I often perform solo or with my brother and work with different instrumentalists for different projects.
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Haunting - we are working on the new arrangements at the moment and I am singing with fellow vocalists Christine McClenaghan and Alpin Stewart, guitarist Martin MacDonald (well, he plays guitar for this project, but plays plenty other instruments too!), bassist and guitarist Fraser Stockall and cellist Graeme Walker.
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Bairn's Kist -
A very big presence on the Bairn's Kist CD is Bob Pegg... What can I say? Producer and multi-instrumentalist with a pedigree longer than your arm... In addition to Bob's many intrumental contributions and harpist Bill Taylor, Bairn's Kist includes Olivia Ross who is a friend from way back and a talented fiddle and viola player who recently graduated in Traditional Music from Newcastle. Check her work with the Shee.
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kist o dreams - Bill Taylor, the extraordinary small harp expert, has created very sensitive arrangements for the kist o dreams songs - some of which appear on the CD, but most are heard at our live appearances. He plays on many more tracks on the Bairns' Kist CD.
Christine McClenaghan and I have sung together for years, in A' Seinn Quines, The Feisty Besoms, Juniper and more pubs and front rooms than you can shake a very long stick at.
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Etkilendikleri
To start with, obviously, my mum, who sang at home all sorts of songs, and not just on special occasions! (After prayers at night, though, it was hymns and psalms only!).
When I was in primary 1, at all of 5 years old, my teacher was Miss Nisbet, and one of the few things I can remember from that age is her telling me I was a good singer and should carry on singing.
These little words of praise can really stick with a child!
Two of my early tutors - Annie Nicholson and Kenny Campbell - are both sadly now dead, but gave me such a lot of encouragement and so much of their own time and energy when I was a child, that I will always be grateful to them.
It's dyed in the wool, unaccompanied tradition that I love, but not in a preserve-the-way-it-is-at-all-costs sort of a way. I'm lucky to have had some truly inspirational and fabulous teachers, including the late Alan Bruford at the School of Scottish Studies and after that Ishbel MacAskill, Janice Clark, Kenna Campbell to name but a few.
Neye Benziyor?
"Picture, if you will, warm, sweet, organic honey drizzling slowly from a honey wand... Stewart's voice is the aural equivalent. Her clear, soothing voice enfolds the listener in the song." (Bairn's Kist reviewed in Dirty Linen)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"exquisitely pure and clear voice lends the perfect intimacy to these traditional songs." (Mike Wilson, Green Man Review)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"I particularly love Christina’s quiet, understated but direct presentation of the Gaelic songs – she conveys the musicality of the Gaelic language beautifully." (Bairn's Kist reviewed by Debbie Koristas, Living Tradition)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"unembellished natural charm"
(Inverness Courier) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"Even if you don’t know the language, the haunting qualities of the melodies will get to you. Stewart possesses a fine and melodic voice that is appropriately soothing. The tunes are mostly traditional and this is a wonderful album, even if your children are grown, for you can’t help but relax and feel safe while hearing the beautiful singing." (kist o dreams reviewed in Dirty Linen)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There is something very special about Scotland's oral tradition. Songs, stories, beliefs, personal experiences, heritage, language - vital building blocks in our culture. We are lucky to have them.
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In the new project - 'Haunting' - that I am working on, we are exploring the eerie world of the supernatural expressed in Scotland's songs and stories. It can only ever be a personal choice, a glimpse of what could be included. It will, though, keep that precious link between sung and spoken word, from a sung fragment to an epic ballad and from a tiny anecdote to a full narrative.
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I have a passion for the tradition I grew up with and a passion for sharing it with other people. I'm from the Scottish Highlands - Inverness, in fact, where I grew up hearing and singing traditional songs in Scots and Gaelic and was lucky enough to be asked to sing at concerts and ceilidhs from a young age. I studied Traditional Song as part of my Honours degree with the School of Scottish Studies and Edinburgh University and went on to work as an Arts Officer in the Highlands until I started freelancing on a huge variety of projects, all relating to traditional culture and oral tradition in some way or another. The heritage of the Highlands holds a special magic for me.
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I teach traditional song a lot, as one element of our tradition as a whole. I'm very wary of presenting songs in isolation, as if "traditional" were just a term referring to the style of the song. Stories, customs, lifestyle; they're all part and parcel of the same thing. This is one of the reasons why I enjoyed the Learning with Lullabies project so much. I was teaching lullabies, dandling songs and actions songs to parents (mainly, though the children learned a lot too!) while they had their children on their knees, 'playing along' by being bounced, rocked, dandled generally with the songs. In other words, using the songs in their proper context. My wee part in the 'Gaelic Language Culture and the Natural Environment' project was similar - it doesn't feel like teaching when you're out in the wet playground prancing about with the children and singing at the top of your voice, but they are learning, none the less - Alasdair Maclean in the Scots Magazine used the phrase to 'educate through enjoyment'.
