Shetland Arts' August Newsletter 2014

Welcome Friends, Supporters, & Patrons of Mareel

Newsletter August 2014

Thank you for your support!

known and well used for its cinema and for the performance space of that beautiful auditorium. We do however still need to spread the word about “The launch of this our other activities. The little publication is very work at Mareel in musicappropriate at this point. related education is We have come through growing healthily, linked a period of change and to Shetland College and growth associated with the to the University of the opening of Mareel, and we Highlands and Islands are now fully ready to put (UHI). This has real behind us the difficulties significance for Shetland associated with the building as a musical centre of project and develop the use excellence, retaining of this magnificent asset for our own musicians and all the people of Shetland. attracting others here.

Mareel is already well Mareel has a developing

reputation as a recording venue, and our ability to televise and transmit from here is growing an audience across Shetland and indeed worldwide. This really got through to me when our first big online transmission – of Aly Bain and Bruce Molsky – provoked online response from South America!

We should never forget that a lot of Shetland Arts activity does not take place at Mareel. The Arts Development team undertake a wide range of projects that entertain, educate, promote creative activity and even provide healing. We are responsible for excellent work at Bonhoga Gallery in Weisdale and at the Garrison Theatre. Activities take place all over Shetland, and we collaborate in creative ways with other agencies. For me, an example of this of particular importance is the work done in Restorative justice, working on a unique project with others involved in the criminal justice system.

Looking ahead, we are working closely with funders to develop our delivery of vibrant and sustainable arts outcomes in Shetland. We are in the throes of detailed planning of work projecting three years ahead in order to satisfy the new support grants procedures adopted Creative Scotland.”

“Thank you for your support of Shetland Arts.

As a Friend, Supporter or Patron of Mareel, you are supporting the hard work of our staff as they facilitate everything from concerts and degree level music education to a good cup of coffee. As Chair of the Shetland Arts board, it is my privilege and pleasure to try to enable those who work for us and with us to deliver excellence as we seek to make Shetland a vital cultural hub. I also thank my fellow trustees for their support.”

Danus Skene

Meet Shetland Arts’ Trustees...

Spotlight on

Danus Skene A child outside a village in Fife, I have been so lucky to have had my life enriched by time and connections in the north, in Kenya and elsewhere. After deciding the civil service was not for me, I have been a teacher in different Scottish schools, and ended as Principal of an institution in Kenya. I have run small businesses, and am Chairman of a charity that supports schools in Kenya. When not too many are listening, I enjoy trying to make music. Retiring to Shetland, I became a trustee of Shetland Arts towards the end of the Mareel building programme. This fantastic facility MUST flourish to the benefit of the Shetland community and economy. Shetland Arts deserves all that any of us can do to encourage creative industries and education in the isles, and to foster cinema and all the arts to the benefit of us all.

Steve Cheverton I moved to Shetland 10 years ago and feel very lucky to live in the beautiful Weisdale valley. I’ve always been impressed by the breadth of involvement in the local arts scene. Of course, music seems to cling to the hem of every conversation, but having had some involvement with Bonhoga Gallery since arriving, I’ve seen a keen interest in various forms of visual arts and crafts too. Shetland Arts serves not just as an administrator, but as a vital point of contact and support for local artists and I volunteered as a trustee as a way to show my support for those involved in the cultural life of the Isles.

Les Lowes A retired broadcaster, BBC Radio Shetland listeners will know Les as the station’s producer in the 1980’s.

During the Gulf War he was news anchor for British Forces Radio and he has been a broadcast manager in Riyadh for the Saudi Arabian government. He now breeds West Highland White Terriers and helps the video production company Digital Imagineering, run by his sons Robert and Andrew. Drama, film, literature, dance, arts and crafts and the creative industries, are among his interests. Les would like to see Shetland Arts being more active in the digital economy, especially promoting music performance. He lives in Walls, his home for 30 years.

