Europe’s premier winter music festival Celtic Connections opened in Glasgow last night, Thursday 20 January, showcasing uplifting performances from some of folk’s brightest emerging talent.
The Opening Concert ‘Neath the Gloamin’ Star was staged at Glasgow’s Royal Concert Hall in front of 200 lucky audience members. Named after a beloved old Scots love song, the show marked a poignant opening moment for the much-loved roots festival as it celebrated how precious heritage is being taken forward into a new tradition.
This year’s hybrid Celtic Connections programme spans around 60 lively in-person concerts, a number of intimate filming sessions, an exciting digital offering and a number of talks and exhibitions, with more than 500 artists involved across the festival.
Tickets for live in-person shows and online festival passes are now on sale. Digital passes will give audiences from around the world access to more than 12 hours of exclusive performances available to watch from Wednesday 26 January.
To see the full programme for Celtic Connections 2022 and buy tickets, visit the Celtic Connections site.
Artists involved include Dublin-based quartet The Jeremiahs, flute / whistle genius Brian Finnegan, world-folk sensations Dallahan, Nordic-inspired folk group Stundom and Gaelic singer Megan Henderson. Magnificent duo performances from Heal and Harrow (Rachel Newton and Lauren MacColl) and Ross Ainslie and Tim Edey are also on the bill.
The New Tradition: Rejuvenation show will showcase young emerging artists, led by musical director Rory Matheson and a New Voices commission from singer songwriter Jack Badcock will also be available to enjoy as part of the pass.
This weekend will also see two specially-commissioned Shetland 550 shows filmed for the online programme in front of limited-capacity audiences. 550 years on from the islands becoming part of Scotland, Norn Voices and A Peerie Foy - part of the festival’s Whisper the Song strand for Scotland’s Year of Stories - will celebrate Shetland’s unique cultural history and identity.
Saturday night’s Shetland spectacular will open in style with a celebratory Viking torch-lit march through the streets of Glasgow. A group of more than 30 male and female Vikings, will journey to the bottom of the steps of the Royal Concert Hall to welcome audiences with flaming torches, cheers and songs celebrating Up Helly Aa. The spectacle will mark an unforgettable start to an evening involving Shetland’s foremost cultural ambassadors.
From Monday 24 January, live music in front of in-person audiences will take centre stage, breathing life and joy into venues across Glasgow - from Mackintosh Church to The Old Fruitmarket - with the usual dynamic array of traditional folk, roots, Americana, jazz, indie, soul and world music brightening up the city for two weeks.
Highlights include the renowned British Indian sitar player and composer Anoushka Shankar who will perform her father’s iconic Concerto No.3 with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra on Friday 28 January in the Royal Concert Hall. Support comes from the incredible Orchestral Qawwali Project featuring the soaring vocals of Abi Sampa, the UK’s first female qawwal, together with tabla player Amrit Singh, and singer / composer Rushil, who combine the ancient Sufi devotional tradition of qawwali with modern orchestral arrangements.
Elsewhere, the iconic Mitchell Theatre will play host to some exciting events putting Scotland’s rich oral traditions in the spotlight for the Year of Stories 2022. The Scottish World, featuring writer, performer and broadcaster Billy Kay and singers Siobhan Miller and Robyn Stapleton will look at how tales of Scotland travelled with and were reimagined by the Diaspora, while Sing Me a Story will see the storytelling tradition of the Gàidhealtachd championed.
Visit the Scotland's Year of Stories section on the Celtic Connections webiste to find out more about how they are getting involved.
Grammy-nominated, Brooklyn-based Pakistani composer, songwriter and vocalist Arooj Aftab - who names Barrack Obama among her legion of fans - will bring her critically-acclaimed sound to the Mackintosh Church, and sparks are set to fly when the mighty RURA play The Theatre Royal.
Maverick musical duo, Nae Plans, aka fiddler Adam Sutherland and pianist/flautist/singer Hamish Napier, will perform as part of the festival’s Tradovation strand supported by The Scottish Government Festivals Expo Fund.
With support from polish-born cellist Justyna Jablonska and South Indian violinist Jyotsna Srikanth, multi-award-winning Scottish pianist Fergus McCreadie will treat fans to his brilliantly original music, rooted in Scottish folk and international jazz. Additional New Voices commissions come from harp player and vocalist Esther Swift and fiddler Ross Couper.