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When the Rev. Norman McLeod set sail from Ullapool heading to Cape Breton in 1817, he couldn't have known that he would end his long life in New Zealand having led one of the nineteenth century's largest privately organised emigrations. I came across his story while visiting the town of Waipu on New Zealand's north island and was struck not only by the scale of the endeavour but also by the commitment of this Gaelic speaking community of some 800 people. They had already spent 33 years in Cape Breton when they invested immense time and money building 6 ships to follow McLeod to New Zealand.
The full story of the journey and the eventual settlement of the community in Waipu is full of adventure and some tragedy. For me, seeing the objects and artefacts that came with them such as a pair of moccasins, or a Gaelic Hymn book, left a lasting impression and a thirst to learn more about the people, their lives, and their culture.
The 150th anniversary of the death of McLeod was reached in 2016 and I started work then on this piece of music inspired by the story and the sense of place evoked by each of the main communities and countries he and his congregation lived in. Working with the Auckland Scottish Fiddle Club, we performed this new piece, named Koterana, in Waipu in December 2016 and in 2018 it was also performed at the North Atlantic Fiddle Convention in Aberdeen, in partnership with the Scottish Culture and Traditions organisation. In 2023, and thanks to some very welcome financial support from Creative Scotland, I've been able to extend the original piece and record it with an amazing group of musicians based here in Scotland as well as in Canada and New Zealand. This is the score + parts for all the music on the album.