SATURDAY & SUNDAY, AUGUST 7-8, 2010
MARGARET BENNETT,
Celtic Song Weekend
Perthshire Workshop Song Book
O teannaibh dlùth ‘us togaibh fonn
(O sit closer and let us sing a song)
To celebrate Perth Scotland’s 800th anniversary, the Ecotay Education Centre is presenting a special sing workshop weekend led by Margaret Bennett – renowned Scottish writer, folklorist, storyteller, ethnologist, broadcaster and singer. Travelling here from Perthshire Scotland where her song weekends are a legendary part of the cultural landscape, Margaret will lead singers of all ages and levels through a variety of Scots, Gaelic and Irish choral pieces. A Saturday evening ceilidh will showcase all participants as well as other invited guests.
Born on the Isle of Skye, Margaret Bennett comes from a long line of Scots. Her mother a Highlander and her father a Lowlander, she was brought up in a household where singing, playing music, dancing, storytelling and ceilidhs were a way of life as were traditional crafts. Margaret claims that growing up “steeped in tradition” schooled her best, especially at her grandparents’ home in Uig. She relates to Sir Walter Scott’s reference to his childhood where he was “fed with the legendary lore of the Borders as with a mother’s milk…”. Margaret has tasted both Highland and Lowland in her childhood and youth and has never lost her appetite for either.
After graduating from Glasgow College of Education, Margaret followed her father to Newfoundland where she took her first teaching job. Soon afterwards, she completed a BA in education and a MA in folklore at Memorial University of Newfoundland. Then, after working as an ethnologist at the Canadian Museum of Civilization she returned to Scotland to work in the Scottish Education Department where she set up a unit for children with learning disabilities and developed a curriculum that included many aspects of folklore such as singing, dancing and music. She later lectured in Scottish ethnology for eleven years at University of Edinburgh, during which time she completed a PhD in this subject. She also became an honorary research fellow at the University of Glasgow.
As a singer, Margaret has produced several CD’s and has appeared at key folk festivals in Scotland, and many in North America including Mariposa, Atlantic Folk Festival and National Folk Festival of America. She has enjoyed residencies at Pinewoods; the Appalachian-Scottish Summer School at East Tennessee State University; Warren Wilson College, North Carolina; and the Augusta Heritage Centre, West Virginia.
Her prize-winning books include Oatmeal and the Catechism (1999), The Last Stronghold: Scottish Gaelic Traditions in Newfoundland, (1989), and Scottish Customs from the Cradle to the Grave, (2004). CD collaborations with her late son, Martyn, feature in theatre and film, (including ‘The Black Watch’).
She is the recipient of many prestigious awards including master music maker Award (1998); Exceptional Celtic Woman Award (2003) and Honorary Life Member of the Traditional Music and Song Association of Scotland (2007). Just two weeks ago, Margaret was awarded an honorary doctorate from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama thus joining the ranks of Lord Richard Attenborough, Annie Lennox and Billy Connolly among others
In the words of the late Hamish Henderson, internationally distinguished poet and folklorist, “Margaret embodies all that is best of the spirit of Scotland.”
Visit her at www.margaretbennett.co.uk
Agenda:
Saturday, August 7
11am-5pm Light lunch and refreshments included
5-7pm Potluck Dinner (optional) 7:30 pm Margaret’s Ceilidh (Free -open to participants, family & friends) Sunday, , August 8
1- 4 pm “Sing It Over” Workshop
The cost for the song weekend, including refreshments etc is $60 per person plus HST. For reservations, please contact Glover at 613-267-6391 by August 1 or email him at michaelglover@ecotay.com.
