PRÒGRAM NA FÈISE 2007
FESTIVAL PROGRAMME 2007

The full Blas 2007 programme is available as a PDF by looking for 'downloads' at
http://www.blas-festival.com/programme07.html

Order online (search 'Blas') through http://thebooth.co.uk/ by 31 July and receive generous discounts on the full ticket prices for this year’s Blas events!

A-measg nan daoine eile a bhios a’ gabhail pàirt ...Donald Shaw’s ‘Harvest’ | Mary Jane Lamond Band | Karen Matheson & The Scottish Ensemble
Dòchas | Duncan Chisholm’s ‘Kin’ | Kathryn Tickell Band | Shooglenifty | Flook | Anam | Skipinnish | Dannsa | Clan: MacNeils of Cape Breton & Hendersons of Lochaber | Gordon Duncan Tribute | Rona Lightfoot | Dàimh | TMSA Young Traditionalists | Fèisean Cèilidh Trails | Meantime | Coisir Ghàidhlig Inbhir Nis | Skerryvore | Na Seòid: Young Male Gaelic Singers Showcase | Kathleen MacInnes Band | Sgoil Chiùil na Gàidhealtachd | Caledonian Canal Cèilidh Trail

http://www.blas-festival.com

Have just had a look at this programme. What an amazing festival! I know I have issues about young people being held up as 'the best' and so forth, but for them to have a chance to play alongside some of the folks at Blas surely is a great thing.

I had no idea Feis Nan Gael was involved in something like this. I thought they just organized local feis.

I agree - this is a really excellent programme. Diverse, and packed full of talent. Worth re-planning your holiday to take in some of this stuff!

BLAS FESTIVAL LAUNCHES 53 SHOWS ACROSS 48 HIGHLAND VENUES

The leading Gaelic and Traditional music festival in the Highlands has published its 2007 programme of events detailing 53 shows across 48 venues in the region.

The BLAS festival will host an array of home grown and internationally-renowned musicians from 31st August – 8th September and is a highlight of the Highland 2007 programme. It is a celebration of Highland music which will see a variety of performances ranging from The Scottish Ensemble with Capercaillie’s Karen Matheson, to KIN – a new commission from Duncan Chisholm.

Other highlights include Donald Shaw’s ‘Harvest’, Dòchas, Mary Jane Lamond Band, Kathryn Tickell Band, Na Seòid – The New Gaelic Men, and Shooglenifty.

Festival Director Donna Cunningham said: “This is our third year and we’ve managed to create our best programme yet. We have something for everyone with performances in big venues such as St Andrew’s Cathedral in Inverness, the Nevis Centre in Fort William, and the Macdonald Aviemore Highland Resort. There will also be shows in more intimate community venues such as village halls and schools.

“BLAS is truly a festival of the Highlands and we have shows taking place in all areas of the region, including Inverness for the first time. We get off to a fine start with our official festival launch being at Runrig’s ‘Beat The Drum’ gig at Loch Ness.”

Calum Macdonald of Runrig said: "Runrig are delighted that Blas are joining us at our 'Beat the Drum' event to launch their 2007 festival. We feel a great empathy with the whole ethos of Blas and applaud all that they have achieved over the years. At 'Beat the Drum' we hope to provide a special day that celebrates the diversity of Highland based music. As well as the main stage attractions, the Blas Festival will provide a musical background throughtout the earlier part of the day, featuring the best of the young talent from the current traditional scene."

The main sponsor of this year’s festival is the Clydesdale Bank. Alan Holland, Managing Partner of the Bank's Financial Solutions Centre in Inverness said: "Clydesdale Bank are delighted to support BLAS during 2007, Scotland's Year of Highland Culture. Clydesdale Bank has a long history of supporting community events and activities throughout Scotland and we are delighted we now have this partnership in place with a flagship project, throughout the Highlands, which will benefit locals and visitors alike."

Highland 2007 director Fiona Hampton said: “The programme for Blas in 2007 looks exceptional and builds upon the success of the Festival in its first two years. Audiences across the Highlands are in for a treat with the very best international and home grown talent on show in what promises to be a fabulous celebration of Gaelic and traditional music.

