Looking ahead to a huge year
Hot gossip from the local music scene
Hello folks I hope you’re doing well and the happiest of New Year’s wishes to you all!
It’s feeling like a fantastic year ahead, some might consider it an almost saccharine positivity that accompanies the New Year but for me the new shouldn’t be overlooked.
I love the thought that we have a whole New Year ahead to make our own and I know that there are going to be some truly special moments to come.
From Ayrshire acts bringing out debut albums to groups working on their sixth, there are lots of exciting things happening in the Shire.
One Ayrshire music talent who will be hitting the high notes is Seán Gray, a brilliant all round musician who plays flute, guitar and sings. I first came across the talented Mr Gray many years ago playing in the Wellington Bar in Ayr and his brilliance was evident. At the time he was performing with his talented sister Robyn who accompanied on violin and it was obvious I had stumbled across something quite special.
Seán has recently been commissioned to write and perform a brand new piece for the Celtic Connections music festival, which takes place in Glasgow in January, and it looks set to be a big break for Seán. I caught up with him to find out more about his commission.
He said: “I have been commissioned by Celtic Connections to write a piece of music as part of the New Voices concert series. New Voices is designed to give up and coming composers a chance to write and showcase new material. The title of my piece ‘ The Hammering Tongue’ is influenced by my time spent training as a mechanical engineer as well as my love of the Lallans Scots dialect, in particular the type spoken in Ayrshire.”
“The Hammering Tongue will include instrumental pieces intertwined with sounds from the industry I was involved in. There will also be poems both set to music and recited, written by Lallans poet, Rab Wilson of New Cumnock. I will be performing alongside some of the best musicians in Scotland including Megan Henderson, Conor Markey, James Lindsay, Tom Gibbs, Louis Abbott and Laura Cortese from the USA.”
“As a musician and composer I am hugely grateful to Celtic Connections for this opportunity. This is one of the most musically challenging projects I have ever been a part of and to get an opportunity to perform it at the biggest winter festival in the world is a huge privilege.”
Seán Gray performs Celtic Connections New Voices - The Hammering Tongue on Sunday 22nd January at 1: 00pm at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall.
It’s great to see Ayrshire talents like Seán getting their opportunity to shine at the major Scottish festivals such as Celtic Connections. At times it’s easy to look at the line ups of national events and see the same faces treading the boards time and time again and whilst it’s great to celebrate national treasures I think it’s vital that the talent of the future gets the chance to shine.
If you would like to send in your music for me to listen to or if you would like to get in touch you can do so at littlefiremusic1@hotmail. co. uk or post to Little Fire, Ayrshire Post, 154 High Street, Nile Court, Ayr KA7 1PX.
‘ Til next week,