Scottish Music - Living Legacy

Scottish Traditional Music Festivals - Celtic Connections

A number of world-class traditional music events are held in Scotland each year and they are gaining in momentum and popularity.

Foremost amongst these is the Celtic Connections festival which is held each January in the city of Glasgow. Since launching in 1994, the event - described as 'Europe's premiere winter music festival' - has gone from strength to strength, helping maintain Glasgow's 2008 UNESCO City of Music status.

This year's festival will see 1,500 acts play 300 events across 14 venues, over 18 days. It offers a range of music from traditional Scots and Irish sounds to folk, Americana, jazz, roots, gospel and indie.

Its diverse programme celebrates the connections between Celtic traditions and cultures across the globe, with acts from as far afield as Senegal, Portugal, Israel, Switzerland, France, Venezuala, the USA, Canada, India and Cuba.

Hebridean Celtic Festival

Another traditional music festival is the Hebridean Celtic Festival which is held on the beautiful Isle of Lewis in the grounds of the historic Lews Castle every summer. The event features top Scottish and international Celtic music acts. Attracting visitors from around the globe the festival is billed as the 'original homecoming party'. Now in its 16th year, the festival was televised for the first time in 2009 by BBC Alba.

Celebrating Gaelic - The Royal National Mod

Scotland's premier Gaelic festival, the Royal National Mod, is a week-long celebration of Gaelic music, language and culture. Held in Oban in October of each year, the festival is now in its 106th year. Always held in a different location, the Mod (meaning assembly) returned to its birthplace of Oban in 2009 where it was first held way back in 1891. Aside from the war years this historic festival has been an annual occurrence since its 19th century inception.

Scottish Bagpipe Music: World Pipe Band Championships

For one month of the year Glasgow and Edinburgh become the piping centres of the world. The World Pipe Band Championships, held throughout August in Glasgow is a behemoth in the traditional music calendar. Boasting about 45,000 spectators, 8,000 pipers and drummers and 16 nations participating from countries as diverse as the USA, Pakistan and Australia. Running alongside the Championships is Piping Live! A hugely popular event featuring eclectic performances from cosmopolitan pipe bands.

Edinburgh Military Tattoo

For a mix of pipe bands from the four corners of the world, and a rare mix of piping styles, the Edinburgh Military Tattoo is hard to beat. Staged against the dramatic backdrop of Edinburgh Castle the Tattoo is now in its 61st year. This spectacular event draws annual crowds of around 217,000 and is broadcast to around 100 million viewers globally.

Celtic Music: Festivale Interceltique Lorient

Outside of Scotland and now in its 40th year the Festivale Interceltique Lorient is perhaps the largest gathering of Celtic cultures and is a celebration of all Celtic music and traditions. With 700,000 visitors annually and 4,500 musicians, dancers, singers and visual artists performing during the ten days of the festival, its a huge affair. Held each August in the former port of Lorient in Brittany, the festival is a meeting of the Celtic nations; Scotland, Cornwall (England), Wales, Brittany, Asturias and Galicia (Spain), Isle of Man, Ireland, Australia has a presence too, as a friend of the Celtic nations. Each year the festival welcomes a nation as guest of honour. Scotland held this honour in 2007. As well as the wealth of performances there are also attractions such as daily master classes in Celtic instruments, musical workshops, lectures and to give visitors a flavour of each of the nations, each country is represented in the Celtic Village, where visitors can sample typical food, drink and products from each nation.

Scottish Music Homegrown Exports

Scotland is by no means the only place that our traditional music is celebrated and revered. Celtic music is widely associated with the origins of American country music, the roots are thought to be a mix of traditional Celtic music, brought to the country by Scottish and Irish immigrants and African American spirituals. Today there are many artists that continue to bring traditional music to a global audience, mixing traditional styles with contemporary music and breathing new life and appeal into the genre.

'Bagpipes with attitude' is how the Red Hot Chilli Pipers are often described. Wowing crowds on the international circuit with their unique spin on traditional piping and drumming the Chilli Pipers show is an unforgettable experience of energy and entertainment.

With a career dating back to the 1970s, accordion player Phil Cunningham's "astonishing dexterity" and musicality has made him a highly influential musician. An ambassador for traditional music, Cunningham was awarded an MBE for services to Scottish music in 2002, and the Best Instrumentalist in the inaugural Scottish Traditional Music Awards in 2003.

Celtic super group Capercaillie has been acknowledged as the band to bring Celtic music to the world stage. With a hugely talented band of musicians and Karen Matheson's hauntingly beautiful voice the band enjoy universal acclaim. Matheson is widely believed to be the greatest Gaelic singer alive today and was described by Sean Connery as having a "throat that is surely touched by God."

The Tannahill Weavers are one of Scotland's most successful traditional Scottish bands and have amassed a global fan base. Describing their style as embracing "both the mystical quality of the Highlander's Celtic music, and the rollicking, sometimes even brawling qualities of the Lowlander's Anglo-Scots tunes." The band will be embarking on another tour this year (2011) taking in the USA and Germany.

Listen to Scottish Music - Come and Hear for Yourself

Every year presents wonderful opportunities for listening to tradional Scottish music first hand. See the related links for some ideas.