📷 by Somhairle MacDonald Kōterana When the Rev. Norman McLeod set sail on the Barque Frances Ann from Ullapool heading to Cape Breton in 1817, he couldn’t have known that he would end his long life in New Zealand having led one of the nineteenth century’s largest privately organised emigrations. I came across his story … Continued

📷 by Euan Robertson My name is Joy Dunlop and I’m a Scottish Gaelic singer and broadcaster. I grew up in the small village of Connel, outside Oban. I was brought up immersed in the traditional music scene of Argyll but also, listening to pop music on Radio 1 and Atlantic 252! I think that … Continued

📷 by Elly Lucas “Dialogues” – Debut Solo Album release – December 2022 Having been a professional musician for 30 years, many people have asked me why it has taken me so long to make a solo album. Quite simply, playing solo has never been my thing…I like playing with other people and collaborating. I … Continued

📷 by Somhairle Macdonald January 2020 and rehearsals had begun for my second studio album ‘The Dawning’ in the living room of my Glasgow flat. The music was coming together nicely, the studio was booked and I had finally cracked the availability code of five extremely busy musicians. And then we know what happened… Fast … Continued

📷 by Camille Lemoine ‘Soaring’ –– Debut Album Release: 20th January 2023 When I see birds soaring effortlessly across the sky I am filled with awe and envy – to me, they embody absolute freedom. This is why I decided to title my debut album ‘Soaring’. I wanted to capture and explore the overwhelming sense … Continued

The mentoring program was as important to me as learning to read. I have dyslexia. Storybooks as a child were alien to me but it was Glen Campbell’s “By the Time I get to Phoenix, she’ll be rising”, that opened up story through songs. These songs created pictures in my head which allowed me to … Continued

📷 by Adam Bulley What can you tell me about Egyptian music? That’s a question I was pestering a lot of friends with around the end of September. We’d just had a production meeting to set out a working schedule for a new collaboration project between choreographers and dancers from Scotland and Egypt, and finding … Continued

📷 by Euan Anderson, Cove One Studios Back in early 2019, Miki, my now-US booking agent approached me via email and asked if I wanted to work with her to tour the US. This was extremely exciting – I was 21 and didn’t have any agent booking for me in either the UK or Europe, … Continued

09 Dàmhair 2022 Tha mi nam shuidhe aig port-adhair Barcelona a’ feitheamh airson itealan dhachaigh gu Inbhir Nis (tro Lunnainn). Tha mi air a bhith aig co-labhairt Lìonradh Folk Eòrpa ann an Catalòinia far a bheil fèill reic chiùil Fira Mediterrania sa bhaile Manresa faisg air am mainistir ainmeil Montserrat.   Thàinig barrachd na seasgad … Continued

📷 Nicky Murray 06/22 This year marks Scotland’s year of Stories, a cultural year to celebrate Scotland’s iconic stories and storytellers. I was lucky enough to be commissioned by Blas Festival to write new music relating to this theme, specifically focused on the lives and stories of the Highland Travelling People. This new piece of … Continued