IN FLUX
loch shiel festival 2022
04.05.23 - 07.05.23
Highland Fluxus Group
In Flux: I
Friday 29th April 16:00 | Glenfinnan Viaduct
Please meet at the Glenfinnan Viaduct car park at 16:00
Performers: Stephen Carruthers / Miriam Iorwerth / Duncan Strachan / Paul Hernaes Barnes / Jamie Smith / Alasdair Strachan /Rachel Spencer
Join a bonkers and dedicated crew of the festival team for a weird and wonderful tribute to the 1960s experimental art group Fluxus. Starting at the Glenfinnan Viaduct car park, you’ll be free to roam around the viaduct walk, where you’ll discover ‘happenings’ from the Fluxus Workbook along the way.
Sophie Rocks + Maxwell Quartet “Harps”
Glenfinnan Church
Friday, 29th April 19:00
Programme:
Tom Anderson, Da Slockit Light
Caroline Lizotte, Suite Galactique, ‘Exosphere’
Ollie Hawker, A Great Joy
(commissioned by Live Music Now Scotland with funding from Kimie Trust)
Sally Beamish, Awuya
Chinese Trad., A Streaming Brook
Esther Swift, Timespinner
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Beethoven, String Quartet no. 10 in E flat, Op 74, “Harp”
Trad., Fear a Bhata/ Da Full Rigged Ship/ Da New Rigged Ship
Guided Walk with Dr Ian Strachan
“Sand, Shore and Seaweed” - Samalaman Bay, Glenuig
Saturday, 30th April 11:50 (Duration: 1hr ) Please meet at the Glenuig Hall at 11:50
Dr Ian Strachan, local botanist and marine life expert, will take us on a guided walk to one of the most beautiful beaches in Scotland – Salamalan Bay. Here we will have a chance to explore sealife in and around the coastal rocks, with stunning views out to the small isles of Eigg, Muck and Rum. It’s advised to bring some decent footwear – and of course, your anorak (y’know, just in case).
Gaia Duo “Stone, Salt & Sky”
Glenuig Hall Saturday, 30th April 13:00
Programme:
Arcangelo Corelli Sonata for Violin and Cello in A, Op.5 No.9
Elizabeth Maconchy Theme and Variations
Sally Beamish Stone, Salt and Sky
Rebecca Clarke Grotesque and Lullaby
Maxwell Quartet “Gather”
Glenuig Hall
Saturday 30th April, 18:00
Programme:
Os Mutorum (from Inchcolm Antiphons)
Fisherrow/The Noose and Gillies
Meg McRae/John MacMillan of Barra
Cill Mhuire
McIntosh’s Lament/ Auld Foula/ Oot and In Da Harbour
Haripol
Rachel Walker, Aaron Jones + Isola Quartet “Gaol”
Glenuig Hall
Saturday 30th April, 19:30
Isola Quartet “Isola/The Disinherited”
Glenuig Hall Sunday 1st May, 13:00
Programme:
Rebecca Clarke, Two movements for String Quartet
Jessie Montgomery, Strum
Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel, String Quartet in E flat major
Soundwalk : Castle Tioram
Sunday 1st May, From 14:30 (available throughout the festival) For assistance with your device/ accessing the soundwalk, you are welcome to visit the Glenuig Hall from 10am-2pm on Sunday where a member of our team will be available.
Our experimental approach continues with a sonic experience using new technology - to bring you the festival’s first geolocated “soundwalk”. Using GPS technology, theatremaker and multimedia artist Paul Hernes Barnes, along with producer and composer Jamie Smith, have created a sonic installation, which invites festival-goers to engage in an interactive sonic experience in their own time, at Castle Tioram - set on a tidal island.
