The fifth SEALL Festival of Small Halls opens on Friday at Glendale Hall.
Taking place from 18-26 November, the festival brings some of the country’s finest traditional musicians together for nine days of music, laughter and craic.
This year’s line-up are:
- Leading light in the Gaelic music scene Allan MacDonald
- BBC Take the Floor presenter and accordionist Gary Innes
- celebrated Perthshire fiddle player and singer, Patsy Reid
- award-winning Skye-based multi-instrumentalist Innes Watson
- multi-award-winning English composer, singer and cellist Hannah Moule
- Manran’s Irish uilleann piper, flautist and saxophonist Ryan Murphy
- multi-instrumentalist and BBC Young Traditional Musician of the Year 2021, Michael Biggins
- Scottish fiddle player, singer and composer who was Semi-finalist in the BBC Young Traditional Musician of the Year 2022, Isla Ratcliff.
Surprise guest additions to the line-up are Duncan Chisholm, one of Scotland’s most recognised and accomplished fiddle players and composers and Skye-based Dáimh piper Angus MacKenzie.
CONCERT SCHEDULE
Friday 18 November
GLENDALE HALL 7.30pm Festival opening concert
Saturday 19 November
RAASAY HALL 2pm | Music workshop 11.30am
ELGOL HALL 7.30pm
Sunday 20 November
GASTA PORT RIGH 2pm-4pm Angus MacKenzie and family will host a free family music session
Tuesday 22 November
SKEABOST HALL 4pm
EDINBANE HALL 7.30pm
Wednesday 23 November
WATERNISH HALL 7.30pm
KILMUIR HALL 7.30pm
Thursday 24 November
BREAKISH HALL 7.30pm
BRAES HALL 7.30pm
FRIDAY 25 November
MINGINISH HALL 7.30pm
SATURDAY 26 November
SEUMAS’ BAR SLIGACHAN HOTEL 8.30pm Big Cèilidh
Duncan Chisholm joins the performers for the opening concert on Friday (19 Nov) and for the Raasay workshop and concert on Saturday 20.
Angus MacKenzie will also be joining the group on Friday 25 at Minginish Hall and Saturday 26 at Sligachan.
SEALL@Home
In keeping with the community-minded ethos of the festival, the musicians will be visiting residential homes and schools as part of SEALL@Home, the organisation’s community outreach and Gaelic Development project.
Music workshop
In addition to the concerts, there is a community music workshop in Raasay Hall on Saturday at 11am with Gary, Ryan, Duncan and Innes.
Family music session
Angus will be holding a free family music session at Gasta, Portree on Sunday 20 November at 2pm.
Free afternoon concert
At Dunvegan Community Hall on Friday (19 Nov), Staffin-based singer/songwriter John Condron and former frontman for wild rock band The Bedlam Six, Louis Barabbas, will give a free afternoon concert from 2pm-4pm. Refreshments available.
Young musicians’ opening sets
Young Skye musicians will perform opening sets at some of the events. They are:
Màili, Calum and Mairidh Anne MacKenzie: 18 November, Glendale Hall
Finlay James and Innes Wilson: 22 November, Skeabost Hall
Isy MacLean and Angus Gilpin: 22 November, Edinbane Hall
Emily MacDonald and Lucy Livingstone: 24 November, Breakish Hall
The MacKenzie family: Big Cèilidh at Sligachan on 26 November.
St Andrew’s Night Big Cèilidh
The festival ends once more with the ever-popular St Andrew’s Night Big Cèilidh on Saturday 26 November in Seumas’ Bar, Sligachan Hotel.
The festival is supported by Creative Scotland, the Edinbane Community Company, the Highland Council and the Musicians’ Union.