Here are two beautiful marches – Provost of Forgandenny (Bobby Crowe) and Jimmy’s Aye Diggin (Ian Powrie) from our recent gig at Resolis Community Hall. They feature on our last album He Think’s He’s Invisible
Here’s 3 unfinished tunes from our recent concert at Resolis Community Centre. The first one is called Caravan Boogie, second is called Bounce and the third – Future.
Breather is inspired by the Companion Stones along the West Highland Way — carved waymarkers that invite travellers to pause and reflect on their journey. The piece imagines two friends meeting at one of these stones and spontaneously sharing a ceilidh, echoing a story of two musician friends who encountered each other while walking through the Himalayas and stopped to play together.
Through the conversation between two fiddles, the work celebrates those unexpected moments of connection and joy that arise when travellers catch their breath and discover music as their shared language.
Here, that conversation is brought to life by two of Scotland’s finest fiddlers, Patsy Reid and Kristan Harvey, in a recording that captures all the warmth and spontaneity the music calls for.
Composed by Simon Thoumire Performed by Patsy Reid & Kristan Harvey Recorded at Berkley 2 Rehearsal Studios, Glasgow, May 2026
I’m delighted to share that this August, I’ll be presenting a special retrospective concert as part of the Edinburgh International Festival, marking twenty years of my work as a composer.
The Hub, Edinburgh — Monday 24 August 2026, 8.00pm
The programme will look back across two decades of composition, drawing together pieces that trace my ongoing exploration of Gaelic language, Scottish traditional music, and the stories and landscapes that have shaped my writing. It’s a rare chance to hear this body of work brought together in one concert.
This celebration of my work features virtuoso fiddler Patsy Reid and award-winning clarsach player Ciorstaidh Beaton, alongside a stellar line-up: Alice Allen, Seonaidh Aitken, Kristan Harvey, Mairi MacMillan, Graham Mackenzie, Dave Milligan, Eryn Rae, Jack Smedley, Adam Sutherland, and Laura Wilkie — with several pieces performed by the Strathspey and Surreal Orchestra.
We’ll also be celebrating Patsy’s new album, I Am Disposed to Mirth, which features a number of my fiddle compositions and reflects our long-standing musical collaboration.
As part of the evening, I’m especially excited to share the world premiere of a new clarsach concerto, Itealaich an Dòchais, performed by the wonderful Ciorstaidh Beaton.
Programme for the evening
Deil Amang The Fiddlers — performed by Strathspey and Surreal Orchestra
Earl of Louden’s Strathspey — fiddle/cello duet performed by Patsy Reid and Alice Allen
An Useag (The Skylark) — clarsach solo, Ciorstaidh Beaton
A’ cheud luan do’n raidh (The First Monday of the Season) — fiddle duet, Patsy Reid and Jack Smedley
Traditional Gaelic Psalm — sung by Mairi MacMillan
Itealaich an Dòchais — Clarsach Concerto, performed by Ciorstaidh Beaton and V3rsus String Quartet
Cluny Castle — performed by Strathspey and Surreal Orchestra
Bloobell Polka — performed by Strathspey and Surreal Orchestra
The world premiere of Dà Chòmhlan-Ciùil De Cheathrar — “Twa Quartets” — composed by Simon Thoumire, performed live at the North Atlantic Fiddle Convention (NAFCo) in the Cowdray Hall, Aberdeen.
The piece brings together eight musicians — the Thistle String Quartet and the Cuan Quartet (a folk quartet of piano and three fiddles) — in four connected sections: all eight together, then the string quartet alone, then the folk quartet alone, before everyone reunites for the finale.
At its heart is a Highland lament, ‘S trom leam an àirigh (“I find the shieling a difficult place”), collected by Elizabeth Jane Ross at Raasay in 1812. The melody becomes common ground between the two quartets, passed between classical and folk voices, transformed as it travels.
Written from a belief that we share far more as human beings than divides us — and that music shows what’s possible when we choose to listen, share, and learn from one another.
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
I’m delighted to announce that my new commission Dà Chòmhlan-Ciùil De Cheathrar (Twa Quartets) will receive its premiere at a special Lunchbreak Concert in Cowdray Hall, Aberdeen, on Thursday 9 April as a teaser for the North Atlantic Fiddle Convention.
This piece has been an exciting creative challenge – it’s the first composition written specifically for two live quartets performing together on stage: a classical string quartet alongside a folk quartet. The work explores what happens when these two distinct musical traditions meet in real time, creating a sound world shaped by contrast, dialogue and connection.
The concert is part of the build-up to NAFCo 2026, as the North Atlantic Fiddle Convention celebrates its 25th anniversary in its home city of Aberdeen this June. I’m honoured to have been commissioned to create something that reflects NAFCo’s core values of cultural exchange and creative collaboration.
