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Short courses for Uilleann Pipes and Smallpipes at the Littlefield Celtic Center
Register Now
The Celtic Arts Foundation is pleased to present the 15th Annual Autumn Workshop for Smallpipes and Uilleann Pipes for intermediate to advanced players. The legendary Fred Morrison will be teaching along with a wonderful guest smallpipes instructor, Timothy Cummings. We encourage students to register early, as space is limited! Regrettably, at this time we are only able to accept intermediate and advanced players.
We're very mindful of the benefits of having access to accomplished and experienced instructors and have designed the classes to allow participants to get the most out of this time with each other and the instructors. Small seminar sizes are a hallmark of the program, which further cultivates relationships between participants and the instructors.
This year the uilleann pipes class will be a two-day program, and the smallpipes program will be three days.
Wednesday, September 24th
- Uilleann Pipes workshop runs from 9am until 4pm with a 1 hour break for lunch.
Thursday, September 25th
- Uilleann Pipes workshop runs from 9am until 4pm with a 1 hour break for lunch.
- Local house concert with Timothy Cummings! Email events@celticarts.org for more information.
Friday, September 26th
- Smallpipes workshop runs from 9am until 4pm with a 1 hour break for lunch.
- Ceilidh and dinner at the Littlefield Celtic Center beginning at 6pm.
Saturday, September 27th
- Smallpipes workshop runs from 9am until 3:30pm with a 1 hour break for lunch.
- Fred Morrison concert at 7pm.
Sunday, September 28th
- Smallpipes workshop runs from 9am until 12pm
- 1 hour break for lunch from 12pm to 1pm
- Open session from 1pm-4pm with Timothy Cummings (open to the public)
Wednesday, September 24th and Thursday, September 25th: Uilleann Pipes Workshop w/ Fred Morrison (does not include Saturday night concert ticket) = $195
The Wednesday and Thursday Uilleann Pipes Workshop includes two days of instruction only. Uilleann Pipes registrants enjoy the option of purchasing discounted tickets to the Saturday evening concert.
Friday, September 26th - Sunday, September 28th: Smallpipes Workshop w/ Fred Morrison and guest instructor Timothy Cummings (includes the Saturday night Fred concert ticket) = $295
The weekend Smallpipes workshop tuition includes instruction Friday through Sunday, dinner at the LCC on Friday, and a ticket to attend the Fred Morrison concert on Saturday evening, September 27th. Smallpipes registrants also enjoy the option of purchasing additional tickets to the concert at a discounted rate.
When registering, you have the option to attend the Wednesday-Thursday Uilleann Workshop or the Friday-Sunday Smallpipes Workshop. If you would like to attend both, please select both of these tickets.
Fred Morrison
A great musician AND storyteller! A living legend in the Celtic music world, Morrison’s music is firmly rooted in the tradition of the Hebridean islands of Scotland while also boldly exploring the technical and creative boundaries of Celtic music. He has developed a distinct and renowned signature sound in the piping community, and has won nearly all of the international prizes in the piping world. His exceptional talents and expressive style are immediately evident in his adventurous music. His performances feature mostly his own original compositions, and whether a haunting slow air or an incredibly difficult reel or jig played with breakneck speed and skilled precision, Fred’s mastery of his instruments is completely apparent!
Timothy Cummings
Timothy Cummings is a Vermont-based composer and multi-instrumentalist (chiefly a piper) who enjoys an uncommonly diverse repertoire. His music spans from contemporary and sacred music to the traditional melodies of the British Isles, Appalachia, Cape Breton, Brittany, and beyond. Tim earned his undergraduate degree in Music Education at the College of Wooster, (Ohio), both a B.A. Honours degree in Ethnomusicology and an M.A. in Musicology at the New Zealand School of Music—Te Kōkī (Wellington), and spent a semester at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and National Piping Centre (Glasgow). While living in New Zealand, Tim was a member of the Manawatu Scottish Pipe Band (Grade 1), winning the Royal NZ Pipe Band Championships in 2001. In 2002-03 he was the Artist in Residence at The College of Piping and Celtic Performing Arts of Canada (Summerside, PEI). Tim is currently on applied faculty at Middlebury College and the Middlebury Community Music Center. He performs most frequently with Triton, a trio with accordionist/pianist Jeremiah McLane and violinist/nyckelharper Alex Kehler.
Where to eat? Students have the option of pre-purchasing a boxed lunch including a generously sized deli sandwich, chips, cookie, and water bottle, or are welcome to visit one of the numerous restaurants within walking distance from the Littlefield Celtic Center during the lunch break. Our meals regularly feature meat, dairy, eggs, wheat, and other known allergens. If you have dietary restrictions or concerns, please contact us at least 10 days before the event so we may make special accommodations.
Where to stay? Workshop participants enjoy a discounted rate at the Hampton Inn & Suites in Burlington (about a ten minute drive from the Littlefield Celtic Center). Just mention the Celtic Arts Foundation when booking or click here.
Hampton Inn & Suites Burlington
1860 South Burlington Boulevard
Burlington, WA 98233
The Fred Morrison Scholarship
We are pleased to be able to offer the Joe Roberts Scholarship. The scholarship criteria have been finalized as follows:
The Fred Morrison Scholarship is a merit-based scholarship, recognizing players with outstanding performing ability and/or potential. We will evaluate your application based on your musicianship, participation in sessions and as a performer (either solo or as part of a group), mentoring and any teaching you do, participation in other CAF events, your history with piping, and, finally, how attending this workshop would affect your involvement in and further your piping ability for performances.
Click here to complete the Fred Morrison Scholarship Form
Students are encouraged to register now in order to hold their place in the workshop; any applicable reimbursement will be settled upon notice of the awarded scholarship.
Fred Morrison was born and raised near Glasgow, but it’s the celebrated Gaelic piping tradition of his father’s native South Uist, in the outer Hebrides, that forms the bedrock of his intensely expressive, uniquely adventurous style. His outstanding technical prowess saw him winning many top competition prizes while still at school, meanwhile being inspired by pioneering acts like the Bothy Band and the Tannahill Weavers. Although his first-love instrument remains the great Highland bagpipes, over the years his mastery has expanded to encompass whistles, Scottish small pipes, or reel pipes – Morrison being a pivotal popularizer of this once-rare variety – and Irish uilleann pipes. He was also one of the first Scottish artists to forge dynamic links with his Celtic cousins in Brittany and north-west Spain, adding further to his repertoire of influences and tunes, and has long been renowned as an outstanding tune composer.
