An amazing weekend full of talented performers from all across the trad music scene!

Friday 20th October

Roo & Neil

Based in Glasgow, their compositions are inspired by landscape, people and by the ways in which music can evoke a sense of place and community. In May 2022, Roo and Neil toured Scotland to release their debut album, HOMELANDS - a suite of pieces exploring their people and places which feel like 'home'. The works took five years to write and record and last just under an hour in length. During the first Covid-19 lockdown, one piece from this collection was selected a winner of Feis Rois’ “In Tune with Nature” competition. It was remotely composed, recorded and filmed to celebrate the wildlife and landscape of the magical Taynish National Nature Reserve. The duo are quickly gaining recognition and in 2021 were selected by Celtic Connection's prestigious ‘Danny Kyle Award’ and offered a performance at next year's festival. In addition to their original music, they also frequently perform their arrangements of Scottish traditional music and song and function as a ceilidh band, performing at events across the UK. The duo work closely with Live Music Now, a charity which aims to connect musicians with people experiencing social exclusion or disadvantage. This incredibly rewarding experience has lead them to perform in care homes, ASN schools, nurseries and hospitals. Furthermore, Roo and Neil have eclectic experiences as jazz musicians which deeply influence their work.

Lucie Hendry

Lucie Hendry is a lever harpist from north-east Scotland, currently working between Denmark and the UK. Lucie fell in love with Scottish folk music at an early age, and this gave her work a strong foundation from which it continues to evolve. In recent years, Lucie has been exploring the boundaries of her instrument, weaving other musical influences and styles into her work, and exploring different constellations of instruments. During this time, she has built her reputation in the folk scene, touring throughout the UK as well as mainland Europe. Following the release of an EP, Dawn Chorus, and an album, Still the Night (2020), by her Scottish violin and harp duo, Aves o’ May, Lucie was selected as a finalist for the 2021 BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year. In 2022 Lucie took part in the environmentally-focused music exchange programme, Making Tracks (UK), collaborating with seven other musicians from around the world during a month- long residency and tour. She self-published her first sheet music book for harp, Hygge Tunes, in the same year, and also featured on the much anticipated Christmas album, Come Behold: Christmas Collaborations by Scottish band Celtic Worship.

Saturday 21st October

Ryan Young

2022 MG ALBA Musician of The Year nominee Ryan Young brings new and exciting ideas to traditional Scottish music, receiving international praise for his spell-binding interpretations on the fiddle. His debut album was recorded with four time GRAMMY winner Jesse Lewis (who has worked with the likes of Bela Fleck and Yo Yo Ma) and launched at Feakle Traditional Music Festival in County Clare, accompanied by renowned guitarist, Dennis Cahill (Martin Hayes; The Gloaming). Ryan holds both a first class honours and a Masters degree from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. He was twice a finalist in the BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Awards and twice a finalist in the prestigious BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of The Year. He was awarded ‘Up And Coming Artist Of The Year’ at the Scots Trad Awards in 2017, nominated for the Horizon Award at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards 2018 and awarded Folking.com's Musician Of The Year title, also in 2018. Further MG Alba Scots Trad Music Awards nominations include Album Of the Year, and Folk Band Of The Year. Ryan Young was also the only UK artist selected to perform at the prestigious World Music conference, WOMEX, in 2019.

Ellie Gowers

Ellie is a songwriter and guitarist from Warwickshire. What grew from a childhood love of literature and traditional folk song is a carefully crafted and emotionally mature catalogue of original material, with references to artists including Joni Mitchell and Nick Drake. Bringing to the stage a strong voice full of expression and maturity, her songs are written with sociological, ecological, and personal themes in mind. These songs at times are sensitive and tender, but are not without the fiery and darker discourse that have labelled Ellie as dynamic and one to watch.

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