Blazin' Fiddles | Xabier Diaz | Gnoss | Deirdre Graham

7:30pm GMT*

Take a group of the hottest contemporary fiddle players from the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, mix with some wonderfully sympathetic piano and guitar arrangements and you’ve got the award winning Blazin’ Fiddles on your hands. And they are Blazin’, in the past decade no other band has quite captured Scottish fiddle music’s variety, energy and sensitivity like Blazin’ Fiddles have. Like rare single malts, each member of Blazin’ Fiddles draws the distinct flavour of music from their part of the Highlands and Islands. Blending solo and ensemble sets, aged with the occasional insightful tale, they all come together in a fiery blend to excite your senses. From remote village halls to the BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall, fiddlers Jenna Reid, Bruce MacGregor, Rua Macmillan and Kristan Harvey are joined by Anna Massie on guitar/fiddle and Angus Lyon on piano to deliver a musically intoxicating performance.  

At once a deep-dyed traditionalist and an intrepid innovator within Galician folk music, percussionist, piper and singer Xabier Diaz – formerly a member of the mighty Berrogüetto – joined forces on his recent release Noró with Adufeiras de Salitre, an all-female ensemble combining radiantly unified vocals and polyrhythmic pandeiras accompaniment.

A dynamic four-piece of fiddle, flute, guitar and percussion, Gnoss tackle energetic tune sets and driving folk song with a ‘maturity of ability many of a greater age will envy’ (The Living Tradition). As current and former students at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Graham Rorie, Aidan Moodie, Connor Sinclair and Craig Baxter have been tipped as ‘ones to watch’ by Songlines magazine for their lively, engaging and honest performances. Since expanding to a four-piece, Gnoss have continued to delight at performances and festivals across the UK and Europe, earning a nomination for Up and Coming Artist of the Year at the MG Alba Scots Trad Music Awards 2017.

Deirdre Graham is a Glasgow-based Gaelic singer whose musical stylings reflect her home on the Isle of Skye. Taking a contemporary approach to traditional Gaelic singing, Deirdre’s songs construct a rich orchestral soundscape around raw vocal performances to evoke the powerful themes in their stories. Deirdre has recorded and performed as a featured artist with Niteworks and Tradbeats, and has recently released her long-anticipated debut album URRANTA, which weaves together a rich tapestry from her traditional heritage and her broad cultural influences to become a powerful celebration of Gaelic music.

*This performance will be available to watch for one week after the live date to accommodate different time zones.

This performance is included in the Celtic Connections 2021 festival pass, so you will not need to purchase this event if you have already purchased a pass.