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Newsletters
Our current newsletter has information about our next meetings, rehearsals and performances  click here
Fiddlers can check our calendar for rehearsals, meetings and gigs click here
Want to see what we've been up to for the last 8 years? Click here to browse our Newsletter Archives

Check back soon or see our calendar and newsletters for future chances to catch up with the MSFC.

MSFC Meetings

Please Note: Next Meeting Sunday 19th February 2012
First meeting for 2012 - hope to see you there.

Matthew Robertson is our new Director. He and other fine fiddlers will lead our meetings, teaching and organising our future concerts, recordings and performances.

We normally meet on the third Sunday of every month (except Jan) from 2 pm until 5pm, at St. Aidan's Uniting Church, Duggan Street, Balwyn, Victoria Each month we learn new tunes and review tunes. A highlight of our meetings is the legendary afternoon tea - to which everyone contributes and participates.

What we did in 2011:

Alasdair Fraser (fiddler) and Natalie Haas (cellist) performed in Melbourne, Benalla and Camperdownin the last week of October 2011.
click here for poster

Find out more - visit their websites: Alasdair Fraser and Natalie Haas

We've performed at Port Fairy Folk Festival and the Echuca/Moama Celtic Festival, we've presented our BIG Concert on April 10th with Chris Stout and Catriona McKay AND we had a series of workshops with Chris and Catriona. In May we had our final performance with Judy Turner as our director at the National Celtic Festival at Portarlington.
...details click here

Farewell and thanks to Judy turner

In June 2011 Judy Turner retired as our Director - she is taking a break from her 100% involvement with MSFC and handing over the reigns to others. We will miss her enthusiasm and drive and look forward to having her back to play with us again. See Judy's farewell report here

However Judy and Neil have new ventures to look forward to:

For lovers of Robert Louis Stevenson visit here to find out about Neil Adam and Judy Turner's most recent project - a show based on his poetry, put to music and arranged by Neil and Judy.

Camperdown Robbie Burns Statue Repair Fundraising Concert
We played again this year at the fundraising concert in Camperdown on Sunday 28 August 2011.

Thanks to The Warrnambool Standard and Everard Himmelreich for the article about last years concert:
"EVERARD HIMMELREICH 30 Aug, 2010
Robbie Burns would have loved it. Camperdown’s Theatre Royal was full of the sound of fiddles and song yesterday for a concert that raised funds for the restoration of the town’s National Trust-listed statue of Robert Burns, the iconic Scottish poet and songwriter. About 400 people packed the theatre to hear ... the Melbourne Scottish Fiddle Club and the Warrnambool and District Pipes and Drums. ..Kirsty James from the National Trust of Australia (Vic) said the lively concert spread “the magic” of Robbie Burns and indicated the passion with which the Camperdown community regarded the Robbie Burns statue. The National Trust has launched an appeal that hopes to raise $100,000 for the restoration of the statue that was vandalised in 2009."

More Information here

We are happy to report that the visit from Chris Stout and Catriona McKay as part of our Shetland Exchange program between 1st to 10th April 2011 was a raging success.
There were fiddle and harp workshops, Vic country performances by Chris and Catriona, culminating in a SPECIAL CONCERT with us - the MSFC - at MLC in Kew, VIc on 10th April. Click here for the full report.

Article from the Leader Newspaper: "TWO of Scotland’s most acclaimed musicians will play with the Melbourne Scottish Fiddle Club in Kew on Sunday. Fiddler Chris Stout and harp player Catriona McKay have been touring Australia and will finish the Victorian leg at Methodist Ladies’ College before heading to Adelaide. McKay said so far the trip had been ‘‘brilliant’’. ‘‘We had a great turnout on Flinders Island and even got a standing ovation,’’ she said. Fiddler Chris Stout and harp player Catriona McKay will play at Methodist Ladies’ College. Stout, who has been playing the fiddle for 26 years, said they were looking forward to playing in Melbourne and in particular collaborating with the Melbourne Scottish Fiddle Club. ‘‘I think this concert, more than any other, will be a great example of the journey of Scottish music,’’ he said. "

See Chris and Catriona on Youtube Article about Bill Sides and the Shetland Exchange program Listen to the interview on ABC's Bush Telegraph Fri 1st April - click here

Port Fairy Folk Festival 2011

Melbourne Scottish Fiddlers performed 3 concerts this year, as well as taking part in a couple of sessions at the Surf Club. Visit www.portfairyfolkfestival.com for details. Here's some pictures taken at the Stage 3 concert on Sunday:

