Celtic Connections marks one week to go with programme announcement
The Celtic Connections online festival will begin one week today. Across 19 days, the festival will present over 30 online performances between 15th January and 2nd February!
Article Source: Celtic Connections
Last Updated: 8 January 2021 10:00
World class concerts will be available to view online with some of the biggest names on the Scottish music scene and beyond appearing on screens across the world as part of the winter festival.
Celtic Connections has created unique digital content from specially commissioned projects and performances filmed across many of Glasgow’s much-loved venues. International artists have also contributed to the eclectic line-up by recording performances remotely.
Traditionally, the festival welcomes over 100,000 attendees to Glasgow, a UNESCO City of Music, and on announcing the digital-first festival organisers hoped it would appeal to the wide international audience they usually see attending the festival. The 19-day event undoubtedly has caught the attention of music fans across the world with festival passes purchased in 35 countries already. With the festival’s global audiences in mind, they have allowed for all shows to be available for a week after they are first streamed to alleviate any restrictions for different time zones enjoying the range of content.
Donald Shaw, Creative Producer for Celtic Connections, said: “The announcement of the full festival programme today marks a huge moment for me and the wider team. The concept for a digital-first Celtic Connections was borne out of a desire to promote wellbeing and optimism amongst fellow musicians as much as it was about still being able to offer entertainment to our loyal Celtic Connections audiences during the dark nights of January.
“The resounding feeling that has come out of the recording days is a space for musicians to come back, to play again, to feel part of the community that they helped to create. The last time a lot of the contributing artists performed was at Celtic Connections 2020 and now they are back playing as part of the festival one year on after what has undoubtedly been the hardest year of their careers. We feel incredibly proud that as a festival, along with our funding partners, we have allowed for this safe space for them to play again, embrace their creativity and ultimately give them hope that there is a future for them within this industry.”
Opening in unparalleled style, the first online concert from the festival will include sets from some of the very best musicians on both the Scottish and international music scenes. With over 12 performances packed into the 90-minute show, the footage has been recorded across many of Glasgow’s venues as well as captured remotely across the world, bringing a true feeling of optimism and connections as it welcomes back so many musicians who have graced the festival stages across the years.
Each night’s online concert will show an ambitious line-up of various performers.
Saturday 16th January 2021 will offer two concerts, with the first in the shape of BEMIS presents ‘The New Scots in Concert’ with music from Jamaican musician Brina, whose sound is steeped in the rhythm of her native culture and inspired by World Roots Reggae music. The Ando Glasho Collective, a group that showcases the cultural heritage of the Roma people living here in Scotland, will also perform as part of this early evening show.
Later that evening Celtic Connections will welcome to its stage the heady line-up of acid croft pioneers Shooglenifty, fiddle playing royalty RANT and scots singer Fiona Hunter (of Malinky fame). One of Scotland’s finest young singer-songwriters Paul McKenna will also perform as well as Sudanese singer-songwriter Amira Kheir.
The afternoon of Sunday 17th January will have viewers settling into Josie Duncan’s New Voices commission while the evening will once again welcome a smorgasbord of talent in the shape of long-term collaborators and cross-genre pioneers Chris Stout and Catriona McKay and the Gambian artist and first female Kora virtuoso from a west African Griot family Sona Jobarteh. Jazz will also take centre stage on the Sunday night with award-winning jazz artists, including Jazz FM vocalist of the year nominee 2020 Georgia Cecile and jazz pianist Fergus McCreadie whose second album, Cairn, is out on 29th January.
A special show entitled Come Away In will air on Monday 18th January. Inspired by Karine Polwart’s song of the same name that celebrates Scottish hospitality and is partly inspired by The Wren’s Nest by Robert Burns, this song circle show will include performances from some of the best vocalist on the Scottish music scene - Karine Polwart, Eddi Reader, Rab Noakes, Siobhan Miller & Finlay Napier.
Scottish folk group Breabach will perform as part of the show being aired on Tuesday 19th January. Part of Aidan O’Rourke’s 365 show will also be aired where he will once again be joined by Kit Downes. Singer and harpist Rachel Newton (winner of the BBC Radio 2 Folk Musician of the Year in 2017) will also perform songs from her new album To the Awe. One of the true masters of the ngoni, an ancient traditional lute found throughout West Africa, Bassekou Kouyate will perform with his quartet of fellow instrumentalists Ngoni Ba, recorded remotely in his home village of Garana in Mali. Brummie folk musician Katherine Priddy will also perform as part of tonight’s entertainment.
