Echoes from Scotland: A Baroque Mystery at Riversdale

A rare 300-year-old Scottish Baroque music manuscript is the feature of an enchanting recital and presentation by Shane Lestideau.

Join us at Riversdale for an enchanting Baroque music recital and presentation exploring the Arthour-Wight Manuscript, a 300-year-old music book containing rare and original dance tunes and airs.

Carefully compiled in the 1730s by two young women of Scottish high society, the manuscript - etched with their own handwriting - was discovered more than 200 years later tucked safely inside a piano at Riversdale Homestead, Goulburn’s oldest settlement.

How did this extraordinary object make its way to Australia, and what does research reveal about the women’s musical pursuits and personal lives?

Shane Lestideau, Australian violinist and musicologist, will present the fascinating findings of her international research and bring the Arthour-Wight Manuscript to life with an enchanting live Baroque recital, offering the rare opportunity to hear the music these women performed more than two centuries ago.

Select from two recitals:

• 10:30AM - 12PM
• 2PM - 3:30PM

House and grounds will be open from 10:00AM - 4:00PM

Tickets include: live recital, presentation, refreshments and access to explore Riversdale.

Riversdale

Riversdale has a rich history and is set in beautiful grounds.

The property was originally built in the late 1830s as a coaching inn, and later became home to the district surveyor, Edward Twynam and his family. Edward was appointed Chief Surveyor of NSW during the 1890s and his family occupied Riversdale for almost 100 years prior to its purchase by the National Trust.

Standing within its original paddocks and outbuildings, Riversdale is a fine example of a Colonial Georgian home surrounded by splendid gardens and picnic grounds.

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