I really hate to prolong this discussion, but just want to point out that in the mid '90s I persistently begged and pleaded, in person, by e-mail and?by snail mail, ?with the NPS chairman and committee members to organize a week-long piping course such as Susan is now doing, and was told it was quite out of the question, for numerous reasons.? For the two (?) years that the Northumberland (Northumbria?) Festival took place, it would have been an ideal?combination.??? As it was, there were all manner of wonderfully interesting events taking place in the evenings, but absolutely nothing during the day.??Dave Burleigh and Maureen Davison could not have been more helpful with suggestions for places to visit and things to do to make valuable use of the time, and for?most generous hospitality.???No one was interested in playing ?a couple of duets - probably fair enough - you don't just welcome with open arms every stray who lands on you doorstep,?but finally I was put in contact w! ith Lance Robson, who could not have been friendlier.? And Colin Ross was most helpful in fettling the drone reeds he had installed a few years previously and which by then needed some further TLC.
At that point in time there were no other pipers in Western Pennsylvania, and there were fairly cheap, direct flights from USA to England.??And now, ironically, over a decade later,? there is this course, which by all accounts is excellent, but air fares are much more expensive, there are no direct flights to UK from our local airport, and I have become so involved with musical activities in this area this autumn that I can't leave.? Good luck, Susan.?? It is great that you have this course, now in its 2nd year.?? Long may it continue.?? Hopefully I'll be better organized?another year and be able to join in.? And how would we all know about it if it were not mentioned on the Dartmouth NSP list?? Keep on smiling and keep on piping, (and, yes, there are now a couple of good pipers living close by, and I do play the pipes with lots of other instruments) Sheila??????????? -- To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