Wednesday 20th January will showcase Blue Rose Code, the musical embodiment of Edinburgh-born musician Ross Wilson. Karen Matheson of Capercaillie fame will also perform a mixture of new material from her new solo album Still Time, out next month. Strings trio LYRE are a new group comprising of Patsy Reid, Alice Allen and Marit Fält and they, alongside Scottish acoustic troubadour Rory Butler, complete the line-up for this mid-week show.
Scottish trad will take to the stage on Thursday 21st January with multi-instrumentalist Ross Ainslie and his band alongside renowned folk-trad groups Talisk and Mànran. Scottish singer-songwriters Siobhan Miller and Beth Malcolm will also perform.
Friday 22nd January will be headlined by the exuberant fiddle playing of contemporary folk group Blazin’ Fiddles. Galicia’s Xabier Diaz records his set from his native Santiago de Compostela and the folk four-piece Gnoss and Gaelic singer Deirdre Graham perform sets from Glasgow’s stages.
The first concert of Saturday 23rd January will welcome Nordic folk outfit Dreamers’ Circus who have recorded from at home Denmark. Vocalist and exponent of the Gaelic tradition Kathleen MacInnes and folk five-piece Ímar will join the Nordic trio on tonight’s bill.
A special performance which has been captured for the festival in Rajasthan will also be part of this middle weekend show. The Womanly Voices of Jodhpur Riff was recorded at 4am with eight local female Rajasthan musicians playing as the moon went down and the sun came up. The line-up includes mother Sundar Rao and her daughter Ganga Rao on vocals, alongside Mohini Devi also on vocals and her daughter Susheela - the very first Rajasthani woman folk artist to play the khartal instrument on an international platform (with her first performance at Jodhpur RIFF - Rajasthan International Folk Festival in 2019 and now as part of Celtic Connections 2021.)
The later Saturday night show, starting at 9pm, will be Scottish indie group Admiral Fallow who will perform a one-hour concert for the festival.
Sunday 24th January will be a day packed full of entertainment with three online concerts. The first of the day will be the festival’s second New Voices commission, this time from 2017’s BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year Charlie Stewart.
The evening’s show will welcome the Americana duo The Secret Sisters. A high energy and driving performance will also come from Kinnaris Quintet. An Tobar is a creative hub on the beautiful Isle of Mull and for the first time they have commissioned a special set for this year’s festival that will be performed by Mairearad Green, Sorren MacLean & Hannah Fisher and Roddy Woomble of Idlewild fame.
The late-night show on Sunday 24th January will come from the legendary Argentine-Swedish singer-songwriter José González. After an unusually long break from live shows and recording of a new album for release later this year, José González will join in with an exclusive solo performance from a special venue in Gothenburg, Sweden.
James Grant & the Hallelujah String Quartet will perform a 50-minute set on Monday 25th January, supported by multi-instrumentalist, composer and singer Siobhan Wilson and nu-folk singer-songwriter Zoë Bestel.
On Tuesday 26th January the fiddle-led group Fara will take to the stage. They will be joined by an eclectic mix of Scottish talent in the form of singer-songwriter Rachel Walker, folk trio Assynt, fiddler Chloë Bryce and singer Amy Papiransky.
Wednesday 27th January will showcase two Celtic Connections shows, with the first being ‘Home on the Sea’ (sponsored by CalMac).
Celtic Connections favourites Cherish the Ladies will return for the online edition of the festival also on Wednesday 27th January. Their performance will be well and truly warmed up by sets from Nae Plans with Hamish Napier & Adam Sutherland and folk quartet Westward the Light.
Thursday 28th January will welcome a night of piping with The Conundrum 2021 - a line-up of pipers that includes Finlay MacDonald, Ross Ainslie, Malin Lewis, Ailis Sutherland, Conal McDonagh, Bradley Parker and a band of Steven Blake, Steve Byrnes and David Foley. Also joining this bill are Tryst, the 10-member band of pipers. The neo-trad trio Project Smok will open the night of entertainment with a number of tunes built around the distinctive piping of BBC Young Traditional Musician of the Year 2020 Ali Levack.
Friday 29th January will showcase a Celtic Connections flagship event, Transatlantic Sessions, which will welcome the regular all-star line-up from here in Scotland and across the pond. The festival will also air a concert that celebrates the music of Quebec with QuebecFest, featuring Le Vent du Nord, De Temps Antan & Isle Gross.
