Performed by: Laura Penman (clàrsach) and Anna Robertson (fiddle)
Film by: Martin Forry
I wrote this three-movement ceilidh inspired by a haiku written by award-winning musician Josie Duncan when she lost her sunglasses at Tinto Summer School. While the poem began as a playful lament for missing eyewear, its beautiful lines speak to so much more – the ways we see through each other’s perspectives, the moments we share together, and how essential our connections are to bringing light into our lives.
In true ceilidh spirit, this piece celebrates both the individual and the collective – the joy of taking your turn, the generosity of listening, and the magic that happens when voices unite in shared purpose.
Choimhead mi tro do shùilean, mionaidean air an co-roinn fon ghrèin, Gun solas às d’ aonais.
(I looked through your eyes, / moments shared beneath the sun, / no light without you.)
The piece unfolds in three sections that mirror the haiku’s structure:
I. Choimhead mi tro do shùilean (I looked through your eyes)
An opening that establishes the intimate connection between the two instruments, inviting us into a dialogue of shared vision.
II. Mionaidean air an co-roinn fon ghrèin (Moments shared beneath the sun)
The heart of the ceilidh, where fiddle and clàrsach each take their turn to shine before reuniting. Anna performs the traditional reels Cailleach liath Ratharsair (The old grey wife of Raasay) and Donull Rover from The Eliza Ross Collection followed by Laura playing Robert Mackintosh’s Miss Ann Monro. These individual “moments” celebrate the unique voice each musician brings, before they come together in Josie Duncan à Leòdhas, a newly composed air dedicated to the poet herself.
III. Gun solas às d’ aonais (No light without you)
A closing movement that honours the essential nature of connection and community, bringing the musical conversation to its heartfelt conclusion.
Composition by Simon Thoumire (PRS / MCPS) Performed by Laura Penman and Anna Robertson
