Artists
Ross Couper Band
SAT 5TH OCT @ ST MARGARET’S BRAEMAR 7:30PM
W/ FACESOUL
Ross Couper Band made their debut at Celtic Connections 2023 to a rapturous response. On the back of that performance they were invited to play at various festivals throughout the year. 2023 culminated with the band recording a debut album at the glorious Gorbals Sound studios in Glasgow. This was released on 3rd May 2024 at Shetland Folk Festival who organised a special launch event for the band.
In a relatively short space of time the band has become known for its distinctive energy and no holds barred approach. They delight using traditional instruments in an exciting way, whipping the audience up into a frenzy and leaving them wanting more every time.
Ross is from Shetland and is probably best known for playing his exciting brand of fiddle in the genre defining Peatbog Faeries. He’s been a member for 12 years and continues to tour with them both nationally and internationally.
The band line up is:
Ross Couper - Fiddle
Sam Mabbett - Melodeon
Michael Biggins (BBC Young Traditional Musician of the Year) - Piano
Paul Jennings - Drums and percussion
Fiona Kennedy, Calum MacColl and Nils Elders
SAT 5TH OCT @ HIGHLAND GAMES CENTRE 4PM
SUPPORT NORMAN WILLMORE
After four successful years of weekly online concerts that regularly attract thousands of viewers from all over the world, Fiona Kennedy’s Kitchen Concert is coming to Braemar.
The entertaining and slightly anarchic format of Fiona’s Monday night concerts will feature Nils Elders and and award-winning Calum MacColl, both superb musicians in their own right. This will be a special concert of great music, entertainment and humour.
Fiona says, "I'm absolutely thrilled to be able to take the kitchen concerts out to an audiencs that I can actually see. To be able to hear people sing along and to hear their appreciation will be very special. Having Nils and Calum with me is a dream - as well as being superb musicians, they both have very sharp senses of humour, so I'll be the one in the middle trying to keep a straight face."
Fiona Kennedy OBE is well known as a singer, performer, TV presenter, actor, event producer and broadcaster. Career highlights include performing for NATO Ambassadors at the G8 Summit, private performances for the Royal household and an OBE for services to music and charitable work.
Calum MacColl is the son of folk legends Peggy Seeger and Ewan MacColl and half-brother to Kirsty MacColl. Calum is a singer, musician and producer, having worked with international artists such as Ronan Keating, Eddi Reader, Rufus Wainwright and Christy Moore. His songs have featured on multiple albums including The Backstreet Boys ‘Black & White’ and winner of the BBC Radio Two Folk Awards ‘Song of the Year’.
Nils Elders is a multifaceted singer, songwriter, producer and musician. He’s written music for radio and TV on US networks such as NBC and CBS as well as arranging and recording theatre shows and producing independent artists.
Watch Fiona, Calum and Nils promo video here
Pippa Blundell
SAT 5TH OCTOBER - 1:30PM-2:30PM
BRAEMAR CASTLE
Pippa Blundell is a Glasgow grown songstress. Her lyrics are prominent and raw whilst her gentle accompanying guitar and layered vocal harmony wraps you in a blanket and hugs you. Her sound is influenced by her classical vocal roots, by the storytelling of folk artists and by contemporary urban tales and ambient sounds, culminating in a modern, hushed and intense experience that soothes yet soars.
‘Stunning’ Roddy hart (BBC Scotland)
‘Beautiful’ Vic Galloway (BBC Scotland)
Rachel Sermanni Band
FRI 4TH OCT @ ST MARGARETS’S BRAEMAR 7:30PM
W/ BRÌGHDE CHAIMBEUL AND AIDAN O ROURKE
“Think Joni Mitchell meets Lisa Hannigan, with a delectably eccentric Scottish twist” The Guardian
“Beautifully honest…sweetly poetic in its lyricism yet deadly accurate in arrangement”Clash
Hailing from the Scottish highlands, Rachel Sermanni is an enchanting singer-songwriter, whose performance and lyrics draw from a deep well of mysticism, dreams, nature and the simple-complex experience of being human. A contemporary folk musician influenced by a wealth of genres including jazz, rock, old-time and traditional.