Shetland Arts’ full list of Trustees is: John Dally Veronica Rocks Robina Barton John Goodlad Alan Lindsay Olive McLeod Look out for more spotlights on the Trustees in the next newsletter.

Special

August Deal For Friends, Supporters, & Patrons of Mareel

Show your Membership Card to our staff in the Mareel Cafe Bar between Saturday 23rd and Saturday 30th August and get a free refill on filter coffee!

UPCOMING EVENTS @ MAREEL

‘...a wondrous perfectly paced display by musicians firmly in command of their art... a Highland jam that rang the rafters...’

THE WASHINGTON POST

WED NESDAY 27TH AUGUST Doors: 7pm Start: 7.30pm Shetland Arts presents

BATTLEFIELD BAND Battlefield Band’s seamless fusion of the ancient and contemporary has continually evolved over the decades, confirming their position as vital composers and interpreters at the forefront of a living tradition. Inspired by their rich heritage of Celtic music and fired by the strength and vibrancy of today’s Scottish cultural scene, which indeed they have done much to create and fuel, they have led and been at the forefront of a great revival in Scottish music. Refusing to be limited by fashions, they have mixed the old songs and music with a new selfpenned repertoire, all played on a fusion of ancient and modern instruments - bagpipes, fiddle, synthesizer, guitar, flutes, bodhran and accordion. The band’s latest release, Room Enough For All (awarded Album of the Year at the prestigious MG Alba Scots Trad Music Awards 2013), captures the fiery instrumental dynamics, intuitive interplay and understanding between world class musicians, while their plaintive ballads and tales of social history are as powerful and relevant as ever.

Tickets £18 / £15

SHORT FILMS BY ALEXANDRE PHILIPPE

INSIDE I’M DANCING

ESKIL & TRINIDAD

EXHIBITION WE ARE THE BEST! DANGEROUS ACTS SCREENWRITING NORT SEMINAR ATLANTIK DRIFT ERNEST & CELESTINE

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WRITING YOUR SHORT FILM CALLING THE SHOTS

REGORY’S THE EDGE OF THE WORLD IRL BOX OF DELIGHTS THE BOXTROLLS WE SHALL OVERCOME

FLASH GORDON ARCHIPELAGO

TROU TIDE THE KEEPER OF LOST CAUSES ANINA FESTIVAL

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THURSDAY 4 SEPTEMBER

Doors: 8pm, Start: 8.30pm Welsh musician, composer, & filmmaker Gruff Rhys begins his UK tour in Shetland.

Through nine albums with Super Furry Animals, two with Neon Neon and handful of solo LPs, Gruff Rhys has distinctively documented the lives of others. Each time, those stories have been set to pop music heavily seeped in timeless melody and wide-eyed wonder. American Interior may well be Gruff’s most fully realised character study yet. A warm and moving study of a true outsider life, it tells a story so far-fetched, it could only ever be true. The album, along with the complimentary film, follows the path set by John Evans, a North Walian who set off on a quest to find the Madogwys – a legendary tribe of light skinned, Welsh speaking native Americans.

Tickets £16 / £14 Plus, join Gruff before the concert for an exclusive screening of his new documentary film American Interior followed by a Q&A. £8 / £6 - Start: 6pm. Cert: 12A

MEGAN NISBET & LAUREN JOHNSON

FRIDAY 26 SEPTEMBER @ MAREEL AND SATURDAY 27 SEPTEMBER @ NORTH ROE & LOCHEND HALL Doors: 7pm, Start: 7.30pm Celebrating 21 years since her debut album, Sharon Shannon takes a trip through her back catalogue and is joined on stage by multi-instrumentalist and singer Alan Connor. The diminutive virtuoso draws the material from her nine studio albums, as well as introducing some brand new compositions and some covers, playing her trademark Castganari accordion but also taking turns on the whistle and fiddle.

Her high-octane brand of trad music is complemented by Alan Connor, who provides a new and highly effective accompaniment.

