Apr 10th, 2026 - A flute with deep ties to Robert Burns made its New York debut in Central Park this April, part of an international push to raise £12 million for the restoration of Ellisland Farm in Scotland, the only home Burns built himself and where he composed Auld Lang Syne.
The instrument, silent for centuries before a recent restoration, was once owned by Burns' son James Glencairn Burns, who performed his father's songs. Traditional flautist Claire Mann, the only musician the Ellisland Trust has entrusted with the historic flute, performed near the Burns statue in the park alongside Scottish singer Robyn Stapleton and harpist Rebecca Hill.
The campaign is appealing directly to American audiences, noting that Burns wrote roughly a third of his life's work at Ellisland, and that the farmstead has suffered years of weathering and structural decay. The National Lottery Heritage Fund has provided a grant to help launch the fundraising effort.
The trio also joined the NYC Tartan Day Parade on April 11, which ran from West 44th to 55th Street.
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