Congratulations to Kin and the Community – Fèis Rois who have been nominated in Community Project of the Year in the MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards 2019. Vote now!
We asked Fiona Dalgetty of Kin and the Community – Fèis Rois the following questions.
Tell us about yourself
Fèis Rois was founded in 1986 to provide opportunities for young people living in Ross-Shire to engage with traditional music and the Gaelic language. In that first year, around 50 young people took part in a summer school organised by Fèis Rois. Fast forward to 2019 and Fèis Rois now provides paid work for more than 400 professional musicians every year and sees more than 9,000 people engaging in its programme across the Highlands, Scotland and internationally.
Kin and the Community is a unique project led by Artistic Director, Duncan Chisholm, offering young people the opportunity to develop skills in ethnology, research, composition and film making.
Why are you involved in Scottish music?
We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to play traditional music!
Any particular career highlights?
Kin and the Community started as a pilot project through the Highland Youth Arts Hub. We were exploring new ways of working with partners across different art form areas. In 2014, we made an initial film telling the story of Sandy Murdie, a drover from Ullapool. Since then, we have now made five films telling the stories of ordinary people who have inevitably led extraordinary lives. A particular highlight was taking this project to Australia in 2019 where we made a film about Charlotte Ferguson. Her parents emigrated from Skye to Geelong in the 1800s and raised their family as Gaelic speakers. You can see all of our Kin and the Community films at www.youtube.com/feisrois
What are your plans for the future?
There is a lot of interest in our Kin and the Community model. We have recently collaborated with Historic Environment Scotland to create a film telling the story of Norman Collins, a soldier based at Fort George who was one of the youngest men to lead a platoon into the Battle of the Somme. We hope to bring to life more archive recordings with new and existing partners in the future.
Read more about Kin and the Community – Fèis Rois
http://feisrois.org
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/feisrois
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/feisrois
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/feisrois
If you wish to attend the final ceremony, tickets are are priced £25 (+ Booking Fee), and Concessions are available. To book please call Aberdeen Music Hall Box Office on 01224 641122, or visit: https://www.aberdeenperformingarts.com/whats-on/all-shows/the-mg-alba-scots-trad-music-awards/2734. Bands performing on Saturday 7th December include Skerryvore, Session A9, Benedict Morris (BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician Award Winner 2019), Heisk, Aberdeenshire Youth Band, Sian, Robyn Stapleton, Mairi Campbell and the Pendulum Band, Susan MacFadyen Scottish Dance Band and more to be announced. There will also be a late night ceilidh after the Awards till 1am.
If you would like to support Hands Up for Trad in their work with Scottish trad music and musicians please consider supporting our Patreon campaign. We have 3 tiers starting at $1 a month and everything helps support us in our work. Read more at www.patreon.com/handsupfortrad