Family Ceilidh and Accordion Concert Weekend with Leonard Brown

Experience the magic of the accordion, feel the energy and hear the passion: join award-winning former All Scotland Accordion Champion Leonard Brown, in Gullane Village Hall, for an incredible weekend of music and dance with a Family Ceilidh and an Accordion Concert over the weekend of Saturday 1st and Sunday 2nd November 2025! Leonard is kindly donating his talents in aid of Muirfield Riding Therapy.

You can choose to make a weekend of it, and join in both the Ceilidh on the Saturday and the Concert on Sunday, or sign up for one individual event.

Charity Ceilidh - Saturday 1st November, 7.30pm - 10pm

Prepare to be swept onto the dance floor by the sounds of traditional Scottish tunes and ceilidh classics! All Scotland Accordion Champion Leonard will be bringing the musical energy and passion, you bring your dancing shoes! A stocked Bar and Raffle will add to the entertainment. The Raffle will be drawn on Sunday 2nd November, after the Concert.

Tickets: £20 for Ceilidh, or £35 for a Weekend Ticket for the Ceilidh & Concert

Accordion Concert - Sunday 2nd November, 2pm - 5pm

Experience the versatility of the accordion as it explores a wide range of musical genres, showcasing its expressive power. Listen to the music of ABBA, Elton John, The Beatles, Glenn Miller and all Scottish favourites. Come and celebrate the beauty of live performance, by All Scotland Accordion Champion, Leonard Brown. A stocked Bar and Raffle will add to the entertainment, with the Raffle being drawn at the end of the Concert.

Tickets: £20 for Concert, or £35 for a Weekend Ticket for the Ceilidh & Concert

About Leonard Brown

Leonard Brown is one of the busiest accordion players in the country. He is in great demand as a solo performer, band leader, session musician and guest artiste at accordion and fiddle clubs throughout the country.

Leonard Brown first became involved in music at the age of four when he started piano lessons with teacher Norman Brown from Penshaw, County Durham. He showed a natural flair for music and continued his studies throughout his school years. He sat numerous exams through the associated board of the royal school of music (ABRSM) and achieved his Grade 8 at the tender age of 15. He was accepted to study a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Classical Music at Newcastle University in 2009. He graduated with a 2:1 in July 2012.

Leonard first picked up an accordion at the age of eleven. He was an Irish dancer for four years from the age of seven with the McElvogue School of Irish Dancing and after winning 120 medals and 17 trophies, he decided to retire and take up the accordion.

His dancing teacher’s sister, Sheena McCaffrey gave Leonard his first lessons on piano accordion with the main focus being bellow movement and how the left hand operated. Leonard then went on to teach himself and took a keen interest in Scottish music through his hero, the great Tom Alexander MBE from the famous Alexander Brothers.

Leonard competed in October 2012 at the Perth Accordion and Fiddle Festival and won to became only the second Englishman to be crowned All Scotland Accordion Champion. This is the creme de la creme of accordion competitions in Scotland and is a title that Leonard is very proud of. He was awarded the Jimmy Shand Shield by the adjudicator John Carmichael.

Leonard has consequently played extensively across the United Kingdom as a soloist and with his band. He was also a member of the Happy Cats Folk Band from 2011 until they disbanded in 2017.

Since 2011, Leonard has recorded 15 professional albums and 3 DVDs most of which are available to purchase through the shop page as a CD, DVD or the latest product on everyone's shopping list - A USB. An option to Download each track of an album is a brand new feature of the website and tracks are available for as little as £0.99p each.

About Muirfield Riding Therapy

Muirfield Riding Therapy (MRT) is dedicated to transforming lives by enhancing the physical, emotional, and social well-being of our participants. We make it a fun experience and our sessions offer an opportunity to make new memories. Watch our short video

We provide equine facilitated therapy, which is activities with horses to improve our participants’ physical and mental health. Established in 1989, we are a registered Scottish Charity (SC028674), we are a member group of RDA UK and, having started life in a muddy field with borrowed ponies, we are now one of the largest RDA groups in Scotland.

Our service is open to people of all ages - children, teenagers, young adults, adults - with a wide range of disabilities and conditions, physical, mental, emotional and behavioural.

MRT receives no central funding and relies entirely on fundraising to cover its annual running costs of £175,000+, thanks to donations from both individuals and businesses and our busy calendar of fundraising events and activities.

Our service is free-of-charge, to ensure it is accessible to all who need it, so by supporting events this this one, you are helping make a difference in the lives of people with disabilities and their families. Thank you.