Rightly described by critics as a “Folk noir gem” (MOJO), “Stately, poetic” (CLASH) and “Folk of the Highest Order” (Time Out), Rachel Sermanni has been making music for over a decade and has developed her artistic voice over her many releases, each time pushing boundaries and experimenting with different musical textures while maintaining the raw emotional connection, to herself and others, that defines her music. Rachel Sermanni has toured the globe, played alongside artists such as Mumford & Sons, Fink, Ron Sexsmith, John Grant, The Staves, Karine Polwart, The Maes and many more at venues and festivals all over. She also runs a songwriting workshop called Cultivating A Creative Life and her podcast, Rachel Sermanni’s Finger That Points To The Moon, similarly explores her relationship to creativity and inspiration, with the hope that it will help point in the direction of truth for herself and those listening.
Enjoy Rachel’s Dreamer Awake documentary
Julie Fowlis & Éamon Doorley
SAT 5TH OCT @ ST MARGARET’S BRAEMAR 7:30PM
W/ ROSS COUPER BAND
Julie Fowlis and Éamon Doorley are a celebrated musical duo known for their enchanting blend of traditional Gaelic music and contemporary influences.
Julie, originally from the Outer Hebrides of Scotland, is renowned for her powerful vocals and primarily sings in Scottish Gaelic. Her passion for Gaelic culture and music has made her a prominent figure in the folk music scene, earning her acclaim and numerous awards, including BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards and Tosgaire na Gàidhlig (National Ambassador for Gaelic). She was also the voice of Disney's BAFTA winning 'Brave' and has graced the stage of some of the most notable venues in the world including Carnegie Hall and Philharmonie De Paris.
Éamon Doorley, hailing from County Dublin, Ireland, is a highly talented multi-instrumentalist, who is widely recognised for impressive musicianship and skill on the bouzouki. Having performed with the Irish band Danú for almost thirty years and with a background steeped in traditional Irish music, he brings a rich musicality to the duo, enhancing their sound with intricate arrangements and harmonies.
Together, Julie and Éamon have performed at numerous festivals and venues, captivating audiences with their heartfelt performances. Their collaboration showcases a deep respect for their cultural roots while pushing the boundaries of traditional music, resulting in a unique and modern interpretation that resonates with a diverse audience. They continue to inspire and educate through their music, celebrating the beauty of the Gaelic language and heritage.
Brìghde Chaimbeul &
Aidan O Rourke
FRI 4TH OCT W/ RACHEL SERMANNI BAND
ST MARGARET’S BRAEMAR 7:30PM
Pipes and voice are at the heart of the Gaelic tradition – in Gaelic, the phrase ‘to play the pipes’ translates as ‘singing the pipes’. Brìghde Chaimbeul and Aidan O’Rourke both have a gift of playing instrumental music in a way that really sings. They ditch excess, don’t bother with anything gratuitously flash. Instead they tap into the most stripped-back, visceral and lyrical voices of their instruments.
Winner of the Horizon Award at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards 2019 – Brìghde Chaimbeul is one of Scotland’s fastest rising stars. A native Gaelic speaker, her style is rooted in her indigenous language and culture, but draws inspiration from a variety of piping traditions such as from Cape Breton, Eastern Europe and Ireland.
Her debut album The Reeling has had an extraordinary response since its launch at a sold-out Celtic Connections show at the start of 2019. She was joined on the recording by violinist Aidan O’Rourke from experimental folk trio Lau, who also produced the album (and whom performs alongside her at some of her live appearances), Radie Peat from the Dublin band Lankum on concertina, and the pioneering 82-year-old singer and piper Rona Lightfoot contributing canntaireachd (a phonetic singing tradition used to teach pipe tunes – the word means ‘chanting’ in Gaelic).
Working closely with Aidan O’Rourke, Brìghde has devised a completely new way of arranging for pipe music that emphasises the rich textural drones of the smallpipes; the constancy of sound that creates a trance-like quality in the tunes. She has collaborated with many established artists over the years, including Ross Ainslie, John McSherry, Paul Meehan, Aidan O’Rourke, Carlos Nunez, Martin Green, Allan MacDonald.
Norman Willmore
SAT 5TH OCTOBER W/ FIONA KENNEDY, CALUM MACCOLL & NILS ELDERS
HIGHLAND GAMES CENTRE 4PM
Norman Willmore was born on the kitchen floor of the last house on the last road deep in the west side of the Shetland Islands, and now lives in Glasgow. His music draws strongly on the Scandinavian and Norse heritage of his home along with elements of electronic music and Jazz. Norman’s solo sets are accompanied by a relic of his youth - the foot pedals of an organ, which he uses to back his explorative and subversive renditions of traditional material.