The final weekend offers another jam-packed entertainment offering with the first of the Saturday shows coming from Inverness where indie-folk band Elephant Sessions perform a 75-minute gig from The Ironworks venue.
Starting at 9pm on Saturday 30th January will be Roaming Roots Revue with this year’s theme aptly being Songs for Survival. The renowned festival favourite will welcome an all-star line-up of Simon Neil of Biffy Clyro fame, indie/art rockers Field Music, Ricky Ross and Lorraine McIntosh (Deacon Blue), folk trio The Staves, experimental triad LAU, singer-songwriters Heir of the Cursed and Rachel Sermanni, all beautifully accompanied by the inimitable house band of Roddy Hart & The Lonesome Fire.
The afternoon of Sunday 31st January will showcase the festival’s third and final New Voices Commission from Steven Blake of Rura fame.
A special show celebrating Edwin Morgan at 100 will be aired on the Sunday night which will showcase a selection of performances of songs that have been written to Edwin Morgan's poems by artists such as Roddy Woomble and Karine Polwart. The festival has also commissioned a new piece of work from Gavin Bryars who has written a choral work based on poems by Morgan called the Sonnets from Scotland (this show is in collaboration with Edinburgh international book festival).
The later show on Sunday 31st January comes from Rhiannon Giddens and Francesco Turrisi. They will be supported by Orkney singer-songwriter Kris Drever (Lau), Americana singer Dean Owens who will perform alongside Calexico’s Joey Burns, Cahalen Morrison will complete tonight’s bill.
On Monday 1st February, Uist’s Taigh Chearsabhagh Museum & Arts Centre have commissioned a special show that celebrates the talent that has come out of or been inspired by the island.
The ‘All Access’ ticket is priced at £40 and this will give access to all of the concerts taking place across the 19 days. It is also possible to purchase tickets for individual shows.
The Celtic Connections Rover Membership Programme is back for 2021 with a Celtic Rover Digital package that includes access to a host of exclusive Celtic Rover extras as well as the Celtic Connections Festival pass which gives the individual access to all of the festival content over the 19 days. The Celtic Rover Digital package is £45.
For full listing information and to purchase tickets visit www.celticconnections.com
All concerts are recorded whilst fully adhering to social distancing guidelines and all current government guidance are observed and followed.
Celtic Connections ask that even in watching and enjoying this digital-first festival, all audiences adhere to the government guidance relevant to them at their time of watching.
Celtic Connections is delivered by the charity Glasgow Life and is funded by Glasgow City Council, Creative Scotland and The Scottish Government Festivals EXPO Fund.
Sponsored Links
Latest Stirling News
Top tips for visiting the Scottish Homebuilding & Renovating Show
Now in its 30th year, the show is the go-to exhibition for any self-builders or renovators looking for practical tips, expert advice, or the chance to view 1000s of products.
READ MORE
Lights, camera, action, Delight as Stirling Studios announced
Stirling Council is thrilled to announce the creation of Stirling Studios, which will be among the biggest film studio campuses in Scotland.
READ MORE
Family Fun as BRICKLIVE Ocean arrives in Stirling
Families have been following a fascinating trail featuring life-size brick models of sea creatures around Stirling at the BRICKLIVE Ocean tour which runs until Sunday April 21st.
READ MORE
New Finds at Culloden Battlefield shed more light on intensity of battle
Latest investigations by National Trust for Scotland archaeologists at Culloden Battlefield have recovered a wide range of artefacts.
READ MORE
Kevin McKenzie Named Honorary Chieftain of the 2024 Stirling Highland Game
The Stirling Highland Games Committee is thrilled to announce that former Scotland International hooker Kevin McKenzie has been appointed as the Honorary Chieftain for the 2024 Games.
READ MORE
Teenager up for Song of the Year at The John Lennon Songwriter Contest
17 year old Brodie Brown from Stirling goes head-to-head for ‘Song of the Year’ at The John Lennon Songwriter Awards despite life-long physical and mental health battles.
READ MORE
Scottish Game Fair returns for its 35th year
The Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) Scottish Game Fair (SGF) is back for 2024, celebrating its 35-year anniversary at Scone Palace.
READ MORE
Dobbies Garden Centres unveils Afternoon Tea and Planting Experience
Dobbies, the UK's leading garden centre, is inviting plant enthusiasts and foodies alike to a brand new Afternoon Tea and Planting Experience at its stores nationwide.
READ MORE
POSTPONED: Springfest at Loch Lomond Shores
This year's Springfest, set to take place this weekend, has been postponed due to forecasted high winds.
