NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. – Concerts featuring Westminster College’s Strathgheny School of Scottish Fiddling will take place June 22 and 26 in the New Wilmington amphitheater.
The public performances will begin with an instructor’s concert June 22, featuring Melinda Crawford Perttu, professor of music at Westminster College and director of the Strathgheny School of Scottish Fiddling. David Gardner, guest fiddle instructor, of Williamsburg, Va., will join her. Daniel Perttu, professor of music at Westminster, will provide keyboard accompaniment.
The Strathgheny Fiddlers Concert, featuring students of the school, will take place June 26.
Both concerts will start at 8 p.m. Admission is free.
Scottish fiddling will sound familiar to many folks, as it is the root of Appalachian folk music.
The Westminster concerts will conclude a weeklong Scottish fiddling camp on the college’s campus. The camp draws participants from across the country.
Crawford Perttu is a U.S. National Scottish Fiddling Champion and author of “A Violinist’s Guide to Scottish Fiddling.” She earned an undergraduate degree from Duquesne University and a master’s degree and Ph.D. from The Ohio State University.
Gardner is a professional fiddler and the director of the Williamsburg Strathspey and Reel Society and a Fulbright teacher exchange scholar in music.
Both are sanctioned judges for Fiddling Revival Ltd., the primary North American association dedicated to preserving the traditional Scottish Fiddling music style.
The amphitheater is located in New Wilmington Borough Park on Beechwood Avenue.
In case of inclement weather, performances will be moved to Berlin Lounge in Westminster College’s McKelvey Campus Center.
For more information about the Strathgheny School of Scottish Fiddling, click HERE.
Pictured at top: A scene from last year’s Strathgheny School of Scottish Fiddling concert in New Wilmington, Pa.