Showing posts with label Finlay MacDonald. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Finlay MacDonald. Show all posts

Thursday, 3 October 2019

Celtic Connections 2020 launched!



CELTIC CONNECTIONS 2020 launched!

16th Jan - 2nd Feb 2020

That cross-cultural, interdisciplinary spirit is at the heart of Celtic Connections,”   
18 days of live music across Glasgow to warm our winter days!  The world’s premier celtic music festival 27thyear, begun in 1994!  One-off musical collaborations, talks, workshops, film screenings, theatre productions, ceilidhs, exhibitions, free events, late-night sessions. Of traditional folk, roots, Americana, jazz, soul and world music. Celtic Connections brings together and celebrates special artistic collaborations. Many of the great innovations are brought about this way. 
GRIT orchestra Bothy Culture Hydro

**Opening concert the GRIT orchestra with new compositions -  “it is in truth not for glory, nor riches, nor honours that we are fighting, but for freedom".   
Premiere for - 700th anniversary of the 1320 Declaration of Arbroath: declaration of Scottish independence - by leading Scottish composers, commissioned for Celtic Connections and performed by the GRIT orchestra, legendary ensemble of folk, jazz and classical musicians and led by conductor Greg Lawson. Founded to continue the legacy of Martyn Bennett, who pioneered the fusion ofl folk with techno dance beats. Composers - Jazz-folk musicianFraser Fifield, cellist Rudi de Groote, Clarsach composer Catriona McKay, saxophonist Paul Towndrow, fiddlers Patsy Reid and Chris Stout. 
Lawson said the new work would interpret concepts of freedom expressed in the declaration within a modern context. To be really free we need to be equal, we need to be diverse, we need to be open, we need to care.  You could say we are taking the declaration and turning it into an appeal: for tolerance, diversity, openness, respect. That's what freedom actually means." 
Niteworks
CONCERTS - A Celebration of Women in Piping  - Louise Mulcahy, Alana MacInnes, Síle Friel, Máire Ní Ghráda, Marion McCarthy, Enora Morice and Robyn Ada McKay.
Auld Lang Syne Burns celebration, with BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra with Eddi ReaderKaren MathesonJarlath Henderson, Shona Donaldson.

Transatlantic Sessionsfestival favourite’s all-star line-up. Guitar virtuoso Tommy Emmanuel, Tennessee native Sierra Hull, multi-instrumentals Cahalen Morrison. Dervish lead vocalist Cathy Jordan and singer-songwriter Rachel Sermanni.

Transatlantic Sessions
**PLUS – Scottish music with Salsa Celtica, Braebach, Lau, Rura, Blazin fiddlesMànran,KinnarisRANTHamish NapierSarah-Jane Summers. 
Americana music -  Iris De MentSturgill SimpsonAnais MitchellThe Lone BellowFrazey FordDella Mae, The Felice Brothers

CELTIC CONNECTIONS ALSO INLCUDES - BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year , Showcase Scotland, The Danny Kyle stage, and its education program. 
Talisk
Blue Rose Code
Rab Noakes

Aly Bain





Tuesday, 31 July 2018

Music and Portrait photography


One of my main focuses with photography is making music images.

And the importance of good photos. I believe that a great image has great significance - then again perhaps great artists make great images? Here are a few of the images that have inspired me. I was inspired by great images in Life magazines and by jazz images. I love the stories in great images... 



Frank Sinatra Albert hall London
When I arrived at the the Royal Albert hall London in November 2012 - I thought wow, to take an image like this of Frank Sinatra on stage....I read of a photographer just happening to be at the right place, at the right time and was taken on a Paul McCartney’s photographer for his tour. And I thought maybe one day I would take images of some of my all time musical heroes....
Hurts

I continue to cover concerts, festivals and events, while I focus on several other projects. Music has always been a life long passion since I played piano songs at the age o seven and art too.
It has been great being able to combine the two. 

My other focus is portraiture, which is no easy task and a patient challenge to capture something a bit different and the character and moods. 
Ian Rankin
Alexander McCall Smith
I needed to allow space, movement, escapism, movement and time for dreams in my images. Time to escape in the moment.
I’ve had shoots with hours of time when the artists, the musicians, the dancers who have put their hearts on the line, after their commitment to gruelling hard graft, and that's usually when I take my best images.  

