{"id":5477,"date":"2014-06-24T16:47:47","date_gmt":"2014-06-24T20:47:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/carleton.ca\/music\/?page_id=5477"},"modified":"2025-06-03T10:48:42","modified_gmt":"2025-06-03T14:48:42","slug":"celtic-instrument-studies","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/music\/undergraduate\/celtic-instrument-studies\/","title":{"rendered":"Celtic Instrument Studies"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<section class=\"w-screen px-6 cu-section cu-section--white ml-offset-center md:px-8 lg:px-14\">\n    <div class=\"space-y-6 cu-max-w-child-max  md:space-y-10 cu-prose-first-last\">\n\n        \n        \n        \n            \n    <div class=\"cu-wideimage relative flex items-center justify-center mx-auto px-8 overflow-hidden md:px-16 rounded-xl not-prose  my-6 md:my-12 first:mt-0 bg-cu-black-50 pt-10 pb-12\" style=\"\">\n\n        \n        <div class=\"relative z-[2] max-w-4xl w-full flex flex-col items-center gap-2 cu-wideimage-image cu-zero-first-last\">\n            <header class=\"mx-auto mb-6 text-center text-cu-black-800 cu-pageheader cu-component-updated cu-pageheader--center md:mb-12\">\n\n                                    <h1 class=\"cu-prose-first-last font-semibold mb-2 text-3xl md:text-4xl lg:text-5xl lg:leading-[3.5rem] cu-pageheader--center text-center mx-auto after:left-px\">\n                        Celtic Instrument Studies\n                    <\/h1>\n                \n                            <\/header>\n        <\/div>\n\n            <\/div>\n\n    \n\n    <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n<p>Carleton University has long been among Canada\u2019s leading centres for scholarship on Canadian cultural heritage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The option to pursue Celtic instrument studies within the context of the BMus degree opens a new area of performance focus to both Canadian and International music students, and contributes to Carleton\u2019s recognition of the cultural and historical significance of Canada\u2019s fiddling, piping and Celtic song traditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Celtic music program focuses on instrumental performance. Your course load every term includes 20% performance studies on your instrument \u2013 a weekly one-on-one lesson with the performance instructor to expand your knowledge of your instrument and its music, increase your repertoire, and improve your performing ability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>But the Celtic music program is much more. <\/strong>As a music degree (not just a Celtic instrument degree) you will also do broader musical studies, with courses in general music theory, music history and musicology, ensemble performance (in choir or other instrumental and vocal ensembles), and a variety of other topics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For more information about Carleton\u2019s Celtic music studies program or to apply, contact <a href=\"mailto:John.Higney@carleton.ca\">John.Higney@carleton.ca<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"fiddle-studies\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Fiddle Studies<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>From the parlours of the Maritimes to the outports of Newfoundland, from the communities of the Northern Cree and M\u00e9tis peoples to the logging camps of Qu\u00e9bec and Ontario, fiddling has been a central thread in the fabric of Canadian musical culture for centuries. Carleton University continues its tradition of academic and musical innovation in announcing the first post-secondary Fiddle Studies program in Canada. Located at the crossroads of Qu\u00e9b\u00e9cois, Ottawa Valley, Irish, and Scottish fiddle traditions and with a reputation as a leading centre for studies in Canadian music, Carleton is ideally situated to offer such a program and will draw upon the experience of some the finest practitioners in the country including Denis Lanct\u00f4t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright\"><a href=\"http:\/\/carleton.ca\/music\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/91\/celtic-instr-1.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"240\" height=\"186\" src=\"http:\/\/carleton.ca\/music\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/91\/celtic-instr-1-240x186.png\" alt=\"Celtic Instrument Studies image1\" class=\"wp-image-5478\" srcset=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/music\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/91\/celtic-instr-1-240x186.png 240w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/music\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/91\/celtic-instr-1-160x124.png 160w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/music\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/91\/celtic-instr-1.png 400w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/music\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/91\/celtic-instr-1-360x279.png 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 240px) 100vw, 240px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Denis Lanct\u00f4t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Denis Lanct\u00f4t<\/strong>&nbsp;is a \u201cfiddler\u2019s fiddler\u201d. Born in Qu\u00e9bec and residing in Ottawa, Denis is a highly accomplished self-taught musician and instructor who is equally at home as a fiddler or accompanist. Denis developed his own unique fiddling&nbsp;style under the influence of three of the twentieth century\u2019s&nbsp;most legendary fiddlers: Sean McGuire (Ireland), James&nbsp;Scott Skinner (Scotland) and the legendary \u201cTi\u201d Jean Carignan&nbsp;(Qu\u00e9bec), with whom he played on several occasions.&nbsp;Winner of more than one hundred fiddling awards, he is&nbsp;known throughout North America for the lyrical \u201cvoice\u201d that&nbsp;he extracts from his violin, and for the extraordinary signature of his bowing technique.&nbsp;(<a href=\"http:\/\/www.denislanctot.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">www.denislanctot.com<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"celtic-voice\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Celtic Voice<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright\"><a href=\"http:\/\/carleton.ca\/music\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/91\/celtic-instr-2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"160\" height=\"243\" src=\"http:\/\/carleton.ca\/music\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/91\/celtic-instr-2-160x243.png\" alt=\"Celtic Instrument Studies image2\" class=\"wp-image-5479\" srcset=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/music\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/91\/celtic-instr-2-160x243.png 160w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/music\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/91\/celtic-instr-2.png 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 160px) 100vw, 160px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Ellen MacIsaac<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Ellen MacIsaac<\/strong>&nbsp; holds a PhD in Ethnomusicology from&nbsp;National University, Dublin, Ireland, where she learned the&nbsp;Irish traditional singing style and repertoire. In 2012 she&nbsp;won first place in the sean-n\u00f3s (old style) Irish singing&nbsp;competition at the Oireachtas Gaeilge Cheanada, and in&nbsp;2013 she represented Canada at an tOireachtas na Samhna&nbsp;festival in Ireland. Ellen MacIsaac teaches a course titled&nbsp;&#8220;Music of the Celtic Peoples&#8221; at the University of Ottawa,&nbsp;and she is the creator and director of the Ottawa Celtic Choir.