Fiona Mackenzie is one of the foremost Gaelic singers in the Highlands of Scotland today. From the Highland town of Dingwall in Ross-shire and, a Mod Gold Medallist in 2005, she is also a winner of many other competitions over recent years including the prestigious Oran Mor trophy. She attributes her singing to her father and grandfather, both of whom were keen musicians. Her father Duncan Macpherson was a Moray folk singer and her grandfather, also Duncan was well known in Glasgow as the "Singing Minister".
A fluent Gaelic speaker Fiona was appointed to the post of Mairi Mhor Gaelic Song Fellow in 2002. The fellowship commemorates Mary Macpherson, or as she was better known, Màiri Mhòr nan Òrain (Big Mary of the Songs), who came from the Isle of Skye and is renowned for her prolific song writing and singing in the 1800s. Funded by The Highland Council, the Scottish Arts Council, Skye and Lochalsh Enterprise, Comunn na Gàidhlig and Feisean nan Gàidheal, this Fellowship aims to develop and promote the interest and participation in Gaelic singing across the Highlands and also, where possible, stimulate and encourage the writing of new Gaelic songs.
Fiona works in education in Dingwall and is particularly influential in her promotion of Gaelic singing in schools in the Highlands. Fiona's singing career has developed over the last few years and she is now in demand all over the Highlands; from Oban in the south to Wick in the north and from Ullapool in the west to Aberdeen in the east. Her Gaelic repertoire includes; classical and traditional songs, pibroch and puirt-a-beul, all of which are unaccompanied. She will be representing Scotland in the International Song Contest at the 2006 Pan Celtic Festival in Letterkenny. Fiona also runs a Gaelic singing class for Feis Rois and conducts the local junior Gaelic Choir with which she has had some notable successes. She also looks after the Gaelic vocal group for teenagers 'Fionnar' whose members come from all over Scotland.
Fiona is also in demand as a teacher both at home and abroad, travelling to Seattle ( for Feis shiatail) and Ireland in 2005, and, with invites in place for to Grandfather Mountain in North Carolina and Washington for 2006. She will also be representing Highland 2007 at this years 'Tartan Week' in New York.
Fiona has recorded 2 CDs, 'Astair' with Raymond Bremner and 'Seinn! o ho ro Seinn!' with Arthur Cormack and has a third, 'Orain nan Rosach' which compliments the book of the same name published last year by The Highland Councils’ Mairi Mhor Gaelic Song Fellowship. Fiona can also be heard on the Crunluath Collection CD which is part of Angus MacPhee’s recently published book & CD - a collection of new Gaelic songs put to bagpipe music.
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