorrow - Saturday 15th February - Wighton Heritage Centre, Central Library, Wellgate Centre.

This week's concert features Barbara and Peter Snape.

Peter and Barbara Snape are a very popular duo from the North West of England with a distinctly ‘northern’ repertoire.

Barbara’s versatile singing voice is full of character with both the sensitivity to move you with tales of hardship or love and the robustness to belt out invigorating, earthy songs with such confidence that you will feel compelled to join in.

Peter’s well-crafted accompaniments on the melodeon give life to the songs and the occasional dance tune will certainly set your feet tapping.

It starts at 11am and all are welcome - admission £5.

Friends of Wighton lunchtime recital today

Today, there's a lunchtime recital at the Wighton Heritage Centre at Dundee Central Library, taking place from 1.15pm to 1.45pm.

Friends of Wighton is pleased to welcome local musician, singer, songwriter Ed Muirhead.

Ed will be singing a collection of new-fashioned folk songs, all with a Dundee connection.

All welcome - admission by donation.

Friends of Wighton Cappuccino Concert tomorrow!

From Sheena Wellington :

Saturday 23rd November 11am Cappuccino Concert : Sandy Brechin, accordion, & Ewan Wilkinson, guitar

(admission £5 with tea/coffee available for donation)

Sandy and Ewan have been playing together for more than ten years. They regularly tour Scotland, England and Wales, appearing at folk clubs and several folk festivals throughout the year, as well as their annual spots at the Edinburgh International Festival Fringe. They have toured Australia three times, and also played in Bahrain and Sweden.

Ewan and Sandy play a mixture of Scottish, Irish and English traditional songs and tunes, together with contemporary folk songs and original compositions. Many of the contemporary folk songs are written by Ewan himself.

Get this in your diary for tunes, songs and humour.

Cappuccino Concert at Friends of Wighton!

From Sheena Wellington of Friends of Wighton :

Tomorrow - Saturday 26th October - at 11am, Friends of Wighton is having a Cappuccino Concert - Chloe Matharu, song and harp.

Chloe Matharu is an award-winning Scottish Indian singer songwriter and harpist from Wemyss Bay on the West Coast of Scotland.     Many of her songs draw on her time as a Navigational Officer in the Merchant Navy, inspired by the natural world as experienced at sea. On tour she performs solo with her harp in English, Scots and Welsh.

She has performed at impressive venues such as Celtic Connections, Cambridge Folk Festival, Glad Cafe Glasgow, Green Note in London, Fringe by the Sea, Edinburgh Fringe and Hartlepool Folk Festival.

Chloe received Celtic Music Radio’s Album of the Year for her debut album, Small Voyages, which was released in October 2022. In 2023 she performed live on BBC Radio Four Woman’s Hour, BBC Scotland News TV programme 'The Seven', interviewed on BBC Radio Scotland’s 'The Afternoon Show'.    Chloe lives on her family run Alpaca Trekking and Goat Yoga centre.

The concert takes place in the Wighton Heritage Centre in the Central Library - admission £5, tea/coffee available for donation - all welcome!

Harp classes at Blackness Library #dundeewestend

Back in March this year, Fraser had the pleasure of meeting the participants in Mary Veal's ‘Clarsach for Beginners’ class at Blackness Library, run through Friends of Wighton.

It is a really great class and the members play lovely songs on the harp.

The group meets from 2pm to 3.30pm every Monday (except the first of each month) at the library - all welcome!

For more information, please contact Friends of Wighton's secretary at secretary@friendsofwighton.com

Lunchtime Recital from Friends of Wighton!

The Lunchtime Recital featuring Sheena Wellington will be on Tuesday 3rd September starting at 1pm in the Wighton Heritage Centre in the Central Library.

Singer Sheena is, of course, a familiar presence at the Wighton and has chosen to celebrate her 80th Birthday with a fundraiser for the Friends of Wighton Education and Outreach programme.

Sheena says :

“Please, no presents (trying to get rid of ornaments as it is), no flowers (I’m allergic), but donations will be very welcome – and there will be cake!”

Very best wishes to Sheena and all welcome at the Lunchtime Recital.

Latest Friends of Wighton event!

From Sheena Wellington of Friends of Wighton :

Saturday 20th July at 11am - Cappuccino Concert with sisters Sally Garden and Alison Hart

Songs and Springs from Scotland and Scandinavia

Another important part of the Wighton story, singer and musicologist Sally Garden (pictured) was our inaugural Historical Musician in Residence and we are delighted to welcome her, accompanied by her sister Alison Hart, for what promises to be a fascinating programme.

