Harpist

A much-anticipated live performance by folk ‘supergroup’ Spell Songs, the musical evolution of the iconic Lost Words and Lost Spells books by acclaimed author Robert Macfarlane and award-winning artist Jackie Morris, commissioned by Folk by the Oak Festival and featuring the collaborative genius of Karine Polwart, Julie Fowlis, Seckou Keita, Kris Drever, Rachel Newton, Beth Porter and Jim Molyneux.

Spell Songs

Usher Hall

It's 20 years since Lauren MacColl – a wide-eyed 19 year old fiddler from the Scottish Highlands – was crowned the winner of the BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award.

It was to be a springboard for a varied couple of decades, founding both fiddle quartet RANT and song-trio Salt House, and collaborating with countless singers and instrumentalists.

The thread through it all has been no less than five solo releases to date, showcasing her rich, darkly-toned fiddle sound and increasingly, her own writing.

Edinburgh Tradfest: Lauren MacColl: Half A Lifetime

Traverse Theatre

Rachel and Mairearad, both well established and celebrated Scottish musicians, are also cousins. They have come together for an exciting new project to celebrate and remember their great great-grandmother Anna Bhán's involvement in the successful women-led Coigach resistance of 1852 during the Highland Clearances. Inspired by recent community plans to build a sculpture in honour of these women in the area, they composed a body of work together in Coigach and have made a beautiful duo album, to be released in the Autumn of 2024. Expect songs in both Gaelic and English, pipes, accordion, harp and fiddle.

Anna Bhán

Perth Theatre

The Furrow Collective consists of four talented and individually acclaimed performers: Lucy Farrell (viola, voice & saw), Rachel Newton (harp, fiddle, voice), Emily Portman (banjo, concertina, voice) and Alasdair Roberts (guitars, voice).

Harpist

Rachel Newton

Events

Upcoming events

Nov 3, 2026

The Furrow Collective · Cambridge Junction

Past events

Sep 8, 2026

Spell Songs · Usher Hall

May 4, 2025

Edinburgh Tradfest: Lauren MacColl: Half A Lifetime · Traverse Theatre

About

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