Accordionist

Ian Robertson

Full starFull starFull starFull starFull star
(5.0)Read all 13 reviews
Watch
Booking protection
Secure online payments
Free 48hr cancellations
Support available Mon-Sun
Like Ian?
Watch & Listen
Watch
Listen

About Ian

Highly experienced multi-instrumentalist (accordion, fiddle, piano) specialising in Scottish ceilidh, weddings, balls, etc. Solo, duo, trio
Ian Robertson's profile picture
Accordionist
Aylesbury
Verified profile

Ian was born and brought up in Buckinghamshire and comes from a family steeped in Scottish music. His great-grandmother was a fine pianist who is known to have accompanied fiddler and composer James Scott Skinner in the late 1800s and his father led his own band for many years. Equally at home on accordion and fiddle, Ian is now a full-time musician in great demand for ceilidhs, weddings, and Burns Night functions alongside a busy schedule playing for more formal Scottish Country Dancing all over the world. In recent years he has been a regular performer at major dance events across the UK and Europe as well as tours to Canada and Australia. In 2011 he competed in the Glenfiddich Fiddle Championships at Blair Castle. Ian and the band work with a number of top-quality callers, all of whom are experts at getting people up and dancing... even those who didn't think they would. With warmth and gentle humour, the caller will encourage and guide everyone through simple dances appropriate to the event. Ian and the band come fully self-contained with their own PA (all fully PAT tested) and hold public liability insurance. With a back catalogue of professional recordings (and two more in the pipeline), Ian's most recent project is a dance CD recorded with Scotland's finest country dance pianist Muriel Johnstone. Ian is also an accomplished composer and in 2014 published “The Call of Home”, his first volume of compositions for fiddle and accordion.

Encore badges
Saved the day!
Booked for an Encore gig with less than 24 hours’ notice
7th Anniversary
This act has been working with Encore for over 7 years
5 gigs
Experienced: 5 bookings through Encore
Musicianship
Genres:
Folk, Ceillidh, Traditional Scottish folk, French music, Scottish music
See all genres
Instruments:
See all instruments
Event types:
Wedding, Wedding proposal, Funeral / Memorial service, Church service, Hotel / Restaurant event, Bar / Club / Venue event, Private event, Corporate event, Charity event, Concert, Recording session, Theatre / Show, Cruise, Burns night, Birthday party, Christmas party, New Year's Eve
See all event types
Other skills:
Composer, Fluent sight-reader, Instrumental teaching, Accompanist
See all skills

Ian's Song list

Typical set list will include all the most popular ceilidh dances, but for every dance on the list there are several others we could include!
Gay Gordons
Dashing White Sergeant
Eightsome Reel
Cumberland Reel
Strip the Willow
Flying Scotsman
Canadian Barndance
Highland Schottische
Scottish Waltz
Waltz Country Dance
Veleta
St Bernard's Waltz
Bridge of Athlone
Earl of Inverness
Weavers Galop
Scotch Mixer
Cumberland Square Eight
Canonbie Ceilidh
Riverside Reel
Circassian Circle
Britannia Two-step
Eva Three-step
Virginia Reel
Lucky Seven
Pride of Erin Waltz
Military Two-step
Customer questions

What if my timings change after I've booked you?

I always try my best to be flexible to help ensure your event runs as smoothly as possible. If timings change slightly in the run up to the event just let me know.
Ian
Full starFull starFull starFull starFull star
5 out of 5
13 verified reviews
Satisfaction
Full starFull starFull starFull starFull star
5.0
Professionalism
Full starFull starFull starFull starFull star
5.0
Communication
Full starFull starFull starFull starFull star
5.0
Punctuality
Full starFull starFull starFull starFull star
5.0

Ian's Reviews

From Encore customers:

RH
Ross H
1 month ago
Full starFull starFull starFull starFull star
5 out of 5

Ian was absolutely first class in terms of his musical ability. His expert command of the accordian and his Scottish Country dancing repertoire were second to none. Ian made our evening very special.

RP
Robbie P
2 months ago
Full starFull starFull starFull starFull star
5 out of 5

Fantastic. Communication before the wedding was brilliant. Ian arrived early and was happy to fit in around the usual wedding delays. He got the energy of the room and adapted to it well! A fantastic experience. Highly recommended.

CS
Caroline S
1 year ago
Full starFull starFull starFull starFull star
5 out of 5

Ian's accordion playing was enjoyed by everyone. Particularly the lady whose 100th birthday was being celebrated.

BL
Betty L
4 years ago
Full starFull starFull starFull starFull star
5 out of 5

Ian was absolutely brilliant playing at my grandmothers funeral ...everyone we spoke to after the funeral said how good he was & how my granny would have loved it .... couldn’t have wished for a nicer person to do the job ... a big thank you to Ian ...will definitely recommend you ....many thanks again from betty & all my family

From other customers:

CB
Clare B
5 years ago, for a Wedding in London Rd
Full starFull starFull starFull starFull star
5 out of 5

I wanted to say a huge thank you for calling and playing for us to get the party started in the evening! We know there was quite a delay with the start time as our meal ran over, so thank you for being so understanding and patient with us and all I can say was it was definitely worth the wait! We had such a great time on the dance floor and I know the guests did too as our friends and family have been raving about it since. We even spotted a few 'non-dancers' getting involved - it was such good fun they just couldn't resist! That's all testament to your wonderful playing and calling and ability to read the room and coordinate the ceilidh in that rather small dance floor so thank you for making the evening so much fun for us and all the guests!

MD
Mike D
5 years ago, for a Wedding anniversary in North Harrow
Full starFull starFull starFull starFull star
5 out of 5

I just want to thank you both for setting up our evening “do” for what was a fantastic evening. Everyone said how they enjoyed your set. So again thanks very much. Evelyn and Mike

Read all 9 reviews