Come to Mount Allison and enjoy the wonderful variety of musicians who will be playing for classes, socials, concert and ball. Muriel Johnstone will be the music director for 2013.

Muriel Johnstone  

I have been lucky enough to have had an extraordinary life in traditional Scottish music and dance.  What started as a hobby as a child has developed into an incredible life-style of playing, teaching, performing, recording and composing.  On top of that, I have travelled extensively, visiting places I only once dreamed of seeing; and the icing on the cake has been meeting so many wonderful people, and some great characters!

Over the years, I have enjoyed some wonderful musical liaisons with many talented musicians. Many of them are here at Summer School and I am looking forward to making music with them this week.

It is hard to say which part of my work I enjoy most but composition ranks very highly.  Many of my dance tunes have been commissioned to provide music to honour people in our world of Scottish Country Dancing or for specific dances but I have some other ideas in the pipeline - if only I could get a long enough spell at home to get on with it!

I would find it impossible to pick out my most memorable moment (maybe the concert in Old Parliament House, Canberra), favourite place (still the west coast of Scotland), strongest influence (possibly my mother), greatest excitement (making the leap of faith into playing without music), biggest disappointment (Book 38 recording - first time round!!) or funniest experience (too many of these!), but I think there is a book to be written with a special chapter describing how, along the way, I have met and wrestled with many strange and wondrous piano-shaped objects that resolutely refuse to help you sound like the musician you are supposed to be! Another chapter will be devoted to beds I have tried to sleep in!

Keith B. Smith

Scottish fiddler Keith Smith is internationally well known for concerts, recording and teaching of Scottish fiddle music.  He features in many Scottish Country Dance recordings with Scottish pianist Muriel Johnstone (www.scotscores.com).  He also plays with singer songwriter John Barden (www.john-barden.de) and with Scottish band Hoogie (www.hoogie.co.uk). His home is in Ardnamurchan on the West coast of Scotland.

Jim Lindsay

Over the past 40 years Jim has consistently been one of the most respected and ‘in demand’ musicians on the Scottish music scene. Becoming Scottish Accordion Champion in the early 1970s established him as a top band musician working with most of the legendary names from the golden era of Scottish dance music and you will find him on the credits for countless dance recordings.

 Jim formed his own band in the 1980s which quickly became renowned for his innovative arrangements and concert performances. Their popular brand of listening music is regularly featured on the BBC and their critically acclaimed ‘Free Hand’ CD inspired a generation of young Scottish musicians.

.In recent years Jim has been playing and recording for dancing under his own name. His band is firmly established as one of the most popular for Scottish Country Dances in the UK and he has performed across Europe, North America (including the TAC Summer School in 2009), New Zealand and China. His Christmas Dance Party CD brought a smile to faces all around the world and recent recordings include the unique “Reel On” CD with Muriel Johnstone and “The Black Watch Ball” and “Reel of the Puffins” CDs with his own band.

 Jim is looking forward immensely to returning to the TAC Summer School for what will undoubtedly be a memorable and exciting week.

Judi Nicolson                                         Katy, TX

Judi was brought up in the North East of Scotland, and started learning fiddle at the age of 9. Although classically trained, her passion was the Scottish traditional style of fiddle playing. As well as winning several major fiddle competitions throughout Scotland. In 1982, at aged 15, she became the youngest competitor to win the Open Scottish Champion Golden fiddle Awards.

Judi recorded her first album ‘Going Places’ the following year, and as well as being a solo fiddler, she has performed and recorded with several popular Scottish Country Dance bands through the years including Bill Black, Graeme Mitchell, Graham Geddes, and Colin Dewar.

 Judi moved to the Shetland Isles in 1989 where she met and played with many musicians including Aly Bain, and the late Willie Hunter. She married Shetland accordionist Ian Nicolson in 1990 and they, along with two renowned Shetland musicians Violet Tulloch on piano, and Andrew Tulloch on guitar formed a group called Thulbion. They performed throughout Shetland, and recorded a CD, ‘Twilight Bound’. Judi taught traditional fiddle music in Shetland Schools and in 2002 published a book of her own compositions ‘The Waves of Sound’.

Judi, Ian and their two children moved the North East of Scotland in 2004, and after furthering her teaching career through the London College of Music, she was employed by Aberdeenshire Council to teach Violin/Fiddle in Schools in the NE of Scotland.

In Summer 2008 the family relocated to Katy, Texas where Judi has continued teaching, and playing for Scottish Country dancers in America, Canada, and Scotland. She played for the dancers at TAC summer school in Canada in 2010 and 2012.

Ian Robertson

Ian was born and brought up in Buckinghamshire and comes from a family steeped in Scottish music.  His great-grandmother was a fine pianist who is known to have accompanied James Scott Skinner in the late 1800s and his father led his own band for many years.

Classically trained, but with a lifelong passion for the fiddle, Ian has played with Scottish Dance Bands for many years, including 15 years leading his own band, Sound Company.  Ian has been a regular guest at major festivals throughout the UK and Europe.

After a break working overseas, Ian returned to the Scottish Dance scene in 2005 and now leads his band playing accordion.

Ian is also an accomplished composer and alongside his Scottish Dance commitments is currently writing and performing his own music with a new 7-piece concert band called Landing Party.

Angela Young      

Born and brought up in Aberdeen, Scotland – I started dancing at a very early age, learning Scottish Country Dancing, Ballet, Tap & Highland. This was quickly followed by piano lessons from the age of four.  I grew up surrounded by music & dancing – my mum is a Scottish Country Dance teacher, and my dad played the accordion.  I went to Aberdeen University where I studied Music and English Literature. My degree also included Scottish Literature and Media Criticism leading to an interview and the start of my career at the BBC. 

When I was 18, I attended one of the first musicians’ courses run by the RSCDS, and was then invited to play at Summer School in St Andrews by the course tutors Muriel Johnstone and Robert Mackay. Since then I have played yearly at St Andrews, and have been the Director of  the Musicians Course. I have also played for Day Schools and Weekends in the UK and across Europe, and have led Musicians’ Workshops.

 Alongside playing – I took my RSCDS teaching certificates – my Prelim in Aberdeen and then my Full Certificate near London, when I moved there for work. As a teenager I had taught Highland dancing at my local dancing school, and had been involved in teaching at children’s Scottish Country Dance classes in Aberdeen.

 While in London I have taught both adults’ and children’s classes for the Branch, including the Demonstration Team. As well as teaching day and weekend schools in the UK and Europe, I have taught at the RSCDS Summer and Winter School, in Toronto, at the San Francisco Weekend School in Asilomar and at the New Zealand Summer School.

Training teams for Festivals and Competitions across the UK, I have also choreographed displays for a variety of events and spaces including London’s Trafalgar Square and the Royal Albert Hall.

Favourite and memorable experiences –

as a choreographer putting together a winning display in 2010 with diverse, exciting music that just fitted every step and movement,

aged 10 reminding my Festival partner that we had to join in Wild Geese from 4^th place before the adjudicator noticed,

dancing in Anna Holden’s class at St Andrews and finding the depth and stretch in my strathspey travelling – I can still hear her voice reminding me…..

playing 2 pianos for a London dance with my husband, Graham and just wishing there were more dances on the programme!