This is a great chance to play, sing, dance and learn from some of the fantastic musicians that are on Islay this weekend. Options include fiddle, whistle, accordion, guitar, Gaelic song and step-dance.

If you are interested please register by email to info@islaysessions.co.uk

Soup and sandwiches will be available for lunch.

The workshops cost £10 for adults and £3 for children.

2012 Islay Sessions Poster

Marc Duff

Just announced for The Islay Sessions 2012
THE DUO – BRACE OF WHISTLES

Hamish and Marc first met 8 years ago in Glasgow, when Hamish visited Marc’s flat for a  whistle lesson! Two self-confessed nerds of Scottish whistle playing, Hamish and Marc put on a show of mighty Scottish traditional tunes as well as original compositions hot off the press! Each whistler take turns to accompany one another on either piano or bouzouki, and there is always scope for the unique chance of hearing a rare thing indeed: a brace of Scottish whistles! hearing a rare thing indeed: a brace of Scottish whistles!

HAMISH NAPIER

Originally from Strathspey in the Scottish Highlands, Hamish Napier plays piano, flute, whistle and sings. He was a finalist in the ‘Young Scottish Traditional Musician of the Year Award’ and was nominated for ‘Best Up and Coming Artist’ at the Scots Trad Awards. For seven years he played with award-winning folk quartet Back of the Moon, touring extensively throughout Europe, Canada, and the USA. Hamish has recorded on over a dozen Scottish traditional albums, with leading Scottish musicians such as Donald Shaw, Martyn Bennett and Eddi Reader. He has collaborated with many of Scotland’s finest folk musicians, performing at major UK folk festivals, and appearing on national TV and radio. As a graduate in Applied Music from the University of Strathclyde, Hamish earned a scholarship to the Berklee College of Music to study jazz piano. He currently lectures in piano, composition, ensemble playing and music theory on the BA Scottish Music course at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. The Hamish Napier Quartet – Hamish’s folk/jazz cross-over group – have performed at Celtic Connections, and Hamish also plays flutes and sings in Scottish folk/funk fusion group Man’s Ruin.

MARC DUFF

Born in Ontario, Canada and raised in Argyll, Scotland, Marc was a founder member of the Scottish band Capercaillie with whom he recorded 7 albums which have sold over a million copies and included the first Gaelic, Top 40 single. His four year performance degree at the Guildhall School of Music in London added to Marc’s eclectic taste in music. Since leaving Capercaillie in 1995 to pursue his own career, he has worked with many prominent artists. Recently he has toured in Scotland with Dr Fred Freeman, presenting a series of workshops in connection with Linn Records ”The Complete Songs Of Robert Burns” series. In addition to live performances, Marc is currently researching and teaching. Marc was a nominee for BBC Alba’s Trad Music Awards, ‘Traditional Musician Of The Year’, in 2008.

Running over three days, from Friday 16th to Sunday 18th November, the event will feature traditional music sessions in hotels across Islay, a workshop on the Saturday morning and a grand concert ceilidh in Bruichladdich Hall on the Saturday night.

The musicians playing in the sessions include:

Rura -  This is a band [above] that manages to include no less than three Young Traditional Musician of the Year finalists as well as an All Ireland Bodhran Champion.  Their collective talent was recognised in the MG Alba Scots Trad Music Awards where they won Best Up and Coming Artist in 2011.  Since then, their debut album ‘Break it up’ has created a buzz throughout the traditional music scene with its tight instrumentals and stunning vocals.

Maeve MacKinnon – After the success of her first album and award of Best Up and Coming Artist in 2007, Maeve [below right] has gone from strength to strength.  Her repertoire spans Gaelic and English-language material; both traditional and contemporary.  She’s won acclaim for the eloquent emotional connection she forges with every song and for her music’s dynamic interplay of boldness and sensitivity.  Her eagerly-awaited follow-up, Once Upon an Olive Branch, marks her first public foray into songwriting.

Findlay Napier and Gillian Frame – These two [above left] are a very exciting addition to the line-up.  Findlay Napier is heavily influenced by the music of Elvis Costello and Loudon Wainwright III.  He delivers upbeat musical vignettes on a host of subjects that range from love sick librarians and dumb struck magicians to peeping toms and guilty johns all dispatched in his native accent.  Nominated as Songwriter of the year in the 2010 MG Alba Music Awards, he is a writer and performer of increasingly impressive stature.

Gillian Frame is a fiddle player and singer from the Isle of Arran with a passion for performing and teaching.  She was the inaugural winner of the Young Scottish Traditional Musician Award and a founding member of the band Back of the Moon with whom she toured for seven years, seeing them win various accolades including Best Up and Coming Act followed by Best Folk Band at the Scots Trad Music Awards.  As a performer Gillian has worked with acts such as The Unusual Suspects, Deaf Shepherd and Breabach.