Isola Quartet + Maxwell Quartet “Flux/Flow”
Glenfinnan Church Sunday 1st May, 19:00
Programme:
George Brecht String Quartet (0:30)
Henry Purcell Fantasia in F Z. 737 (4:11)
Caroline Shaw Punctum (9:33)
Philip Glass String Quartet no. 2 “Company” (9:00)
Dick Higgins Constellation Music No 4 (0:10)
Edvard Grieg Last Spring (3:00))
Alison Knowles String Piece (1:00)
Yoko Ono Lighting Piece (0:30)
Caroline Shaw Plan & Elevation (15:00)
John Cage 4’33” (4:33)
Emilia Amper Spelpuma (3:00)
Whether or not Fluxus is ‘your cup of tea’, it serves as a fascinating departure point for artists to rethink and reframe what they are doing in the context of performance. Tonight’s programme is designed to make you think, reflect, revel in the event itself, and, perhaps most importantly, to smile. Please applaud when you like, don’t when you don’t; be aware that some of the programme’s works may contain no notes at all, and some may contain lots!
Fluxus group pioneer George Brecht’s “String Quartet No. 2” is furnished with one instruction only to the performers; the score simply reads “Shaking Hands”. Purcell’s Fantasias are viol music, designed to be performed in the home for groups of amateurs, as much about socialising and conversation through music than any kind of idea of public showcasing of virtuosity. Contemporary American composer Caroline Shaw reflects on the past in Punctum, at once ruminating on a particular chord progression in Bach’s Chorale from the St Matthew Passion, and taking inspiration from a Roland Barthes' description of the "unexpected" in photographs. Philip Glass is one of America’s most well-known composers, and was heavily influenced by the Fluxus movement. One of Fluxus’ key ideas was of “figure ground” – taking the background and making it a foreground, thereby removing the ‘figure’. In some way or other all of the works on tonight’s programme do just that. ‘Company’ was composed as a piece of incidental music to accompany Fred Neumann’s adaption of the Samuel Beckett novella of the same name. Its title alone makes us think of how things have felt over the past two years of intermittent isolation. Dick Higgins’ Constellation Music No. 4 instructs the performers to simply make a sound which is “to have a clearly-defined percussive attack and decay (such as produced by plucking strings, hitting gongs, bells, helmets or tubes). Each performer produces his sound efficiently and almost simultaneously with other performers’ sounds. Each sound is produced only once.” Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg wrote his “Last Spring” in 1880 as a response to words by the Norwegian poet Aasmund Olavsson Vinje; in ‘Last Spring’, Vinje describes the beauty of the countryside in spring, appearing after the snow of winter; he thinks he might be seeing it for the last time. Alison Knowles’ “String Piece” instructs the performer to simply “Tie up the audience” (look out!); Yoko Ono’s “Lighting Piece” involves watching a match burn for as long as it chooses to. Shaw’s “Plan & Elevation” refers to “two standard ways of representing architecture – essentially an orthographic “bird’s-eye” perspective (plan) and a side view which features more ornamental detail (elevation). This binary is also a gentle metaphor for one’s path in any endeavour – often the actual journey and results are quite different (and perhaps more elevated) than the original plan.” This is very much how I feel about each and every Loch Shiel Festival!
I doubt John Cage’s infamous “4’33” needs any introduction, except to say that it is included here today to allow us a moment to sit together in a very special place, and listen to the same things. This piece always reminds me that music and silence work hand in hand with one another. Which is part of the reason I have chosen to write all of this down, instead of blethering away to you on stage tonight. I hope you enjoy yourselves, and are sent off cheered by our final piece by the Swedish Nyckelharpist Emilia Amper - a proud and joyful celebration of being human!
Highland Fluxus Group In Flux: II
Monday 2nd May 11:00 | Glenfinnan Station
Performers: Stephen Carruthers / Miriam Iorwerth / Duncan Strachan / Paul Hernaes Barnes / Jamie Smith / Alasdair Strachan /Rachel Spencer
Join a bonkers and dedicated crew of the festival team for a weird and wonderful tribute to the 1960s experimental art group Fluxus. Starting at the Glenfinnan Station platform, you’ll be free to roam around the station, where you’ll discover ‘happenings’ from the Fluxus Workbook along the way.
Rachel Walker & Aaron Jones “Women’s Stories”
Glenfinnan Church Monday 2nd May 13:00
Rachel Walker & Aaron Jones will premier some of the songs from their brand new project celebrating women in Scottish history. From Lochaber’s local witch and adviser to the Chief of Clan Cameron, Gormula of Moy, to Orkney’s entrepreneur Bessie Millar who sold a favourable wind to sailors for sixpence, hear the stories of these inspiring women alongside songs composed by and for women in Scotland.
