I have such an exciting interview with my friend, Melinda Crawford Perttu, to share with you today! Melinda and I talk about her childhood memories of going to the fun and vibrant Scottish highland games, or Scottish festivals, with her family. At these festivals, she discovered her love of Scottish fiddling and started entering fiddling competitions. Fiddling since age 11, Melinda has won numerous awards for her solo playing and her original compositions. She also performs as a member of the Grammy-nominated bagpipe/percussion band, The Rogues, and is the Director of the Strathgheny School of Scottish Fiddling held ever year in July at Westminster College in New Wilmington, Pennsylvania. In addition to her fiddling, Melinda is also an associate professor of music at Westminster College, while also the orchestra director, and string education specialist, and violin/viola instructor. With a sound that harkens back to the Highlands and Islands, she has performed the music of traditional and modern Scottish fiddling in Scotland and throughout the United States. Blending traditional tunes and her own compositions, she weaves images of ancient lands into sets with vibrant dances that are as much fun to listen to as they are to play. I have included links to Melinda's Youtube channel for you to hear examples of her fiddling. I am also so excited to share with you a bonus episode of Melinda's music. In our conversation, Melinda talks about how she took a melody and adapted it to better fit the story and tone. You can hear the original melody and Melinda's re-interpretation in the bonus episode. Melinda's story as a trailblazing Scottish fiddler is so inspiring. You don't want to miss it!
You can find Melinda on her Youtube channel.
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I have more great interviews of analytical creatives that I will be releasing on a weekly basis. If you have a topic you would like me to talk about, you can email me at theanalyticalcreativepodcast@gmail.com
You can find Ellen at:
IG: the_analytical_creative
Music created by Tiana V Music:
IG: @tianavmusic