YES! Mark your calendar for Wednesday, September 20th for a real treat! This workshop will go deep into the playing styles of Castilian and Celtic music, with the likely incorporations of San Miguel Fraser’s contemporary compositions. See their website at: https://sanmiguelfraser.com/

They will play a combination of fiddles, cittern, percussion, and singing!  It is not limited to the instrumentation that Maria and Galen will be teaching with, but it is recommended for intermediate to advanced players.  Here’s a video of them playing in London earlier this year: https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cug62tugxBM/

•  6:30 – potluck and socializing
• 7 – 8:30 – workshop
• 8:30 – 9pm -optional review and jam session.

Flexible pricing at $30 – $40 per person for the evening.  Payment must be made out at the time of filling out the RSVP form. Can’t access this form, write to Mccallbooking@gmail.com.

Send payment via PayPay, and use this email: galenfrasermusic@gmail.com.  You’ll receive the exact location within 48 hours of your payment being received!  Let’s just say for now, it’s in the Green Lake area of Seattle 😉

Other questions – write to mccallbooking@gmail.com

We say goodbye to our dear friend in the Scottish Fiddle community, Donna Varnau. Her health rapidly declined shortly after she hosted the our April session at her home. Her passing on May 7 came as a dramatic shock. She kept herself in immaculate health, but it was no match for pancreatic cancer- which was discovered all too late.  She was 77 when she “passed to the other shore”, according to her obituary in the Edmonds Beacon. To learn more about this vibrant woman we lost far too early, click here.

Donna no doubt holds the record for hosting the most NWSF meetings, sessions and other events. Her warm and welcoming smile made you feel truly at home for any occasion she hosted. She was incredibly gracious, as well as spirited, witty, full of spunk, and at the same time, so insightful.

Those of us who have had the pleasure to know her throughout the years, will cherish this dear friend, and sorely miss her. Plans at this time include returning to Donna’s home for sessions from time to time, as her husband David enjoyed our tune playing while he worked on his sculpting in his studio.  We will also name our current scholarship fund in Donna’s memory.

You might also enjoy the tune, Donna Varnau’s Jig, written by Calum MacKinnon. It reflects Donna’s personality in so many ways!

Donna, may your golden fiddle play to your heart’s content, and may you never have to tune it, rosin your bow, or even put it away, so it’s always ready to play, like you were.

SORRY-A formal announcement coming later- BUT we have had to cancel this event!!

Sign up soon! Plan a viewing party, have lunch with tunes! Support NW Scottish Fiddlers with the purchase of your ticket!

YOU choose your own ticket price, anywhere from $5 -$50!  You choose when you want to view the concert- it’s available for up to 48 hours after the live broadcast!

Use this link to buy a ticket: https://boxoffice.mandolin.com/products/alasdair-fraser-natalie-haas-livestream-ticket-3-18?utm_source=ef&utm_medium=aff&utm_campaign=482&oid=482&affid=363

Once you get a ticket, be sure to set up your account.  You only need to provide your name and email- and this is what makes it so easy to see the show, and, you’ll be able to put comments in the chat, before the show, maybe even request a tune or two?? and… you can opt-out of future marketing, just setting up your account by going to Mandolin.

If you need help, once you’re on the website, there’s a great help page– just click on the section devoted to “Box Office” for answers to your questions.

What a wonderful workshop!  Thanks to so many people for making this happen!  It could not happen at all without our wonderful instructors, Alasdair Fraser and Natalie Haas (photo from the concert).

A BIG thanks to the planning committee who kept each other inspired and full of the “can-do” attitude:

Susan Barkan – Epidemiologist, and Covid expert planner

Jasmin Faulk-Dickerson – Organizer of the Martin Luther King focus, volunteer at the workshop with most varied jobs and responsibilities

Jasmin Faulk-Dickerson presents our MLK Focus!

Erin Esses-Lusk – Ceilidh theme creator, and planner.

Cummings Family- Taught the incredible songs!

Dante and Eros Faulk and Jesse Partridge – Contra dance musicians extraordinaire, and let’s not forget they were also the sound system managers at the workshop!,

Jesse Partridge- Truly fantastic contradance caller

Niki Love- Ceilidh co-organizer, emcee, and amazing helper for concert ticket sales

Derek Stallman- Tune review instructor

Ladies Loe- Most awesome warmup act for the second half of our concert!

Bill Boyd – Our treasurer

Anna Aldrich for taking pictures- We need her to take a selfie, sorry no current photo.

And so many more wonderful people, who just stepped up, and helped make this a truly incredible workshop!

It’s official! Less than 50 days before we’re up on stage with these two amazing, long-time friends of ours for the concert that concludes our weekend.  Tell your friends to come.  We’re excited to be in the new Stanwood High School PAC this year.

Tickets are available at the door, as well as through Eventbrite.  Need to save a little on tickets? Buy at the door, but no guarantee how long supply will last.

Contact Marcia Thumma if you have questions, at m.thumma@mac.com.

So you’re all signed up and joining us for our WOW 2023 workshop.  Hooray!

Here’s a few date reminders and other helpful information.

December 1st your final balance is due. If we don’t receive your payment by then, we reserve the right t place you on a wait list, and when we have room, we’ll get in touch with you.

Not sure what you owe?  No problem! Write to Bill Boyd at hfele@aol.com and he’ll let you know what your balance is.

How to pay that final amount, once you know it?  You have three choices!

Write a check- and send it to Bill Boyd, at 7728 21st Ave. NW, Seattle, 98117. Envelopes must be postmarked by Dec. 1. Please let us know you’re mailing a check.

Zelle the payment.  Here’s some tips on how to do that!

PayPal will work, too.  Here’s the steps:

• Sign on to your PayPal account.
• Go to the Send and Request tab.
• Click on Send
• Enter our email address: NWScottishfiddlers@aol.com (Please note- do not use this email for any other correspondence!)
• Enter the amount you wish to pay.
• Last step: Confirm everything and hit send!

We hope that no one needs this information, but if you do- here’s the cancellation deadlines.  November 15th is the last day to cancel without losing your deposit. We hope that you won’t want to do that, but you should know, anyway!  Also, if you are thinking about cancelling, December 1st is the last day for you to do that, and get a refund for the amount paid, minus your deposit.  After December 1, refunds for cancellations are given only if we have someone to replace you.

Don’t forget to tell your friends about the workshop!  There’s still time!!

If you have any questions at all, about the workshop, write to m.thumma@mac.com.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Sorry!  We’re cancelling today’s session due to air quality concerns!

Please check the calendar and events tab for future meetings!