PROGRAMME & TICKETS
Please note:
• Upon selecting “book tickets”, you will be directed to Eventbrite, our ticket selling provider. An additional booking fee applies to the stated ticket prices below. This year, we are introducing a Festival Pass which will allow you to avoid multiple booking fees. Details on Eventbrite.
• Children under 16 are eligible for free entry to the festival and do not need to book - with the exception of the Children’s Music Workshop at the Ariundle Centre on 3rd May. .
• Tickets will also be available to buy on the door at our events (subject to availability). However, booking in advance is highly recommended to avoid disappointment. Some of our venues have very limited capacity and sell out very quickly.
THURSDAY 01 MAY 2024 18:00
glenfinnan viaduct | starting at the viaduct & monument car park
Opening Event: Kirsty Gunn, Margaret McMaster, and the Lochaber Schools’ Pipe Band : The Big Music
The 2025 Festival opens in spectacular style on the shores of Loch Shiel, under the world-renowned Glenfinnan Rail Viaduct, with a celebration of the great piping traditions of Lochaber. Guest novelist Kirsty Gunn, author of the 2012 novel The Big Music, is joined by local piper Margaret McMaster, and invites us in to her novel’s world of haunting solemnity, inspired by the great Piobearachd tradition.
A short walk will then lead us along the path to the famous Glenfinnan viaduct, an icon of our festival, to experience the awesome sound of the Lochaber Schools’ Pipe Band out in full force. What a way to open our 2025 festival!
book tickets: free | booking required
friday 02 may 2025 19:30
glenfinnan church
Brighde Chaimbeul & the Maxwell Quartet: Carry them With Us
Brighde Chaimbeul, born and raised on the Isle of Skye, is at once a great tradition bearer of Gaelic piping, and a groundbreaking pioneer, expanding the possibilities of the instrument in ever more challenging and mesmerising ways. She joins forces here with the Maxwell Quartet to perform music from her 2023 album Carry Them With Us, as well as some sneak peeks at her forthcoming album, Sunwise, due for release in July 2025. The Maxwell Quartet and Brighde make for powerful collaborators and have performed together across the UK and Europe in recent years. Not to be missed!
book tickets: £18.00 | free to under-16s
friday 02 may 2025 21:00
the stage house (formerly prince’s house hotel)
THIS EVENT HAS NOW SOLD OUT
Loch Shiel Folk Session (Brighde Chaimbeul/Maxwell Quartet)
Join us for a post-concert session at the Stagehouse, formerly the Prince’s House Hotel in Glenfinnan. Featuring piper Brighde Chaimbeul and the Maxwell Quartet, with readings from Kirsty Gunn, this is sure to be a great evening of tunes and conversation, celebrating the session tradition of the Highlands & Islands.
SOLD OUT
saturday 03 may 2025 10:00
glenfinnan jetty hut
Kirsty Gunn: Writers’ Masterclass
Kirsty Gunn is a novelist, essayist, short story writer, and professor of creative writing. We are delighted to welcome her to the festival this year as a special guest, and the inspiration behind this year’s festival title. Held in the Glenfinnan Jetty Hut, a cosy community venue on the water’s edge, author Kirsty Gunn discusses her latest book, ‘Pretty Ugly’, and shares her knowledge and expertise on writing techniques, providing a golden opportunity for aspiring writers to develop their skills.
book tickets: £25.00/£15.00 | limited availability
saturday 03 may 2025 | 11:00
ariundle centre, strontian
Roo & Neil: Family Music and Storytelling Workshop
Join Roo & Neil for an adventure in musical storytelling in the magical setting of the Ariundle Oakwoods of Strontian! With activities and music for all ages, this is particularly recommended for children from 3-8 years, but all are welcome.
