The Breath, Laura Wilkie & Ian Carr, Allan MacDonald

Part of a new captivating series of folk and traditional music, curated by award-winning, multi-instrumentalist Malin Lewis. 

Buy your ticket for this and the second in the series together and get a 10% discount. 

About The Breath

The Breath is Manchester-based guitarist Stuart McCallum and singer/flautist Ríoghnach Connolly (folk singer of the year winner - BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards). They met on the city’s gig circuit in the late noughties. An unlikely pairing though it was, he an acclaimed guitarist, ex-long-time member of The Cinematic Orchestra and a softly spoken Manchester urbanite, she a folk singer with a larger-than-life personality and a powerful voice to match. Their connection was immediate; they formed The Breath in 2016, a singer-songwriter duo to present their contemporary take on alt-folk. The Breath have released three albums on Peter Gabriel’s Real World label, including their breakthrough album 'Carry Your Kin' and their latest, 'Land of My Other'. Expect songs that tell stories in ways that soothe, stir, exalt, and touch emotional chords. 

About Laura Wilkie & Ian Carr

Hailing from Tain in the Highlands, Laura Jane Wilkie has a unique style which has roots in the Highland fiddle traditions but is influenced by an eclectic range of music from all genres. Her debut album, 'Vent' is centred around ancient women’s work songs - waulking songs. The album explores the melodies of these ancient waulking songs and how they have individually and communally provided a sense of safety, shared knowledge, power, love, humour and freedom. Laura has toured internationally with various projects and has collaborated previously with Shooglenifty, Man of the Minch, Rachel Sermanni, The GRIT Orchestra and many more. For this concert, Laura will be performing with guitarist and record producer, Ian Carr. 

About Allan MacDonald

Allan MacDonald, a renowned figure in Gaelic music, is celebrated worldwide as a composer, piper, singer, and scholar. Known for making pibroch accessible, his work reconnects 17th-century piping with its Gaelic roots, inspiring a new generation. Allan has performed at major Celtic and piping festivals and lectures at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music & Drama. In 1999 and 2004, Allan directed two pioneering series for the Edinburgh International Festival, presenting every aspect of the piping tradition in 13 concerts, linking music with Scottish history and culture. He has composed for BBC television and directed groundbreaking series for the Edinburgh International Festival. In 2005, he co-directed The Highland Sessions, a six-part TV series exploring shared Scottish and Irish musical traditions, which won Ireland’s best documentary music award.

About Malin Lewis

Innovator, award-winning, multi-instrumentalist Malin Lewis melds Scottish West Coast tradition with a newly invented, self-made bagpipe alongside stars Sally Simpson (Fiddle) and Ali Hutton (Guitar). Hair-tingling, philosophical and dance, inducing melodies inspired by European folk traditions, queerness and the universe.

Presented by The Queen’s Hall and Malin Lewis. Supported by Creative Scotland.