The University of Aberdeen's Elphinstone Institute is delighted to bring a fantastic weekend of music and tuition to Aberdeen this week with the Button Boxes & Moothies Autumn Fling, which will offer a variety of events for all ages.
The festival opens on Friday 25 September with an informal music session at The Red Lion, 130 Spital from 7pm to 9pm. On Saturday 26 September, special guest and virtuoso button box player Luke Daniels will be leading a day workshop before performing at the Saturday evening concert.
The evening concert in Dunbar Street Hall will feature guest artists including Irish button box player Tom Roche and will be followed by a music session open to all.
Other concert artists include outstanding young local musician Owen O’ Connor, and festival director Dr Frances Wilkins.
Dr Wilkins, a senior lecturer in Ethnomusicology at the Elphinstone Institute, will also be launching her eponymous EP album of concertina music at the evening concert. The recording features the guitar playing of Brian Ò hEadhra and showcases some more unusual tunes from Shetland and Scotland.
There will be a free come-and-try event at the MacRobert Building cafe from 12-3pm on Saturday 26 September, giving people the opportunity to come along and try out different instruments. Harmonica player Ron Taylor will be there to demonstrate the instrument and there will be harmonicas available for sale to get people started.
The festival is one of the many initiatives started by the late Professor Ian Russell, the Institute’s former director, in 2003 and Dr Wilkins is looking forward to building on his legacy through the festival.
She said: “It is great to be able to hold this event in Aberdeen, given the incredible cultural links we have in the North-East to these wonderful instruments.
“We are delighted to have the fantastic Luke Daniels providing rare tuition in B/C button box, as well as some outstanding local musicians taking part in the sessions, come-and-try event, and concert,
“There are some wonderful players in Scotland and it is exciting to be bringing them to a wider audience, as well as providing opportunities for people to learn more about the instruments.”
More information and tickets are available at https://www.ticketsource.com/button-boxes-and-moothies-2026 and www.buttonboxesandmoothies.com