The Maverick Angels  – The band [above] is returning again this year  having enjoyed last year’s Islay Sessions so much.  This year it will be performing at the grand concert ceilidh and promises a distinctive style of modern ceilidh music which is sure to get everyone up on the dance floor. They will be have well known faces from around Islay with them on the programme.

• Friday 16th November – PM Sessions in Bars/Hotels across Islay
• Saturday 17th November – AM Workshops (fiddle, whistle, accordion, guitar)
• Saturday 17th November – PM Grand Concert followed by Ceilidh at Bruichladdich Hall
• Sunday 18th November – Lunchtime Sessions in Bars/Hotels across Islay

A small donation (15% of the price) is made to the Islay Sessions on each item purchased.

Niteworks – Celtic Electronica from Skye

On Saturday 16th June, Skye band Niteworks take to the stage at the Ramsay Hall in Port Ellen as a fundrasier for the Islay Sessions.  They are certain to liven up the weekend with their fusion of pipes, whistles, gaelic vocals and electronic influences.

“With a great mix of trad and dance, this young Skye band are sure to be festival favourites!” says Innes Hutton of trad music legends the “Peatbog Faeries”.

Niteworks comprise of Innes Strachan (Vocals), Allan Macdonald (Pipes), Ruairidh Graham (Drums) and Christopher Nicolson (Bass guitar).

The evening will include both live performances and their own DJ sets combining folk and electronica.  Not to be missed!

Anarkali playing at the Port Charlotte Hotel

After a superb first festival in November 2011, Islay Sessions are gearing up for another exciting year showcasing Scotland’s finest new traditional music. This year’s annual weekend festival will be held from Friday 16th to Sunday 18th November 2012.

We are working on bringing the best of Scottish traditional music to Islay so watch this space as the programme develops and put the dates in your diary.

The Maverick Angels at the Saturday Concert

What an amazing start to the Islay Sessions.  Live music sessions, inspiring workshops, a sensational concert and a great ceilidh were the highlights of the weekend but it was the enthusiasm of the audiences and participants that have ensured that planning has already started for next year’s event.

The weekend started with live sessions at the Islay Hotel, Lochside Hotel and Port Charlotte Hotel.  These open sessions were a perfect introduction to the top flight musicians who were taking part.  The Maverick Angels provided the entertainment at the Lochside Hotel with fiddle legend Eilidh Shaw and guitarist Ross Martin at the Islay Hotel and Glasgow five-piece Anarkali taking up residency at the Port Charlotte Hotel.  The format of the event was designed to encourage participation and it was particularly rewarding to see Islay’s very talented local musicians taking part at each of the venues.

Students and Tutors at the Saturday morning workshops

The interactive theme of the Islay Sessions was continued on Saturday morning with workshops providing a great opportunity for Islay’s home-grown talent to learn and be inspired on fiddle, whistle, guitar and Gaelic song.  Participants from all ages seized the chance to improve their skills and the workshops culminated with the performance of a new tune written by singer Darren Maclean.

Concert Finale

The highlight of the weekend was the exceptional Saturday night concert and ceildh.  A full Bruichladdich Hall was the perfect venue for a showcase of diverse traditional music at its very best.  The concert was opened by Eilidh Shaw and Ross Martin with a beautiful and poignant set.  The Maverick Angels were performing better than ever with Islay’s own Fraser Shaw and Scots Trad Music Awards nominee, Innes Watson, giving a masterclass in traditional music.  Lori Watson’s fiddle and singing delighted the audience and her Borders style provided a fine contrast with the Irish influenced Anarkali.  And if this was not enough, Darren Maclean performed a rich and varied set of songs that charmed the audience.  The quality and strength of the line-up was the inspiration of the fabulous accordionist John Somerville, who was rarely off the stage all night.

The pace and energy of the concert transferred straight to the ceilidh that followed and there were very few people that could resist the temptations of the dance floor and they were rewarded with an exceptional twenty four minute Orcadian strip the willow which provided the perfect finale to a memorable inaugural Islay Sessions.

There has been a huge amount of work behind the scenes and the Islay Sessions would never have taken place without the support of the sponsors and the hospitality of the hotels.  It would also not have worked without the generous contributions of accommodation for the visiting musicians.  The weekend surpassed all of our expectations and we are already planning for next year’s event.

The Islay Sessions was supported by Kilchoman, Ardbeg, Bruichladdich, Laphroaig and Lagavulin Distilleries, Islay Ales, Liddell Thomson, The Islay Hotel, Lochside Hotel and Port Charlotte Hotel.

The first ever Islay Sessions traditional music festival was an overwhelming success and looks certain to become an annual event in Islay’s musical calendar.