The Bagpipe Society

The Blowout, 3-5 June 2023

Toon van Mierlo & Olle Geris, Matthias Branschke (with ‘solid ghost’), Ross Calderwood & Fionnlagh Mac A’Phiocar, Scott Marshall, David Faulkner, Terry Mann, Aisling Holmes, Sawney White Bird Year Two of the rebooted post-pandemic Blowout! Due to requests from both participants and workshop leaders, we are offering a mix of short (75 mins) and long (2 ½ hour) workshops this time. There will also be a full-size, full-on Saturday night Eurobal, so please tell all your dancing friends to come along!

As always, the weekend will begin with The Competition, courtesy of Julian Goodacre. This year’s theme is “Angles & Angels” - full competition rules to follow via email and website. After that, we have two fabulous guests from Belgium on the line-up:

In the UK, Toon van Mierlo is probably best known as half of Naragonia but he has played with quite a number of other bands as well, and is an experienced teacher and workshop leader. He will be running one workshop on tone making on the pipes, and one on variations. Olle Geris has been playing the pipes since childhood and has also performed internationally with a range of bands. She started making bagpipes at the age of 18, and has taught many courses on playing and on reed making. Her double-length workshop will focus

on varying and refining embellishment techniques, challenging players to break some habits and try something new. Olle & Toon will be playing for the Saturday night ball.

Matthias „Mattis" Branschke, one of Germany’s best known pipers, is making a return visit to the Blowout with a different musical partner: ‘solid ghost’ is half bagpipe, half harp (in the shape of Merit Zloch). Mattis and Merit will be running a double-length workshop on “Harping On The Bagpipes or How To Steal From Other Instruments”. It will involve trying out different ideas on sound appropriation, and then applying them to a traditional dance tune from Germany. Mattis has a special passion for translating dance tunes from old manuscripts into bagpipe music. You will have the chance to listen and dance to some of those alongside ‘solid ghost’s own energetic compositions at the concert and the Saturday night ball.

For the dance, Geris & van Mierlo and ‘solid ghost’ will be supported by Sawney White Bird, an Oxford-based trio who play a vast array of instruments, including - of course - a bagpipe as well as melodeon, mouth organ and saxophone.

Blowout stalwart David Faulkner has been playing pipes for over 30 years. He has played with groups such as Zephyrus and the Eel Grinders; performed solo and as a duo with Steve Turner. David runs piping courses and teaches pipes regularly. He runs four weekly mixed instrument community folk orchestras and conducts one monthly mandolin orchestra!

David will be hosting a Pipe Club in the refectory: a bit like a piping folk club where you can play the party piece that you have been working on; solo or with a friend or two.

Scott Marshall, last seen at Blowout 2017, is returning to teach the hurdy-gurdy workshop. Scott has been playing the gurdy since 2005 and has been a regular festival and workshop tutor for the last decade. He has recently completed a trilogy of dreamworld instrumental "Gurdymania" albums, composed using the hurdy gurdy and effects pedals. His workshop will focus on good habits, synchronisation, solid trompette skills, and left hand fingering and ornamentation.

Ross Calderwood has been seen giving impromptu smallpipes tuition outdoors at the Polesworth gathering, so we have decided to move him indoors for everyone’s comfort. He will be offering one smallpipe workshop for absolute beginners (loan pipes will be available) as well as one workshop for intermediate players, focussing on tunes and techniques. Ross has been playing Highland Bagpipes since the age of eight and started playing smallpipes in 1994 - his interest goes far beyond the superficial. He has a good in-depth knowledge of the history and diversity of bagpipes. His smallpipe, border pipe and reel pipe designs are based on the large archive of historical bagpipes that are kept in various museums in Scotland and England.

Also from Scotland, and also with smallpipes, we have young Fionnlagh Mac A’Phiocar who has been immersed in traditional music all his life. Fionnlagh will perform with Ross in the concert and will also give a talk/workshop on the relationship of traditional music with its surroundings, and about the role we actively play in this relationship. He will use examples from his native culture, that of Scottish Gàidhlig.

The Pipers’ Surgery remains in the capable hands of Terry Mann and is open to all, especially beginners and those at an intermediate level. Come with questions about technique, posture, repertoire, or practice and he will do his best to help! Terry studied Early Woodwind Musical Instrument Technology at the London College of Furniture in the 1980s, but pursued careers as a musician and as an award-winning contemporary classical composer.

Aisling Holmes has agreed to take care of the beginners again: all are welcome to have a go, and some student pipes in G will be available to try out. Aisling has been playing pipes since her teens, starting with Leicestershire smallpipes in D then adding border/Flemish pipes in a variety of keys. She is particularly interested in English music, playing in harmony, and writing her own tunes.

Of course, there will also be the opportunity to part with your hard-earned cash at the Makers’ Stalls and the Bagpipe Society’s 2nd-hand pipe, book & CD Stall (bring items to sell!).

Catering is provided by Faye of Just Add Guests, offering both meat based and meat-free options at very reasonable prices. You can find the link to the menu on our website. Faye and her staff also run The Bar as the hall is now a licensed premises. Please order your meals before 19th May!

Please go to the website - bagpipesociety.org.uk/blowout/2023- for booking your tickets, for more detailed information about all the performers and workshop leaders, and for all the practical information about camping, parking and so on. If you can’t find what you’re looking for, you can email me at BlowoutQuestions@gmail.com and I’ll get back with some kind of answer as soon as I can!