The piece will be brought to life by talented young musicians from across Scotland – a fitting tribute to a festival that has always championed emerging talent alongside established artists.
Details:
Date: Thursday 9 April 2026, 12.45pm–1.30pm
Venue: Cowdray Hall, Aberdeen Art Gallery
Admission: Pay what you can
If you’re in Aberdeen, come along for a taste of what promises to be a very special anniversary festival.
Many of the pieces on this album were originally written as part of The Scots Fiddle Collection, which was comissioned by Creative Scotland and premiered at the Scots Fiddle Festival in 2007. That project’s primary vision was to showcase the exceptional virtuosity and artistry of Scotland’s traditional musicians to a global audience, highlighting their technical mastery and interpretative depth that often goes unrecognised beyond traditional music circles. Following in the footsteps of composers like Bartók, Mahler, Dvořák, Kodály, and Beethoven – who drew upon their respective folk traditions – these works expand traditional Scottish dance music beyond its conventional 32-bar structure. The compositions take ancient Scottish tunes as their foundation and develop them into comtemporary concert works, creating a bridge between Scotland’s musical heritage and modern classical composition techniques. Simon’s subsequent works share this ethos, and each composition masterfully maintatins the essential character of traditional Scottish melodies, while allowing the music to evolve in new directions. This album represents a significant contribution to the contemporary Scottish fiddle repertoire, successfully blending traditional Scottish music with classical concerto form, whilst maintaining the characteristic spotaneity and ornamentation essential to Scottish fiddle performance practice.
From Perthshire, Patsy is a much-respected and versatile musician and this is reflected in the variety of work that she carries out as a performer, educator and composer/arranger. Soaking up traditional music as a youngster, whilst simultaneously benefiting from the technical and rigorous aspects of following a classical violin pathway has resulted in Patsy being ideally placed to tackle this kind of repertoire. Her sheer breadth of experience and musicality lends itself perfectly to Simon’s music, and she is proud to shine a light on some of the lessser-played and therefore lesser-known music from Scotland’s rich fiddle tradition.
Patsy plays a James Briggs fiddle (1905) and a Hugh Cooper viola (1907)
credits
released December 5, 2025
Patsy Reid – Fiddle and viola Jack Smedley – Left-panned fiddle (track 2) Alice Allen – Cello (tracks 3 & 9) David Bowden – Double bass (track 3) Seonaid Aitken – Left-panned fiddle (track 3) Kristan Harvey – Right-panned fiddle (track 3)
Produced by Patsy Reid Recorded, mixed and mastered by Stuart Hamilton at Castlesound Design by Somhairle Macdonald
I’m delighted to share our new Christmas single, “Shandy and Mousetta’s Waltz”, performed by Simon Thoumire and Rory Matheson.
This waltz has a heartwarming story behind it. I wrote it for my friend Gillian Dunlop, inspired by her daughter Iona’s lovely gesture. When Iona goes out, she brings Gillian’s two teddy bears, Shandy and Mousetta, downstairs to keep her mum company. This simple, caring act captures what Christmas is truly about – looking after people and making sure no one feels alone.
I imagined Gillian and the teddy bears having their own little ceilidh whilst Iona is away – perhaps sharing a dance together in the sitting room!
About the Artists:
Simon Thoumire is a highly respected virtuoso English concertina player and past winner of the BBC Radio 2 Young Traditional Musician Award. An accomplished composer, he has created music for numerous projects and performed with many artists including Dave Milligan and Ian Carr. Simon is also the founder of Hands Up for Trad, which promotes Scottish music and culture through various projects, including the BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician Award and the Scots Trad Music Awards.
Assynt-born pianist Rory Matheson is quickly establishing himself as one of the most sought-after musicians in Scottish traditional music. Known for his dynamic yet sympathetic accompaniment, he is equally at home on stage and in the studio. A versatile arranger, composer and producer, Rory has collaborated with an impressive list of artists including Hannah Rarity, Gary Innes, Donald Shaw and Michelle McManus. He’s a founding member of folk band TRIP and regularly performs with FARA, The Madeleine Stewart Trio and the Ross Miller Band.
The single is available now, and we’d be delighted if you’d consider it for airplay this festive season.
Four pieces performed by the Strathspey and Surreal Orchestra at the Scots Fiddle Festival on 15th November 2025 in Edinburgh. The pieces feature traditional and composed material – arranged by Simon Thoumire – the idea being to take old tunes and arrange them in new ways. The band on this recording are:
Patsy Reid Benedict Morris Edie Elliott Adam Sutherland Rae Maciver Rachel Henderson Elisabet McConnell Naomi Priestnall Douglas Montgomery Anika Thomas Eryn Rae Laura Wilkie
