Homecoming gigs for Feis Rois musicians as Ceilidh Trail reels its way towards Tain's Duthac Centre and Foulis Castle
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AFTER a hectic touring schedule which has seen talented young musicians fine tune their skills with performances across the country, a couple of very special gigs this weekend will feel like a homecoming for some of them.
Three groups of youngsters have been entertaining audiences far and wide over the last few weeks as part of the Ross-shire inspired Fèis Rois Cèilidh Trail.
After successful performances at the Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival and Cambridge Folk Festival, they are making their way to Edinburgh International Festival and Sidmouth Folk Festival this month – as well venues across the Highlands.
The Cèilidh Trail, which was established by Dingwall-based arts organisation Fèis Rois in 2000, is a professional development opportunity for outstanding young traditional musicians, providing them with the chance to participate in a summer tour, with support from a team of professional musicians and specialist tutors.
The musicians spend a week rehearsing and participating in workshops, including performance skills, sound engineering and dance calling, whilst also preparing for life on the road, before spending the summer playing music at venues throughout the country.
This year the groups have so far performed across the Highlands and the Borders, and will continue their Highlands tour as well as visits to Orkney, Edinburgh and England.
Audiences in the Highlands can catch the musicians at a variety of locations including Tain, Foulis, Rogart, Lyth and Inverness over the next week.
On Friday (August 4), the musicians will be doing a free performance at Meikle Ferry Station followed by a family friendly ceilidh dance at the Duthac Centre, Tain. Tickets can be purchased via Eventbrite.
The beautiful Foulis Castle will provide a stunning venue for the musicians on Saturday, August 5 for a special concert in the drawing room of the home of the Clan Munro – a unique opportunity for the musicians and audience alike. Tickets are also available from Eventbrite.
The Cèilidh Trail tour will culminate in a special concert at the One Touch Theatre, Eden Court, with all three groups coming together for one final time this summer, on August 12.
As part of a collaboration with Fèisean nan Gàidheal and other Scottish youth music organisations, one of the groups, will be heading to Edinburgh International Festival on Saturday, August 5 for some free, pop-up performances in the city’s Princes St Gardens before heading south to Sidmouth Folk Festival where they will join forces with award-winning folk group, Breabach, whose piper, Conal McDonagh, from Poolewe, is a former Cèilidh Trail participant.
Many past Cèilidh Trail participants have gone on to carve out successful music careers including Kim Carnie (Mànran), Brìghde Chaimbeul, Josie Duncan, Mairearad Green, Rachel Newton and Ali Levack (Project Smok). The very first Cèilidh Trail was coordinated by multi award-winning Gaelic singer Julie Fowlis, who provided the theme song for Disney Pixar’s Brave.
"The Cèilidh Trail is a fantastic professional development opportunity for young musicians, but it is also a hugely important cultural initiative, introducing Scottish traditional music, Gaelic language and Highland culture to tourists where they might not normally expect to hear it, in garden centres, cafes and at heritage sites." - Fiona Dalgetty
The 13 young musicians involved in the three groups this year come from Ross-shire, Inverness, Skye, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Scottish Borders, as well as two exchange students from Fèis Rois partner organisations. Chloë Mulhall, from Sheffield, was nominated to take part in the Cèilidh Trail by Cambridge Folk Festival, and Caleb Anderson, from Melbourne, was nominated to participate by the National Celtic Festival in Australia.
As part of its commitment to providing opportunities for everyone who is interested in folk and traditional music, this year, for the first time, thanks to funding from Fèisean nan Gàidheal, there is a Cèilidh Trail group for young adults with additional support needs.
Fiona Dalgetty, Fèis Rois chief executive, said: “It has been a busy few weeks for our young musicians who have been getting a taste of what being a touring musician is really like. They have worked really hard and are delighting the audiences wherever they go and we are really looking forward to the remaining concerts across the country.
"The Cèilidh Trail is a fantastic professional development opportunity for young musicians, but it is also a hugely important cultural initiative, introducing Scottish traditional music, Gaelic language and Highland culture to tourists where they might not normally expect to hear it, in garden centres, cafes and at heritage sites.”
A full programme of this year’s Cèilidh Trail performances can be found on the Fèis Rois website, www.feisrois.org.
