Gordon Gunn

Gordon Gunn has been described as "one of the most exciting and innovative fiddle players of the times." A respected fiddle tutor, composer and session musician, Gordon was born & brought up in Wick, Caithness. He was taught by the highly respected violin teacher Margaret Henderson, who taught many pupils in the north including Addie Harper snr & jnr. Whilst working with Session A9 & the Eilidh MacKenzie Band, Gordon also tours with his own band. His compositions have been recorded by many artistes including Session A9, Phil Cunningham & Aly Bain, Ingrid Henderson, American fiddler Rodney Miller and "McGregor, Brechin & O'Headra" to name but a few.

www.gordongunn.co.uk

Rachel Walker

Rachel was brought up in the small village of Kinlochewe in Wester Ross. There she was encouraged by her school-teacher to compete at local Mòd’s and perform at local cèilidhs, and with regular attendance of Fèis Rois, she soon fell in love with the songs, language and culture of the Gael.

After studying classical music at Napier, Rachel was accepted onto the first year of the BA Scottish Music course at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. Since then, Rachel has performed extensively throughout Scotland and further afield. She has recorded three solo albums, and has added her voice to many other recordings.

As a composer, Rachel has been commissioned to compose for organisations such as Scotland Sings and SNH, and her work has been showcased at festivals such as the Royal National Mòd and Celtic Connections. Her song-writing has earned critical acclaim, with her song Fada Bhuam chosen to represent Scotland at the Liet international song contest, and her recent single ‘Arms of the Ocean’ reached number 1 in the World Music download chart.

In 2013 Rachel was voted Gaelic Singer of the Year at the Scottish Traditional Music Awards. She was also nominated in the Composer of the Year category in 2015. Rachel won the An Comunn Gaidhealach Gold Medal for solo Gaelic singing in 2017. She performs with Gaelic quartet Cruinn and performs regularly with Skipinnish, as well as being the conductor of Lochaber District Gaelic choir.

Mhairi Hall

Mhairi Hall was born and brought up in Aviemore, Strathspey. She received her undergraduate degree in Gaelic Studies from the University of Aberdeen and continued on to a post-graduate programme at the University of Limerick. There, she completed an MA in Irish Traditional Music Performance from the Irish World Music Centre under the guidance of renowned pianist, composer and academic Professor Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin. Mhairi has created a unique Scottish/Gaelic style of piano playing, and is now working on projects with Gaelic singer Kathleen Graham and Swedish singer Ulrika Gunnarsson. She has performed throughout Scotland, Ireland, England and Germany with bands such as ‘Cluanas’, ‘Dannsa’ and ‘Dòchas’.

www.mhairihall.com

Lorne MacDougall

Lorne MacDougall, from Carradale in Kintyre, is a contemporary piper and multi-instrumentalist known for seamlessly integrating his sounds into movie and television soundtracks with credits including “Brave”, “Whisky Galore” and “How to Train Your Dragon 2”, “Doctor Who” and “Thunderbirds”. He toured for 5 years with the pioneering traditional folk band The Tannahill Weavers, piping supergroup Tryst and co-produced and performed all releases from the Red Hot Chilli Pipers. He makes regular media appearances ranging from talent shows like “The X Factor” and “Come Dine with Me” to crime dramas such as BBC 1’s “Shetland” and is no stranger to presenting being behind the online radio show “PlanetPipe” and occasional presenter on BBC Radio Scotland. As a composer his tunes have been recorded by some of the folk scene’s greatest artists as well as taken on board as the theme tune to Sky Sports’ SPL Football coverage. Recent times have seen him achieve a 2012 MG Alba Scots Music Awards Instrumentalist of the Year Nomination and previously placed 3 times in the BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year Final. He has an Honours Degree in Scottish Music specialising in Bagpipes.