Ross-shire
Tuesday 8th September 2009
Carnegie Hall, Portmahomack Venue Postcode: IV20 1YB
7.30pm
Family Ties
Our rich musical traditions are often passed down through the generations from parent to child. We have gathered together some of the finest examples of this musical transmission to perform for you in the Family Ties concert. In this concert you will hear stunning music including fiddling, piping, Gaelic singing, and more from families from the Highlands & Islands of Scotland. We would also like to welcome father and son Gerry & Donal O'Connor from Ireland.
These intimate concerts will demonstrate that our not only are our music and song alive and well, but also that it is in safe hands in the years and decades to come.
Duncan & Iain MacGillivray
Ex-Battlefield band piper/whistle/guitar player Duncan MacGillivray is no stranger to festival crowds. He currently plays with The Ghillies and as a solo musician. He is a farmer in Easter Ross and has six children, all who play musical instruments. He will be joined on stage by his eldest son Iain who plays pipes, fiddle, whistle & bodhran who has studied Gaelic and music in Benbecula and Sabhal Mòr Ostaig in Skye. He currently is studying in Duluth, Minnesota.
Gerry & Dónal O'Connor
Gerry O'Connor is one of Ireland’s most outstanding fiddle players. His unique personal style and splendidly fluid bow-hand combined with technical virtuosity have earned him international renown. He is joined on fiddle and piano by his son Dónal O’Connor, who carries forward the family tradition of producing great fiddle players.
Seonaidh & Calum Alex Macmillan
Father and son, Seonaidh and Calum Alex Macmillan, are regarded as leading Gaelic singers from the Isle of Lewis. Seonaidh was the lead singer of the hugely successful group 'The Lochies' and Calum Alex is now singing with the ground-breaking highland outfit Dàimh. As a duo, they have performed at various cèilidhs throughout Lewis and more recently they received great acclaim for their performances at the Celtic Colours Festival 2008.
Dagger & Neil Gordon
Dagger Gordon is a mandolin player based in the Highlands, where he farms near Invergordon. He and his wife Julie have 3 sons who play Scottish music and have all appeared at Blas. He is performing with his youngest, 16 year old Neil, on fiddle and piano.
Adult Earlybird Ticket (up to 31st July 2009) £10.00 and £12.00 (from 01.08.09)
Senior Citizen £10.00
Children (U16) and School Pupils £5.00
Family Ticket (2 adults with 2 children) £28.00
book tickets Venue Website
Wednesday 9th September 2009
MacPhail Centre, Ullapool Venue Postcode: IV26 2UN
7.30pm
Blazin' Fiddles in Concert
We are delighted to welcome back the wonderful Blazin' Fiddles to the festival. All of the band members are from the Highlands & Islands and play an integral part of the Gaelic & Scottish music scene. The band have been delighting audiences at home and abroad for over 10 years with their fiery blend of tunes from the Highlands & Islands and further afield which never fails raise the roof.
Fiddlers Catriona Macdonald (Shetland), Bruce MacGregor (Inverness), Allan Henderson (Mallaig), Iain MacFarlane (Glenfinnan) are joined by Marc Clement (Inverness) on guitar and Andy Thorburn (Evanton) on piano to form one of the best live acts on the Celtic music scene.
The evening will commence with a performance by young people from Fèis Rois.
Adult Earlybird Ticket (up to 31st July 2009) £10.00 and £12.00 (from 01.08.09)
Senior Citizen £10.00
Children (U16) and School Pupils £5.00
Family Ticket (2 adults with 2 children) £28.00
book tickets Venue Website
Thursday 10th September 2009
Dingwall Academy Theatre, Dingwall
Venue Postcode: IV15 9LT
7.30pm
Guthan nan Gàidheal
Gaelic Voices
with Mary Ann Kennedy & Na Seòid, Roya MacLean and Co. and
Dingwall Gaelic Choir
The beautiful Gaelic language, song and airs lie at the heart of the Blas festival. Mary Ann Kennedy & Na Seòid first got together as a group at Blas 2007 where, as you would expect, they made quite an impact in the world of Gaelic music. We have teamed this super group up with some the most exciting young Highland musicians to bring you a show which will demonstrate the power and dexterity of the traditional music and song of the Highlands of Scotland.
Mary Ann Kennedy & Na Seóid (the heroes) have quickly established themselves as a captivating, vocal tour-de-force within the current Gaelic and Scottish music scene. Seven formidable young male voices of great depth, maturity and variety, wonderfully wrapped around a single female voice, augmented by sympathetic, multi-instrumental support.
The cast is indeed a powerful one, with the group comprising Mary Ann Kennedy, James Graham, Norrie MacIver, Tormod MacArthur, Gillebride MacMillan, Calum Ailig Macmillan, Angus MacPhail and Griogair Labhruidh, award winning artists to a man - and of course woman. So prepare yourselves for a veritable melting pot of stunning voices, harmonies, songs and arrangements as Mary Ann Kennedy & Na Seóid take Gaelic music to places where it’s rarely ventured before.