2010
Tour of NSW - September 2010 ...web page under construction - here...
The MSFC had a great time on a 9 day tour of NSW. We performed in Tumut, Bundanoon, Milton, Blue Mountains, Penrith, Gulgong, Grenfell, Uranquinty and finally Benalla (Sunday 3rd October) on our way home. To those of you who caught up with us - thank you so much - it's not often you get the chance to see the full catastrophe that is the MSFC in a performance away from Melbourne. We've done it in NZ and Tassie, now we've doneNSW!
...see Dr Ron's blog for tour recap here

(Right: our tour t-shirt)

Judy Turner and MSFC on Bush Telegraph
Judy Turner and friends visited the ABC's Bush Telegraph studio to give Michael Cathcart a lesson in playing the Scottish fiddle.
Click here to find out how it went.
Here's what a listener thought about it: "I heard you on Radio National.  Your music is so full of sunshine and hope"

2010 Concert - Hawthorn Town Hall
Thanks to the City of Boroondara, we performed again at the marvellous Hawthorn Town Hall on Sunday 12th September, 2pm. It was a full house. Here's what people said:
"Really extraordinary performance - great to see how happy and joyful you all seemed during the entire performance"
"We loved it all - only thing you could have done better was to make it longer!"
"I've been in heaven for the last few hours - Thank you!"
"Very genuine Scots music and vocals. Greatly appreciated"
"I'm now a Scottish-loving Kiwi thanks to your concert. Any more trips planned to NZ?"
"Thank you for such a wonderful concert yesterday. We have recently returned from three weeks exploring in Scotland, The Orkneys, (sadly not the Shetlands).. your performance was a great musical finale to a wonderful trip, our Scottish souls were zinging."
"Having attended (this) concert as well as the concert the club held earlier in the year and being absolutely enthralled with your music I would like to receive advance notice of future gigs. .. Best wishes for your NSW tour and thank you for the joy of music that you bring to all that hear you (our feet are still tapping along with your CD !!).
"What a terrific concert that was at Hawthorn Town Hall. Congratulations to everyone. I was proud and honoured to be a part of it."
Click for more information: MSFC Concert Information or   Hawthorn Town Hall Concerts

MSFC Shetland Exchange Program
Gus Downing recently travelled to Scotland, taking with him a John Anderson fiddle, as the first recipient of our Shetland Exchange Program. We sincerely thank Bill Sides (J Andersons grandson and friend of the MSFC) for providing sponsorship for this yearly exchange program. In April 2011 we will be bringing Shetland fiddler Chris Stout and harpist Catriona McKay to Australia.

More information: John Anderson Fiddle Story
Gus Downing in the Shetands (Royal Auto)
See it on Youtube:
Da Road to Shetland - The inuaugural Melbourne-Shetland Travelling Fiddlership, a program to build ties between Scottish fiddlers in Melbourne Australia and the fiddle music of Shetland Islands in Scotland.
A John Anderson Fiddle at Flinders Street, Melbourne - Angus (Gus) Downing playing a couple of Shetland Tunes on a fiddle made by John Anderson, a Shetlander who came to Melbourne in the 1920s.

Camperdown Robbie Burns Statue Repair Fundraising Concert
We played at the fundraising concert in Camperdown on Sunday 29 August.
Thanks to The Warrnambool Standard and Everard Himmelreich for the article:

"EVERARD HIMMELREICH 30 Aug, 2010
Robbie Burns would have loved it. Camperdown’s Theatre Royal was full of the sound of fiddles and song yesterday for a concert that raised funds for the restoration of the town’s National Trust-listed statue of Robert Burns, the iconic Scottish poet and songwriter. About 400 people packed the theatre to hear Camperdown couple Don Grieve and Angela Preiss perform excerpts from their Robbie Burns tribute show as well as other local musicians, the Melbourne Scottish Fiddle Club and the Warrnambool and District Pipes and Drums. Corangamite Shire Council community relations co-ordinator Glen Bernoth said organisers were thrilled with the big attendance. Kirsty James from the National Trust of Australia (Vic) said the lively concert spread “the magic” of Robbie Burns and indicated the passion with which the Camperdown community regarded the Robbie Burns statue. The National Trust has launched an appeal that hopes to raise $100,000 for the restoration of the statue that was vandalised in 2009."

More Information here Poster here