A 200-year-old flute once owned by Robert Burns’s son is to be played in the United States for the first time, as part of an international campaign to save Ellisland Farm.

The instrument, restored after long falling silent, travels to New York City this week for Tartan Week 2026. Traditional flautist Claire Mann, the only musician entrusted with it, will perform alongside vocalist Robyn Stapleton and harpist Rebecca Hill, playing songs Burns composed at Ellisland.

The trio will appear at the Burns Statue in Central Park on Thursday 9th April before performing for the American Scottish Foundation and the St Andrew’s Society of the State of New York. The Ellisland team will also march in the Tartan Day Parade on Saturday 11th April.

The visit marks the international launch of the campaign to save Ellisland — the only home Burns ever built — from years of structural decay. The farm, built in 1788, is where Burns wrote Auld Lang Syne, a song sung every New Year’s Eve in Times Square, just miles from where the flute will be played this week. The charity caring for the site is seeking to raise up to £12 million to secure its future.

Joan McAlpine, Project Director of The Robert Burns Ellisland Trust, which safeguards the site, said: “Americans have made Auld Lang Syne into one of the most famous songs in the world – an international anthem to friendship. Now we are asking them to join hands with us, in the spirit of the song, to save the very special place where it was created. We hope hearing the Burns family flute played in the heart of New York City will inspire many to join our campaign.”

Flautist Claire Mann said: “Every time I play this flute, I’m aware of how much history it holds. To play this instrument in front of Robert Burns’s statue in Central Park will be a moment I’ll never forget.”

The visit is supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. To find out more or support the campaign, visit: https://www.ellislandfarm.co.uk/donate/