Roya MacLean is a champion accordionist from Muir-of-Ord, Ross-shire, whose musical style has been described as being full of energy, sensitivity and flair. She is a former pupil of Fèis Rois and “Sgoil Chiùil na Gàidhealtachd” in Plockton and is now studying Gaelic and Music at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig in Skye. Although still at college, Roya has just released her second album. She is joined by fiddler Coralea Mckay and drummer Heather Fraser.
The Dingwall Gaelic Choir was formed in 1954. Since then it has enjoyed many successes, both nationally and internationally. The choir participate annually in Scotlands most prestigious Gaelic Festival, the Royal National Mod, and have won many of the top choral awards, most importantly the Lovat and Tullibardine shield. They have also been to the Vancouver Provincial Mod in Canada twice, coming home with outstanding success.
Adult Earlybird Ticket (up to 31st July 2009) £10.00 and £12.00 (from 01.08.09)
Senior Citizen £10.00
Children (U16) and School Pupils £5.00
Family Ticket (2 adults with 2 children) £28.00
book tickets Venue Website
Friday 11th September 2009
Lochcarron Village Hall, Lochcarron Venue Postcode: IV54 8YP
7.30pm
Celtic Cousins - Ireland and Scotland
with Tread and The Cherry on the Cream
Anyone who saw the Chieftains concert at Blas 2008 (or on BBC Alba) won't easily forget the amazing young dancers and musicians from Ireland and North America who performed alongside the legendary band. We were so blown away by their talent and dexterity we enquired if they ever played together out-with the Chieftains? Luckily for us they do and they are aptly called 'Tread'! We have set Tread on a tour of the Highlands with some of the best up and coming acts to come out of Scotland as well as the multi talented Fèisean nan Gaidheal Cèilidh Trail groups. This is one show that will get your hands clapping and feet tapping!
Tread
Experience the magic and exhilaration of this new, exciting show brought to you by five young people who unite the rich musical and dance traditions of Ireland, Scotland, and Canada. Tread’s combination of instrument and dance thrills the audience with its vitality, passion and exuberance. Triona Marshall (harp) and Jon Pilatzke (fiddle) take temporary leave from the iconic musical masters "The Chieftains" with whom they have toured for some years. They are joined by fellow Chieftains touring alum Nathan Pilatzke (Canadian stepdance) and Cara Butler (Irish stepdance), whose incredible, intricate step-dancing will have the audience on its feet. Add to this the sonorous voice and guitar of Jef McLarnon, and you have a show that will live in the memory.
The Cherry on the Cream
In June 2006, Angus J. Nicolson of Kilmore and Coll G. M. MacDonald of Peinchorran joined forces and The Cherry on the Cream was born. A strong, yet mature blend of pipes and fiddle forever distilled in the gaelic tradition sums up the recipe, and these young Skye men will leave you feeling refreshed, excited and with a smile on your face! The music is straight off the croft and without a doubt from the West Coast.
The evening will be kicked off with a set from the Fèis Rois Cèilidh Trail.
Adult Earlybird Ticket (up to 31st July 2009) £10.00 and £12.00 (from 01.08.09)
Senior Citizen £10.00
Children (U16) and School Pupils £5.00
Family Ticket (2 adults with 2 children) £28.00
book tickets Venue Website
Friday 11th September 2009
Foulis Castle near Evanton Venue Postcode: IV16 9UX
7.30pm
The Great Highland Clans
Clan Munro - A Musical Celebration
Blas is delighted to bring you a series of concerts, in conjunction with Homecoming Scotland 2009, celebrating the music, song and history of some of the most iconic Highland Clans and their traditional lands. In these concerts you will hear some of Scotland’s most accomplished musicians & singers perform selected pieces of music and song which relate to the clan and their homelands. There will also be a narration giving the background and interesting facts about these amazing families and their peoples.
The origins of Clan Munro are lost in the distant past. By tradition, C11th mercenary soldiers from Ireland, they were granted Lands in Ross by a grateful King after assisting him in defeating the Viking invaders of this part of Scotland. From documentary evidence, they were well established by the middle of the C14th on the north shore of the Cromarty Firth in the area known as Ferindonald (Donald's land) after their legendary first chief. From this narrow base comprising the modern parishes of Kiltearn and Alness they gradually spread their sphere of influence northwards and eastwards into the fertile plain of Easter Ross.
Artists: Eilidh Mackenzie (Narrator, Researcher & Singer), Duncan MacGillivray (Pipes & Whistles), Gordon Gunn (Fiddle), Brian MacAlpine (Accordion & Piano) and the local Fèis Rois Kiltearn Fiddlers, under the direction of Alpha Munro, wife of the current Clan chief Hector, will open this intimate concert.
Adult Earlybird Ticket (up to 31st July 2009) £10.00 and £12.00 (from 01.08.09)
Senior Citizen £10.00
Children (U16) and School Pupils £5.00
Family Ticket (2 adults with 2 children) £28.00