Mareel: ÂŁ18 North Roe & Lochend Hall: ÂŁ16

Shetland Arts presents

THE MEN THEY COULDN’T HANG Saturday 18 October

The Men They Couldn’t Hang combine folk, punk and roots music to create an essential live act alongside a wealth of recorded talent. 2014 has been The Men They Couldn’t Hang’s 30th anniversary year, three decades since “Green Fields of France”, their epic début single shot to number 1 in the NME Independent Music Chart. With the addition of long-time associate Tom Spencer on banjo and guitar and Nick Sputnik on drums and washboard, plus Bobby Valentino on fiddle, The Men intend to deliver a blistering live show @ Mareel.

Tickets on sale soon.

RAGGED WOOD PROMOTIONS IN ASSOCIATION WITH SHETLAND ARTS PRESENT

TUESDAY 28 OCTOBER Doors: 7pm, Start: 7.30pm

Rachel Sermanni is taking to the road this autumn in support of her album Live in Dawson City, due for release in early October. The 22-year-old folk-noir balladeer recorded the live album in Yukon at the prestigious Dawson City Music Festival. She has been singing her songs since leaving school at 17: channelling spirits of all ages and archetypes; weaving images of childhood, womenhood, of instinct and inhibition simply with the breath from her lungs, a hardy Martin guitar and a bandolim called Sue. Sermanni first visited Shetland as the support act for Mumford & Sons, before an acclaimed solo performance at Mareel in summer 2013. This time she will be accompanied by Jennifer Austin on piano and Colin Macleod on guitar. She has also supported several wonderful songwriters including Elvis Costello, John Grant and Ron Sexsmith.

Tickets ÂŁ15 / ÂŁ12.50

SHETLAND INTERNATIONAL GUITAR FESTIVAL 6 – 8 NOVEMBER 2014 TOMMY EMMANUEL CGP curated by MARTIN TAYLOR

Support: NORMAN ‘GIRSIE’ GOUDIE & FRIENDS THURSDAY 6 NOVEMBER Doors: 7pm, Start: 7.30pm

Two-time Grammy nominee Tommy Emmanuel is one of Australia’s most respected musicians. With a professional career spanning five decades, Tommy has garnered hundreds of thousands of fans worldwide. £26 / £22

MARTIN TAYLOR

Support: BRIAN NICHOLSON & FRIENDS FRIDAY 7 NOVEMBER Doors: 7pm, Start: 7.30pm Dr. Martin Taylor, MBE is a multi-award winning guitarist, composer, educator and musical innovator. Widely considered to be the world’s foremost exponent of solo jazz and finger-style guitar playing, Martin possesses an inimitable style that has earned him global acclaim from fellow musicians, fans and critics alike. £26 / £22

SHETLAND GUITAR HEROES

SATURDAY 8 NOVEMBER Doors: 7pm, Start: 7.30pm

A packed line-up of the finest home grown guitarists that Shetland has to offer. The first part of the night will showcase young and up-and-coming guitarists, from Primary School age and up. The second part of the night will showcase a mixed line-up of Shetland guitar-greats. The concert will then culminate with a special collaborative, genre-spanning set, featuring several of Shetland’s most accomplished players. £18 / £14

FESTIVAL PACKAGE DEAL

includes tickets to all 3 concerts + festival branded t-shirt. JUST £65 / £55!

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www.shetlandarts.org/wordplay

Thank you for your continued support. By being a Friend, Supporter, or Patron of Mareel, you help to support us in delivering great festivals, events, film screenings, exhibitions, and wider arts development. Every penny you donate helps Shetland Arts operate a diverse range of activities in Mareel and beyond, for the benefit of the Shetland community. As a social enterprise, we are determined to generate as much income as possible to pay our own way. When you become a Friend, Supporter, or Patron, this helps us to continue, extend, and forge great arts activity in Shetland.

Thank you!