Pete Clark

Photo: Pete at Celtic Connections, 2002

Pete Clark Pete was born in Dunfermline, Fife, where he was taught fiddle by the late Harry Grant of Saline, a great teacher who embraced both traditional and classical music with equal enthusiasm. Once a year, Mr Grant would put on a concert at which his pupils performed a variety of music, ranging from Haydn symphonies and duets by Pleyel to the works of Mackenzie Murdoch and Scott Skinner.

Pete's first professional engagements, while he was a student, were with well-known accordionist the late Bert Shorthouse. Throughout the '80's he travelled to festivals throughout Europe with Fife-based folk group "Heritage". Currently Pete lives in Perthshire where he is very much involved with teaching fiddle, both locally in Dunkeld and further afield.

Present commitments include teaching at the RSAMD in Glasgow as part of the degree course in traditional music and Sunday afternoon fiddle workshops as part of a community education initiative in Kennoway, Fife. He has previously presented workshops and masterclasses at the annual Fiddle event in Edinburgh, and for The European String Teachers Association (ESTA). Most weekends find him busy with one or other of the ceilidh bands with whom he works.

In concert he performs solo and with his own band, The Niel Gow Ensemble. He also frequently features in Dougie MacLean's band, performs in duo with singer Rod Paterson, has been guest soloist with the BT Scottish Ensemble and does work for the Council for Music in Hospitals.

His recordings include:

"Fiddlecase" - an eclectic mix of tunes old and new, "Even Now - The Music of Niel Gow" - played on Niel Gow's fiddle and recorded at Blair Castle - "The Birnam Oak" featuring tunes old and new, and "Sycamore", a suite of Pete's own compositions performed by a 10-piece string ensemble. His playing also features on "Perthshire Amber" with Dougie MacLean and the BT Ensemble, "The Complete Songs of Robert Burns" (Vols 6, 7 & 9) on the Linn Records label, and "Heroes", an album of songs written and performed by Fife tradition bearer John Watt, released on the Living Tradition label.