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"celtic-harp\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Celtic Harp<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Susan Toman <\/strong>is a versatile and engaging musician who divides her time between the harpsichord and Celtic harp.\u00a0Prize winner at the 2007 Brugge International Harpsichord Competition, she has also received several grants from the Canada Council for the Arts. Susan holds a Doctorate from McGill University (harpsichord) and a Masters from the University of Michigan (piano, harpsichord, fortepiano). After completing her Doctorate, she pursued intensive studies on the Celtic harp with Grainne Hambly in County Mayo, Ireland. Susan is the founder and Artistic Director of <em>Seraphina<\/em> and <em>La Compagnie Baroque Mont-Royal (CBMR)<\/em>. <em>Seraphina<\/em> performs both Baroque and Celtic music of the 17<sup>th<\/sup> and 18<sup>th<\/sup> centuries, while <em>CBMR<\/em> produces Baroque operas in Montreal. At ease in both the orchestral and chamber music settings, Susan has performed at the Bloomington, London, Montreal, and Rochester early music festivals, as well as with ensembles <em>Notturna<\/em>, <em>La Cigale<\/em>, and with members of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra on their series <em>Serenata St.Jean<\/em>. She particularly enjoys giving house concerts, which allow for greater interaction between the performer and audience. Her discography includes J.P.Rameau\u2019s <em>Nouvelles suites de clavecin<\/em> (2008) and Seraphina\u2019s album <em>Road to the Isles<\/em> (2011). In addition to teaching at Carleton University, Susan is adjunct faculty at Greenville College, Illinois, for whom she teaches online courses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"great-highland-bagpipe\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Great Highland Bagpipe<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The music of the Great Highland Bagpipe is both a historical part of Canada\u2019s traditional music and a living musical genre. Carleton\u2019s piping curriculum encompasses both solo and band playing, and provides the developing piper with a broad range of piping knowledge and experience. Your piping studies will develop your playing skills and repertoire for your preferred performance form: as a solo competitor, in a ceremonial or competing pipe band, or in a folk ensemble. Studies cover both light music and ceol mor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/music\/undergraduate-studies\/celtic-instrument-studies\/ill-celticmusic-brianwilliamson\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-11714\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"160\" height=\"240\" src=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/music\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/91\/Ill-CelticMusic-BrianWilliamson-160x240.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11714\" srcset=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/music\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/91\/Ill-CelticMusic-BrianWilliamson-160x240.png 160w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/music\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/91\/Ill-CelticMusic-BrianWilliamson-240x361.png 240w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/music\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/91\/Ill-CelticMusic-BrianWilliamson-400x601.png 400w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/music\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/91\/Ill-CelticMusic-BrianWilliamson-360x541.png 360w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/music\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/91\/Ill-CelticMusic-BrianWilliamson.png 408w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 160px) 100vw, 160px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Brian Williamson<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Brian Williamson<\/strong> is the current GHB performance instructor. Brian has been a prize-winning solo competitor at highland games across Canada, the US, and in the UK, and has played with both military ceremonial and civilian competing pipe bands. He is an experienced teacher whose past pupils have become award-winning soloists and pipe band members. He actively judges solo piping and pipe band competitions (certified to judge by the Pipers\u2019 and Pipe Band Society of Ontario and the Eastern United States Pipe Band Association), and holds the Senior Certificate from the Institute of Piping.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Carleton University has long been among Canada\u2019s leading centres for scholarship on Canadian cultural heritage. The option to pursue Celtic instrument studies within the context of the BMus degree opens a new area of performance focus to both Canadian and International music students, and contributes to Carleton\u2019s recognition of the cultural and historical significance of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":3558,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_cu_dining_location_slug":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"cu_page_type":[54],"class_list":["post-5477","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","cu_page_type-general"],"acf":{"cu_post_thumbnail":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/music\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5477","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/music\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/music\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/music\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/music\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5477"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/music\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5477\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14100,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/music\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5477\/revisions\/14100"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/music\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3558"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/music\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5477"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"cu_page_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/music\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_page_type?post=5477"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}