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So, what have I been up to recently?
the kist o dreams (project providing support and resource assistance for new parents to encourage them to sing lullabies from Scottish tradition with their newborns) ~
Gaelic Song classes for Feis Rois and Highland Council (teaching traditional lullabies and other songs through games, arts and crafts for ages 4 to adult) ~
Eden Court Theatre's activities programme (teaching traditional songs for parents with very young children, older children and adults) ~
I was course tutor for training day on The Power of Lullabies for Experiential Play in Glasgow (for adult professional childcare workers) ~
teaching traditional song classes over a long weekend at Adult Feis Gleann Albainn in Fort Augustus and the family Feis Garbh Chriochan in Drumnadrochit ~
playground activities and singing games to support Gaelic language and culture (in primary schools and croileagan in Nairn) ~ traditional song input into "Sharing a Vision" visual art, story and song project ~ and I've just completed some blocks of classes for the Youth Music Initiative teaching traditional Gaelic puirt a beul in Highland primary schools.
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Thanks! It's a dress for my big night - a 15 min slot in the swankiest (and one of the biggest) and most hight tech music clubs in town (capacity of 800 people). Shaking like a leaf. D day Wednesday.
One of my pals from Gairloch was at the course and she really enjoyed it!
Hope your 'baby' enjoyed the Feis!
Haven't seen Bill for ages - must drop him a line sometime and go see him - not like he's far away! I'm sure they will have all enjoyed your singing! So glad that the wire strung harp is taking off! I would love to have a go but can't keep my nails long enough. Although Karen says you don't need them that long.
Lol - Tesco - can't think of that without wanting to sing the Tesco round! Must upload it someday!
Thanks for the info about Alison's course which I wasn't able to go to unfortunately! Corrina was coming last weekend to teach but got the lurgy from Ella who got it from some Gaels in Oban! Then they passed it onto Dave! Poor souls!
So we just taught each other some tunes and ate and drank too much instead!
Mary and Drummie are playing in Gairloch this weekend! Yeah!
Hi I was on the LTS site and saw a few comments about Scottish songs and thought I should let them know you had some great CD's!! I saw Lizzie in Ullapool recently but was having a 'hormonal' day and couldn't remember her name soooo embarrassing, i hate it when my mind goes on holiday, happens quite a lot at the moment!! Finally getting a break though so will recharge my batteries LOL. Hope the family are well, love Michele x
Not an album as such, stillpromoting a Good Suit! A track sent to me a composer in the US who thought my voice woudl suit the song he'd wrritten and wanted me to record it - in English and really quite rocky...defintiely a new one for me...... Hope see you soon? You coming tomy recital at Brodie Castle, Sun 25th Oct - bubbly and canapes provided!! See the website for more details http://www.fionamackenzie.org/Brodie_Castle Le gaol Fiona xx
Trees blowing down roads — steep roads and trees with big lungs! Spare me days I have quite literally taught 300 kids (aged from 5 - 12) to play ukulele today and I'm gibbering!
Thom was up partying until 4am and the first group arrived at 9:10, then it was on — one after another group followed by a concert at the end of the day so they could demonstrate their new found skills — poor boy had to retreat to the car for a Nanna nap half way through the day.
Me, I stopped tuning ukuleles at 1:30am this morning so I'm comparatively fresh — said he, lying through his teeth.
Actually we just wanted the rain thanks.
Said thing is I sold so many ukuleles I've got more to tune before we head out on the road next week. AAARGH!!
Thanks, Christina. I was somewhat disappointed in my initial response and thought I was being a bit of an a**. The whole thing set a lot of thoughts about music journalism & reviews and whatnot rolling around inside of my head
How are you all keeping? How are the various music projects coming along?
I've just spent a wonderful couple of days at Shrewsbury Folk Festival, recharging my love and enthusiasm for great music! Holly even joined me on Sunday and seemed to enjoy dancing to Breabach! I'll make a folkie out of her, you'll see!! ;o)
Hope you're all well! x
(and YES... the Darwin album IS an absolutely inspired project!!)
The Kelvingrove Music Festival is a much missed fixture on the Scottish Music Scene and hopefully we can create a fitting tribute to the days when rock music got the support that it deserved from both the fans and the media!
If you have any material relating to the Festival or the bands that played there we'd love to see it and include it on the forthcoming Kelvingrove Festival website!
No.. I don't think I saw you at Bella... I missed loads of people who I knew who were apparently there! Strange, you'd think you'd bump into everyone, it doesn't seem that big!
Hi Christina. That isn't HDR (I'm not sure whether I like HDR a lot, it seems to be a bit overused!), I just tweaked it to suit the polarised light and to bring out the colours.
Online!