Roo Geddes and Neil Sutcliffe are Live Music Now Scotland artists who combine their shared experience across Classical, Folk and Jazz to create original music for violin and accordion. Born into families of educators, both musicians are passionate teachers and their pedagogy significantly informs their identity as artists. They work with students from a diverse range of ages and abilities in both private and community-music settings.
book tickets: £5.00 per child (accompanying adults free)
buffet lunch available after workshop: £10 per person
saturday 03 may 2025 13:30
ariundle centre, strontian
Roo Geddes & Neil Sutcliffe: Storytellers
Following their family workshop at Ariundle, Roo & Neil bring a 60 minute concert programme featuring a wide range of their own compositions. Growing up surrounded by traditional music, they enjoy sharing their love of folk tunes and the stories attached to them with local and international audiences.
Expect music inspired by landscape and people, and the ways in which music can evoke a sense of place and community. Roo & Neil’s performance involves storytelling alongside musical performance, drawing in listeners of all ages in a magical and enthralling way.
book tickets: £12.00 | free to under-16s
buffet lunch available at 12:00 prior to concert: £10 per person
saturday 03 may 2025 19:30
resipole studios
Maxwell Quartet: The Music of Home
THIS EVENT HAS NOW SOLD OUT.
Fresh from the huge success of their third album release of Haydn string quartets and Scottish folk tunes, the Maxwell Quartet explores music from across the centuries including Haydn’s ‘Zingarese’ influenced Opus 20 no. 4, and Dvorak's String Quartet in G, Opus 106, composed upon his return to his homeland of Bohemia, after a period living in America. The Maxwells bring together classical and folk music, believing that the string quartet is the ultimate place for the two styles to co-exist.
The concert will feature informal Q&A between the musicians and local artists whose work is on display at the Gallery.
SOLD OUT
sunday 04 may 2025 12:00
the boathouse, roshven house
Lochaber Writers & Peaks: Music and Stories
Local writer Stephen Carruthers leads the Lochaber Writers Group in a sharing of new writings specifically composed in response to the 2025 programme. This local community group hosts regular workshops and sharings, offering feedback and encouragement for new writing in Lochaber. After a successful first collaboration with the festival in 2023, the group returns to reflect on this year’s theme, with storytelling and tradition at its heart. Alongside the showcasing of their works, we are delighted to welcome the duo Peaks (violinist George Smith and cellist Duncan Strachan, both of the Maxwell Quartet), to perform their new material based upon folk stories from the Outer Hebrides.
book tickets: £12.00 | under-16s free
sunday 04 may 2025 15:30
glenfinnan church
Maxwell Quartet: Hymns and Psalms
The Maxwell Quartet’s newest programme, Hymns, brings together spiritual and sacred works that span the centuries, in the beautiful atmosphere of Glenfinnan Church. From Gaelic Psalms sensitively reworked by the quartet themselves, to a selection of hymns by William Byrd reworked by contemporary British composer Edmund Finnis, and finishing with Ludwig van Beethoven’s late quartet in A minor, Opus 132, which at its heart contains the ‘Heiliger Dankgesang’ - one of the most spiritual and profound pieces of music that Beethoven composed. The parallels found in these distinct traditions are remarkable and the Maxwell Quartet weave a powerful story through their programming, in their final performance at the 2025 festival.
book tickets: £18.00 | FREE TO UNDER 16S
sunday 04 may 2024 18:00
glenfinnan church
Frances Wilkins & Kristine Kennedy: Seinn Spioradail
Scotland is home to an incredible wealth and variety of sacred song traditions with unique and varied histories, providing soundtracks to peoples’ daily lives for generations. In this combined talk and performance, ethnomusicologist Frances Wilkins, together with Gaelic singer Kristine Kennedy, explores some of these traditions including Gaelic psalmody, hymnody and bàrdachd.
Dr Frances Wilkins, a Senior Lecturer in Ethnomusicology at the Elphinstone Institute, University of Aberdeen, has spent the last six years undertaking fieldwork in the West Highlands and Western Isles and exploring sacred and spiritual singing in the region. She has been compiling and recording Gaelic song traditions, including hymnody, Gaelic psalmody and spiritual bardachd which are diminishing in Hebridean communities.
book tickets: £10.00 | FREE TO UNDER 16S
sunday 04 may 2024 20:00
THE STAGEHOUSE GLENFINNAN
Loch Shiel Afterparty
Join us for a drink and a chat with the artists as we round the festival off in our favourite bar, now the Stage House!