Friends of Wighton Cappuccino Concert

Tomorrow - Saturday 29th June - 11am – noon (doors open 10.30am).

Essa Flett – The Selkie’s Wife

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “A bewitching performance” - Binge Fringe Magazine

From the creator of ROOTS (Fringe 2019) and cast member of the hit 2022 Edinburgh Fringe Bradán Theatre show My Lover Was A Salmon in the Climate Apocalypse, comes a ‘bewitching’ (Binge Fringe Magazine) new solo folk storytelling performance.

Join Elisabeth Flett as she gives the audience a decidedly sapphic retelling of the Selkie tale- that is, she’ll try to, if her own story would only stop getting in the way. A tour de force of Flett’s award-winning career as a folk musician, folklorist, writer and theatre-maker, The Selkie’s Wife is a show full of live music, academic fun facts, storytelling, foley art - and maybe some queer revenge…

Suitable for 14+

Content Warnings: descriptions of institutional homophobia, sexism, non- consensual marriage, chronic illness and one use of strong violence (no depictions of the above are shown in the show), one use of strong language.

Admission £5 Coffee/tea available for small donation

Latest Friends of Wighton event!

From Sheena Wellington :

Wednesday 20th March - 1.15pm -1.45pm - Janine Douglas and Mark Spalding

Venue - Wighton Heritage Centre, Central Library

Mark [pictured] and Janine will present a programme of settings by Beethoven of Burns, Scott and other folksong settings plus a few short harpsichord solos on our beautiful instrument.

Admission free, donations welcome.

Friends of Wighton - lunchtime recital

From Sheena Wellington :

Lunchtime Recital, Wednesday 7th February - 1.15pm - 1.45pm – Aandowin Trio at the Wighton Centre, Central Library in the Wellgate Centre

Aandowin are Peter Cooper (fiddle), Margaret Leighton (accordion) and Bill Shackman (cittern).

The group plays a laid-back mix of Shetland and Celtic session tunes.

With their usual good timing they formed just before lockdown meaning that practicing in a gazebo became the only option.

They can occasionally be seen busking outside St Andrews public library until they make enough money for lunch, at which point they stop.

Friends of Wighton - music classes

From Sheena Wellington :

Friends of Wighton are delighted to welcome 2024 with the return of our weekly classes in Scots song, fiddle and mixed instruments, whistle and a new Gaelic song class, monthly for the moment, starting on the 13th.

More details :

Scots Song, with Amy Lord - Tuesdays 2pm – 3.30pm, this started last Tuesday and continues on Tuesday 16^th January

Fiddle, with Heather Miranda - Saturday 1.30pm – 2.30pm  starts Saturday 13^th January

Gaelic Song with Wilma Kennedy - 2^nd Saturday of month, 9.30am - 10.30am, starts Saturday 13^th January

Whistle with Helen Forbes - Saturday, 12.15pm – 1.15pm, starting  Saturday 20^th January

Mixed instruments (online) - Saturday 11am - noon

Zoom link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87514360614

Meeting ID: 875 1436 0614

Classes are £5 per session.

The Wighton Singers' Christmas Concert!

Tomorrow - Saturday 9th December - sees The Wighton Singers' Christmas Concert take place.

It takes place in the Wighton Heritage Centre in the Central Library between 11am and 12 noon.

Admission is £5 and all are welcome!

Another lunchtime concert from Friends of Wighton

From Sheena Wellington :

Feis Rois Ceilidh Trail

Wednesday 2^nd August at the Wighton Centre in the Central Library

1pm – 2pm

Our annual chance to see and hear the best of the emerging crop of traditional musicians.  

These talented and lively young folk are always a delight to meet.

Admission free, donations welcome.

Lunchtime concert from Friends of Wighton in the central library

From Sheena Wellington :

Wednesday 26^th July - 1.15pm – 1.45pm - lunchtime concert

Mark Spalding with El Search:  Harpsichord 40^th Birthday Celebration

Wighton’s own harpsichord specialist, Mark Spalding will be playing with Dundee’s long established free improvisation group El Search in a programme specially devised as part of the 40^th anniversary celebrations.

Admission free, donations welcome.

Make Music Day!

From Sheena Wellington of Friends of Wighton :

Tomorrow - Wednesday 21st June - Make Music Day! 10.30am – 4.30pm (free to attend)

Celebrate Make Music Day at the Wighton! A chance to see some of our treasured music books up close and personal and to hear :

11am – 12 noon The Doolichters - Dundee’s oldest boy band. The Doolichters comprise 4 ageing but sophisticated musicians with their own peculiar take on their home city of Dundee. Currently working on the 4th album in their musical trilogy, they have taken time off from their busy recording schedule to add another live performance to their legendary world tour of Dundee (and thereabouts).