Information about the festival events is available from the website www.blas-festival.com http://www.blas-festival.com/>

Tickets are available by telephone hotline: 01463 782213; from venues staging the festival shows; or on-line at www.thebooth.co.uk http://www.thebooth.co.uk/>

The BLAS Festival primary sponsor is Clydesdale Bank. Other sponsors and supporters include The Highland Council, Highland 2007, Bòrd na Gàidhlig, Scottish Arts Council, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Fèisean nan Gàidheal, Jacobite Cruises, Highland Flying School, Highlander Music, BBC Radio Scotland and Live Music Now Scotland.

I do not see many of the older generation singers/musicians appearing at Blas apart from Rona this year.
Is this to be a festival of mainly youth? esp. in this year of Highland 2007, I expected a better age coverage.
Where are the older great performers of yesteryear who are still alive?
Festivals seem to avoid them like the plague !

Boula: Give us some names of people you'd like to see, by all means.

One of the main aims of Blas is to have a strong youth element, but not at all at the expense of the 'older' greats. In the past we have had Mary Smith, Kenna Campbell, Rona Lightfoot, Angus Grant and Fergie MacDonald to name but a few.

Happy to hear suggestions
http://www.blas-festival.com/contact.html

Finlay MacNeil
Norman Maclean
Donald Macrae
Alasdair Gillies
Islay Mactaggart
Calum Cameron
Donald Angie Matheson
Paul MacCallum
Iain MacKay
Flora MacNeill
Kenna Campbell
Hoddan
Margaret Macleod
Donnie MacLeod
Donald Macleod
Donnie ‘Large’ Macdonald
Anne Lorne Gillies
Fiona Kennedy
The Lochies
Calum Ross
Calum Macarthur
Freddie Mackenzie
Macdonald Sisters
David Solley
Mairi MacArthur
Ian Carmichael
John Murdo Morrison
Seamus Campbell
Dougie Gillespie

etc etc etc etc etc

The problem to-day is that most of the Gaelic funding and support goes to youth, there has to be a better balance between young and old. Many who sit on these committees and make themselves look good by choosing youth are actually denying the rightful places on stage, for so many of those one time major artistes. I ask that these so called forward thinking modern committees try a bit of backward thinking, and reinstate these names from the past, so sadly ignored in favour of youth.
What they are doing is ignoring the great singers of past years, many of whom may no longer be with us in another few years, so while those people are still hale and hearty, give them the benefit of modern day funding, marketing and back up.

Governments are under pressure to provide for Young and Old, so why not Gaelic committees?

Aye it’s a disappearing Art right enough.

Boula

Iain "Hoddan" Macdonald passed away a couple of months back

Thanks, I did not know this.
One of the greats, my heart is heavy.

Yes, sadly., he passed away a few months ago. Hoddan was of my own favourite Gaelic singers. What a wonderful and individual singing style he had.

As this is a festival which is very much connected to the Feis movement it is inevitable that it will feature a large percentage of the young talent which has come through the Feis movement or those who have taught at Na Feisean. I am a great supporter of Na Feisean and Blas can be used as a showcase for the movement.

I have, however, noticed on many of the young musicians/singers websites and MySpace pages that they cite their influences as being performers who are barely two or three years older than themselves, some not even out of their twenties.

There is no doubt whatsoever that the Feis movement has been a great success and that it has performed miracles with regard to Highland music, a little less so for Gaelic song, but it is my very humble opinion that there is definitely room for either the Feis movement or festival organisers in general to instill a greater respect for tradition bearers and past-masters within its/their remit to the younger generation of performers.

I am aware that some older performers are asked to teach at Na Feisean, but are they looked upon as 'influences' by the young? Do the young understand why these people are being brought before them?

I notice during my frequent trips to Ireland that the young are encouraged at every turn to listen to, and have a healthy regard for those who bear their tradition. Some of these older tradition bearers may not always be at their best in older age, but to be encouraged to sit at their feet and listen to their individual musical and singing styles is a form of education which can greatly benefit the youngsters and enhance their understanding of their own musical culture.

To see that musicians who are currently at the top of their career, festival and event organisers respect these tradition bearers enough to feature them and pay tribute to them, will also have a beneficial influence on the young,. They will in time (we hope), question why these people should be listened to, ask why they are different, ask what they should be listening for in their performances.