Culture matters. Our stories matter. 
TESTIMONIALS: 'you use the light exceptionally well, full of life.’ 'You have a wonderfully observing & imaginative eye.' ''you're really very talented & have a great eye - it's a rare skill!' 'they are fab as always, you're truly amazing at your art'  - https://pkimage.co.uk

Friday, 1 November 2013

Piper Finlay MacDonald and Shetland fiddler Chris Stout

Shetland Fiddler Chris Stout
Piper Finlay MacDonald


Piper Finlay MacDonald and Shetland fiddler Chris Stout played a blistering fun set at the opening concert for the 20th celebration night at Celtic Connections 2013 concert hall Glasgow. 

321 views

Sunday, 4 August 2013

Piping Live! 2013

Finlay MacDonald and Chris Stout
At Celtic Connections 2013 I took photos at the 20th Celtic Connections celebration concert with Finlay MacDonald and Chris Stout. Also photos of piper Fred Morrison who was great fun and my images are used in Fred's new music book Outlands. 
Fred Morrison
The festival was started by a young Finlay when it was hard to imagine the festival becoming the biggest worldwide piping festival.
I'm a big music fan but I don't know so much about the piping world.  I'd no idea the Piping Live was such a big world wide event. I love the pipes at the end of songs such as this one be Karen Matheson -  (lovely voice)  - 

Also, I lived in the US for ten years and it was the pipes that really used to make me feel homesick!   The pipes made me think of the highlands and glens -  getting sentimental now - I even missed the wet streets!

Finlay MacDonald and Chris Stout
The Piping Live festival is now in its tenth year.
A few highlights

11th August Piping Live Birthday bash - 1pm

11th August Finlay MacDonald & Chris Stout 4pm  -  Finlay MacDonald (head of piping studies at Glasgow's piping centre) and Shetland fiddler Chris Stout launch an album titled The Cauld Wind on 11th August - 5pm  Their sound combines a Shetland style with the Scottish pipes.

15th August - Fred Morrison launches his new Music book Outlands. 

16th August - Friday Night Folk event Oran Mor which includes Scots, Irish and Breton players.

Plus the World Pipe Band championships.   
Finlay MacDonald
Chris Stout

Saturday, 19 January 2013

Celtic Connections 2013 20th Celebration concert, Concert Hall Glasgow

A stellar cast of Scottish folk artists took to the concert hall stage Thursday night for a 20th celebration concert of Celtic Connections. Some had taken part in the first ever Celtic Connections in 1994 - such as the talented singer Sheena Wellington and the New Rope string band. This was a quality line up with some of the best that Scotland has to offer as well as Irish singer Cara Dillon and American folk band Flook.

The concert was led by two accomplished musicians - piper Finlay MacDonald and fiddle player Chris Stout. Alongside Scottish pipers were some of the best from the present Scottish folk scene - including Eddi Reader, Michael McGoldrick, Phil Cunningham, John McCusker and Capercaille. 
We were treated to the traditional Burns song Westlin Winds tonight beautifully interpreted by Rod Paterson. Next was the singer Julie Fowlis who sang two Gaelic songs with her flowing and lovely voice. 
The folk band Flook had flown in from America and they joined Irish singer Cara Dillon on stage with her husband Sam Lakeman. Cara and her husband are a perfect musical partnership - Cara with her natural, quietly gentle yet strongly moving voice, while Sam accompanies with quality piano and guitar playing. She sang Avalanche and Parting Glass with Sam on piano. 

The New Rope string band provided a lighter set with some fun comedy routines as they sent notes flying in the air while beating themselves over the head!  Then folk singer Archie Fisher sang Song For A friend. 
Capercaille (Donald Shaw and Karen Matheson) finished the first half with a rousing set of Scottish tunes -  backed by the Scottish Power pipers.
For the second half we were treated to more fine playing from the pipers and fiddlers 
http://pkimage.co.uk/celticcelebrationconcert
Well loved Scottish singer Eddi Reader sang Willie Stewart and the song Mountainside. 

Accordionist Phil Cunningham was well received when he performed one of his own compositions with fiddle player, John McCusker. Also popular was Sheena Wellington, who sang a very personal version of Burn's best loved song My Love is Like a Red Red Rose.
For the second half of the concert Finlay MacDonald and Chris Stout were joined by a unique festival string ensemble led by Greg Lawson and along with the Scottish Power pipers they created a big wall of sound. After which all the singers took to the stage to sing Hermless.

The finale was what Donald Shaw, Festival Director, enjoys best – a traditional folk sessions of reels and jigs with all the folk musicians on stage and building to a full on flourish of energetic playing, enough to warm the coldest of hearts at this very cold time of year!      
This was a proud-to-be-Scottish night and an enriching concert to start the festival with!  It also gave a true taste of what the festival has to offer.