Celtic Connections 2016 will take place from Thursday, January 14 to Sunday, January 31. Around 2,500 musicians from various parts of the planet will gather in Glasgow for 18 days of concerts, ceilidhs, talks, art exhibitions, workshops, free events, late night sessions and a series of special one-off musical collaborations.
Stars of world, folk and roots music, who will perform on 26 stages at venues across Glasgow, include Rickie Lee Jones, The Chieftains, Lau, The Unthanks, Béla Fleck, Moving Hearts, Robert Plant, Lucinda Williams, Admiral Fallow, Toumani Diabaté, Karine Polwart, Boys of the Lough, and Larry Carlton.
The Opening Concert will be celebrating 50 years of the Traditional Music & Song Association of Scotland with musical director Siobhan Miller at the helm.
Family Ties will also be at the forefront of this years’ festival, through shows including concerts by The Wainwright Sisters, and They Might be Giants performing a special matinee performance for children.
Jason Isbell, Sturgill Simpson and John Grant are among the stars of New Americana who will take to the stage during the festival.
Pilgrimage will be explored through a set of concerts, including the reimagining of Joni Mitchell’s 1976 album Hejira – that explores themes of the constant journey we are all on in life – by James Robertson.
While Drift is inspired by the true story of Betty Mouat, a crofter from Shetland, who spent eight days drifting alone in the North Sea.
Celtic Connections takes pride in looking to the future as well as celebrating the past. Matthew Welch’s Blarvuster, the Aidan O’Rourke Trio and Soumik Datta & Bernhard Schimpelsberger: Circle of Sound are among those who will step into the spotlight at a new venue for the festival Drygate Brewery to represent a new thread, The Shape of Folk to Come.
A series of major anniversaries will be marked, with celebrations of Aly Bain at 70 in a show titled Le Grand Anniversaire where he will be joined by his long standing colleague Phil Cunningham to celebrate 30 years of performing together.
Bwani Junction will be performing Graceland 30 years after Paul Simon’s classic album was released. Four of the original members of the recording will be performing on this very special occasion.
A series of concerts In the Tradition will celebrate piping and Gaelic music. Nights dedicated to Gordon Duncan and the Armagh Pipers and a concert recalling the legendary Live in Ireland 78 will put the swirl and power of the pipes center stage. A special 30th anniversary concert for Fèis Rois, music from Anne Lorne Gillies, and a show called Gàidhlig meets Gaelic Americana will bring together Gillebrìde MacMillan and Kyle Carey.
The Auld Alliance between Scotland and France will be center stage at this year’s Showcase Scotland as the festival celebrates France as the partner country for 2016 and the 10th anniversary of the twinning of Glasgow and Marseille.
Showcase Scotland is delegate based and hosted in the city of Glasgow over four days during Celtic Connections. Musical directors and programmers of leading festivals and venues from around the world attend the event where around 60 songwriters, bands and musicians are showcased. A Trade Fair is held to provide an additional platform for promoters to meet with artists and their representatives to discuss potential booking possibilities.
At the core of the festival is the award winning Education Programme, that sees thousands of children attend free morning concerts, experiencing live music from Scotland and further afield. Up to 11,400 children will take part in Celtic Connections Education Programme for schools during the 2016 festival, with opportunities including five free morning concerts.
Celtic Connections also continues to play a vital role in fostering new and young talent. Since 1999 in Glasgow alone the Celtic Connections Education Programme has delivered projects to over 80 per cent of Glasgow schools, with over 90 per cent of that figure being in primary schools, and a total of over 90,000 children and young people benefiting from the program. Nationally, that figure rises to over 185,000 children and young people from all over Scotland.
In addition to the school workshops, there will be over 60 public workshops for all ages and abilities from dawn until dusk over each of the three weekends. Highlights include the Ukulele School hosted by Finlay Allison and The Fiddle Village hosted by Alasdair Fraser and Natalie Haas.
The final day of Celtic Connections, Sunday 31 January, includes a show at the Old Fruitmarket in aid of the Bert Jansch Foundation, whose charitable aim is to support the next generation of acoustic musicians. Robert Plant, Bernard Butler, Archie Fisher, and Jacqui McShee will perform along with more special guests to be announced in Bert Inspired: A Concert for Bert Jansch.
“Celtic Connections is rooted in a love of traditional, folk and world music,” said Donald Shaw, Artistic Director of Celtic Connections. “Since our earliest days the passion, the skill, and the excitement that you find at a live concert at Celtic Connections has inspired us to put together the program each year.”
For more information go to www.celticconnections.com
Author: World Music Central News Room
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