In the learning process, the youngsters think they are picking up songs and tunes correctly from the masters/tradition bearers (call them what you will), but it is evident in their performances that they are missing some extremely important points of style and phrasing. Only constant exposure and listening to these elders can make them understand these nuances and 'special' ingredients.

Thanks Boula2 for the suggestions, and I'm sorry it has taken me so long to reply. There are many great Gaelic singers in your list and I will make sure that suggestions are raised when it comes to talking about artists for next year's Blas.

Margaret is right, too, that because it is run by Fèisean nan Gàidheal, Blas will feature young talent, and indeed that is one of the festival's stated aims.

Margaret is also right to raise the question of young people listening (or not) to tradition bearers, and this is something that has exercised some of us in the Fèis movement for some time. Over the years we have run training sessions for tutors where tradition bearers - and/or collectors - have imparted their knowledge to Fèis tutors. However, we cannot make them all attend, nor can we make them listen at the end of the day.

Another thing we are doing at the moment is an interesting project, funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, whereby young people are going to be going out in their own communities to collect songs, tunes and stories first-hand, digitise them and archive them for use in future Fèisean. I think this is a very exciting project that will hopefully engender respect in the young people for those who are considered to the bearers of the Gaelic tradition. We hope that teenagers, especially, will be involved in this project and we will be appointing a coordinator in the next couple of weeks.

That is a brilliant project Arthur !!!! - most encouraging, and will hopefully show some of these fortunate young children the value of those people who are considered experts in their field, tradition bearers and collectors.

From your own experience you truly know what an effect this can have on a young person's understanding of Gaelic song in particular.

Is this project taking place throughout the Feisean movement (in each area which runs a Feis)?

A most worthwhile project and I look forward to hearing more about it. If I can be of any assistance please don't hesitate to contact me.

Aye Arthur please give it a try, I know many share my feelings regarding those matters.

Another of my favourites is the great 'Tonkan'
He has composed some great fun songs also.

By the way Margaret I was going to add you to my list, however I was afraid you would give me hell for placing you with the oldies :-)

Tradition bearers don't have to be ' on the pension' Boula2. Right enuff (as they sain in Invershneckie), I might have been a bit miffed had you said I was 'old', although I feel a bit like that these days (did my back in and hobbling about for the past week or so).

I wish there were more gigs in Nairn.

Maybe try the old Back To Back :-)

The Two Backs Of The Back Football Team Sat Back To Back In The Back Of The Back Bus Going Back To Back.

Don't know where Back is?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Back%2C_Outer_Hebrides

Anyway get well Margaret and hope you are BACK to good health soon :-)

We had a Blas tent at Runrig's Beat the Drum on Saturday. What a day weather-wise but our tent was extremely busy and all the young Fèis folk who were playing were fabulous. Did any Footstompers pop in?

Thanks to Runrig for all their help and support in helping us launch this year's festival. They couldn't do enough for us.

Tonight see the Blas-t-off with sold out gigs by Dàimh & Dòchas in Portree and Shooglenifty in Farr, outside Inverness.

Over the coming week, there will be gigs by Mary Jane Lamond's Band; Kathleen MacInnes; Karen Matheson & The Scottish Ensemble; a new commission - Kin - from Duncan Chisholm; Kathryn Tickell Band; Flook; Skipinnish; Rod C and Paul MacNeil of Cape Breton with Tracey Dares and the Hendersons of Lochaber; Rona Lightfoot; Dàimh; Fèisean Cèilidh Trail;, Meantime, Skerryvore and the list goes on and on .....

Oilrig's working hard with Na Seòid: a Young Male Gaelic Singers Showcase with James Graham Norman MacArthur, Gillebrìde Macmilan, Griogar Lawrie etc etc (Arthur Cormack's obviously too old now!)

Don't miss next weekend - in Aviemore on Friday and Fort William on Saturday - Donald Shaw's 'Harvest'. This is It is a multi-faceted celebration of the musical interplay between Europe’s various Celtic traditions. Top international singers and musicians such as Capercaillie’s Karen Matheson and Ewen Vernal, Guadi Galego and Guillermo Fernandez from Galicia, Karan Casey from Ireland, Highland musicians Anna Massie, Aidan O’ Rourke and James Mackintosh and Brittany’s Jean-Michel Veillon combine with over forty young Highland Fèis students to give a thrilling performance of new music.

Get up to the Highlands and have a ball!