1.15pm – 1.45pm Morag Dunbar – fine traditional singer, well-known and loved across Scotland and originally from Kirkcaldy. While at Edinburgh University, she got into the lively scene, learning to play guitar, joining Edinburgh Folk Club and touring with the legendary Maggie and Liz Cruikshank. Now living in Balerno, she is one of the organisers of Balerno Folk Club, regularly performing there and, with friends, at other clubs.

1.55pm - 2.15pm Positive Notes - an Occupational Therapy Singing Group for adults with a learning disability. The group meet on Monday afternoons in the Wighton Centre & they all love to sing and have fun. The group sing everything from pop, rock, folk, jazz, motown & musicals. They also like to perform on stage twice a year with props and percussion for family and friends.

2.25pm – 3pm Wighton Singers – Wighton’s own, the group meets every Tuesday afternoon in the Wighton Heritage Centre under the musical direction of renowned singer and teacher, Amy Lord. Great voices, a wide-ranging repertoire and stunning harmonies!

In between times there will be impromptu tunes and songs from Wighton Friends and visiting musicians – bring your voice and/or instrument along and Make Music!

Choras at the Wighton

From Sheena Wellington :

This Saturday - 1st April at 11am - Choras, a harmony trio, will sing at the Wighton Heritage Centre in the Central Library.

Aileen Carr, Barbara Dymock and Janice Reavell are all much loved and respected traditional singers.

All three of them, as harmony trio Choras, will sing this Saturday.

A concert with this cappella trio with their superb harmonies, eclectic selection of songs and sense of fun is not to be missed!

All welcome - admission is £5 at the door.

Carole and Alan Prior at the Wighton Heritage Centre!

From Sheena Wellington :

Saturday 18th March - 11am - Wighton Heritage Centre, Central Library

The Friends of Wighton are delighted to welcome Carole and Alan Prior, one of the best loved and most respected singing duos in the British Isles.

Carole is a well known and powerful singer who, together with her husband Alan, has been invited to many folk festivals and singing weekends throughout the UK and Ireland. Whilst traditional songs and ballads are her first love, she also enjoys newer compositions in a traditional style, particularly when they convey emotional themes or a good story. She also likes humorous songs as well as dabbling in a bit of song writing and composing tunes for poems. Most notably, her tune for Violet Jacob's Baltic Street has become a favourite with many other singers.

With a big voice, Alan has drawn his repertoire from diverse areas of song and is well known and respected in many places, appearing together with his wife Carole at quite a few of the festivals and clubs throughout the UK and Ireland and in Ian McCalman's production of Far Far from Ypres. Alan enjoys traditional style singing, a sprinkling of Burns songs and chooses songs that he enjoys and identifies with from more recent writers.

While each has their own repertoire, they also enjoy singing together in unison and sometimes with a sprinkle of harmony – and a fair bit of humour!

All welcome - tickets £5 at the door.

Friends of Wighton - Lunchtime Recital tomorrow!

With thanks to Sheena Wellington, here's the latest update from Friends of Wighton :

Lunchtime Recital: Wednesday 1st March, 1.15pm – 1.45pm

Ted Poletyllo, singer

Wighton Heritage Centre at the Central Library

We are, at last, able to go back to our pre-pandemic time and are celebrating by bringing you another fine traditional singer, Ted Poletyllo.

Ted, who hails from Fife, is a consummate ballad singer who has won numerous TMSA singing competitions over the years, the latest, in November 2022 being Glenfarg Folk Club’s prestigious Sandy Watt Quaich.

Admission is free and donations welcome!

An Invitation from Friends of Wighton

From Sheena Wellington :

At the Wighton Centre, Central Library this Saturday - 26th November - at 11am.

Chloe Matharu, singer, songwriter, harpist, sailor 

Chloe Matharu is a singer songwriter and harpist from the West Coast of Scotland. A Navigational Officer in the Merchant Navy, she offers an authentic voice for the female seafarer in the folk scene. Her ethereal and innovative music gives a glimpse into the modern mariner's life, and is truly unique.

Small Voyages is an eight track album of original songs inspired by Chloe's time at sea as a deck cadet, sailing around the world on oil tankers. The songs are set to an evocative backdrop of Celtic harp music and field recordings of the natural world.

 "Her music is truly haunting" - BBC Radio Scotland.

All welcome - Tickets £5 at the door.