READ MORE
Historic sites across Scotland get ready to reopen their doors
Historic Environment Scotland (HES) has announced that over twenty sites across the country are set to reopen their doors to visitors this weekend.
READ MORE
Diabetes Scotland will host a virtual event for young people 11 to 25 living with type 1 diabetes
Join Diabetes Scotland for a virtual event about an exciting new programme supporting children and young people 11 - 25 living with type 1 diabetes - Together Type 1.
READ MORE
Iconic Noughties stars make cheeky comeback to launch limited edition IRN BRU flavours
Noughties stars The Cheeky Girls, Gareth Gates and S Club 7's Bradley McIntosh have taken a sip back in time to mark the release of IRN-BRU's new 2000s-inspired flavours!
READ MORE
Enjoy an Eggcellent Easter Break with Macdonald Hotels
Macdonald Hotels, one of the UK’s most popular independent hotel groups, invites you to join them for an Easter break to remember.
READ MORE
Clydesdale Horses Gather to celebrate Kelpies Sculptures Effect a decade on
A mass gathering of heavy horses assembled at the home of Scotland’s iconic Kelpies structures today (Tuesday, March 26) in celebration of the forthcoming 10th anniversary.
READ MORE
Free activities this Easter at Dobbies
Dobbies is welcoming families along to 68 of its stores this Easter to enjoy an array of free activities, including its Little Seedlings Club workshop and Easter Holiday sessions.
READ MORE
Deadline looms for 30th Scottish Thistle Awards public nominations
The search is on to find the best of the best in Scottish tourism as the Scottish Thistles Awards returns.
READ MORE
Springfest is back this April... with all things foodie as well as a host of entertainment and things to do!
This year's FREE Springfest is playing host to two great Scottish chefs – Niall Murray and Rohan Wadke, who will inspire visitors with their FREE cooking demonstrations.
READ MORE
Fun family favourites leap into action on the big screen this Easter break at Vue
A host of brand-new family favourites are landing at Vue this Easter, meaning there are plenty of opportunities to spend quality family time at the big screen during the holidays.
READ MORE
Winners revealed at Go Forth Stirling 2024 Business Awards
A range of Stirling’s outstanding independent business owners were rewarded with trophies last night at the city’s annual Business Awards.
READ MORE
A taste of what is to come at Paisley Food and Drink Festival
Spring is in the air and with it comes the return of one of Scotland's largest outdoor food and drink festivals to Paisley!
READ MORE
National Theatre of Scotland announce full cast and creative team for Maggie & Me
Full cast and creatives announced for the tour of Maggie & Me, the first stage adaptation of Damian Barr's award-winning memoir touring UK in May and June!
READ MORE
Dobbies invites nominations for national community initiative
Dobbies today launches Dobbies Community Gardens, to offer support for community and charity groups across the UK to help transform, restore or start their indoor or outdoor green spaces.
READ MORE
Scottish stovies and strange sheep are announced as the winning entries for The Glencairn Glass crime short story competition
A sinister story involving 'stovies' and a grisly tale about the strange sheep of Greshornish have been chosen as the winning and runner-up stories in The Glencairn Glass crime short story competition
READ MORE
Easter fun for every bunny with the National Trust For Scotland
The National Trust for Scotland is going hopping mad for Easter and hosting a bumper 35 Easter egg trails at the special places in its care this spring.
READ MORE
Business Community Gears Up for Annual BID Awards
Stirling’s business community is getting ready to celebrate at the city’s annual awards for independent traders.
READ MORE
Work to excavate Pictish Stone near Doune to get underway
Excavation work on a Pictish stone of potential ‘international significance’, discovered buried in a cemetery near Doune, will begin within the next fortnight.
READ MORE
Inspiring runners demonstrate transformative power of running
Great Run 2024 series highlights inspirational stories from runners around the UK.
READ MORE
Dobbies invites families to hop along to its breakfast event
Dobbies, the UK's leading garden centre, is bringing back its much-loved Easter event, inviting families to hop along to their nearest store and enjoy an Easter Bunny Breakfast egg-stravaganza.
READ MORE
Celebrate International Womens Day at Vue with these iconic stories
Friday 8th March marks International Women's Day and to celebrate Vue is set to screen four inspiring films which follow the achievements of incredible female leads.
READ MORE
Scottish trad music is on the rise
New research released by VisitScotland reveals the growing popularity of Scottish traditional music, finding that over a third of Scots (34%) are listening to it more often in the past year.
READ MORESponsored Links
Sponsored Links