From this year, Camperdown’s iconic Robert Burns Scottish Festival will be renamed to the Robert Burns Celtic Festival. It will be held from the 21st to the 23rd of June.
Enjoyment of Robert Burns’ artistry and appreciation of his independent philosophy saw enthusiastic embracement among his Celtic neighbours, especially the Irish, in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Given the substantial Scottish and Irish migration to southwest Victoria in the 19th century, the committee has chosen to adjust the description of its festival to reflect this. Hence, they now have a new name that captures Burns Beyond Scotland, ‘The 2024 Camperdown Robert Burns Celtic Festival’. This change to a Celtic festival expands their ability to include performers from Ireland, Wales, and England while retaining connections to regular Scottish performers.
The Robert Burns Celtic Festival is a winter literary and music festival, celebrating Scotland’s national poet and the Celtic culture in poetry, song, music, and dance, in and around the historic buildings of Camperdown.
Dr John Menzies OAM, chair of the festival, is delighted to announce that The Melbourne Welsh Male Choir will be coming to Camperdown to perform at the festival finale concert.
Dr Menzies said: “Since its inception, the choir has grown into one of Australia’s acclaimed male choirs, known for the quality and spirit of its four-part harmonies. The choir is steeped in choral traditions but is still proudly Australian and has many members from diverse nationalities. It honours its Welsh roots by singing at least 25% of its repertoire as Welsh songs, with at least half of these in the Welsh language, Europe’s oldest living language. The choir has travelled and performed internationally, including London’s Royal Albert Hall.”
The 2024 Robert Burns Celtic Festival will also host the President of the Robert Burns World Federation, Mr Neil McNair. He will be in Camperdown for the festival as part of his international tour, and it is hoped he will Address the Haggis at the gala dinner and speak at the festival lectures.
Among the performers booked to perform at the festival are The Melbourne Scottish Fiddle Club, Fiona Ross, exciting young band Apolline, The Twa Bards, Merran Moir, Pete Daffy and Band, and Tuniversal Music Group. Hugh and Janet Gordon, festival favourites, will be back on Saturday night.
A new component will be a choir competition, and with the formation of Camperdown’s own Celtic Choir, invited choirs will perform on the Saturday.
Returning is the ever-popular gala dinner and festival lectures, At the Statue with the Twa Bards, and the festival finale concert on the Sunday. A series of concert performances and music will be at the Theatre Royal, Killara, and local businesses. The Schools Arts project, Street Activation, market stalls, and ‘music in the Avenue’ will continue, and look out for flash mob moments and random performances over the weekend!
Organisers are excited to have the Australian Irish Dance Company feature at the Saturday afternoon concert in the Theatre Royal, helping them to diversify into their first Celtic year. Along with Highland and Irish dancers, will be the Warrnambool Pipes and Drums.
Peter Daffy will head a Celtic Ceilidh Band bringing together a troop of wonderful musicians to perform over the weekend.
A family ceilidh dance on Saturday night is promising to be great fun.
Festival coordinator Catherine O’Flynn has been busy ensuring the line-up of musicians will not disappoint.
DATES & DEETS
21 – 23 JUN
Camperdown VIC
Email info@camperdownburnsfestival.com.au
camperdownburnsfestival.com.au
CELTIC CONNECTIONS
• Early Scots immigrants shaped Camperdown’s cultural landscape, bringing with them a rich tapestry of art, music, and literature.
• Inspired by Scottish naval hero Admiral Adam Duncan, Camperdown was named during a kangaroo hunting excursion with Governor Charles Latrobe and prominent settlers.
• Camperdown boasts the oldest surviving statue of Robert Burns, Scotland’s beloved bard. Crafted in Scotland, the statue found its way to Australia in the 19th century.
• Robert Burns Celtic Festival in Camperdown celebrates Celtic culture with music, dance, and traditions.
Anglo&Celtic 