An Lanntair has revealed a packed programme of live music and family focused events to coincide with this summer’s HebCelt Festival in Stornoway.
The arts centre, located in the town centre just steps from the ferry terminal, will host four days of performances celebrating traditional music, Gaelic culture and contemporary composition.
The programme will run alongside the internationally recognised HebCelt Festival, one of Scotland’s largest outdoor music events.
The series opens with Atlantic Blast, a special collaboration bringing together musicians Norrie Maciver, Alasdair White, Calum Alex Macmillan, James Duncan Mackenzie and DC Macmillan.
Organisers say the show will reunite some of the most recognisable figures in Scottish traditional music for a performance expected to set the tone for the week.
In a move designed to make the programme more accessible for younger audiences, An Lanntair has also shifted its Thursday headline concert to the afternoon for the first time.
The change is intended to make it easier for families to attend performances during the festival week.
The afternoon event will feature the Western Isles Trad Orchestra, a large ensemble of local musicians celebrating the rich musical heritage of the islands.
The orchestra brings together performers of all ages and backgrounds in a collective showcase of island music.
Later in the evening audiences can look forward to a performance from Uist based six piece Beinn Lee.
Their energetic sound has made them a popular act across the traditional music scene.
The venue will also host the well known late night Festival Club sessions on Friday and Saturday evenings.
Friday’s programme will spotlight contemporary Gaelic songwriting through the Òran Ùr showcase.
The performance will feature Alice Macmillan, Ewen Henderson, Gilliebride Macmillan, Innes White, Isobel Ann Martin, Mairi Macmillan and Seonaidh Macintyre.
Organisers say the event is expected to be one of the highlights of the week.
Saturday evening will present The Kalokerino Tapes by acclaimed singer and composer Maggie MacInnes.
The performance will feature newly arranged material drawn from recordings made by MacInnes’s mother, the celebrated Barra singer Flora MacNeill.
The original archive recordings were made during the 1950s and 1960s by Australian folklorist Dr James Kalokerinos.
The material has now been reimagined in a new performance combining historical recordings with contemporary interpretation.
Alex MacDonald, Head of Performing Arts and Cultural Projects at An Lanntair, said the programme aims to showcase Gaelic music across generations.
“This year our programme presents Gaelic music from its roots to modern composition with a series of concerts which we think offers something for everyone.
“From Maggie MacInnes’s very personal tribute to one of the Hebrides best known tradition bearers her mother the late Flora MacNeill to the modern compositions showcased in Òran Ùr we have a stellar line up of musicians waiting to take the stage during the week.
“We also open the programme with a boy band reunion Hebridean style in the form of Atlantic Blast which I am particularly looking forward to.
“Add in the Beinn Lee ceilidh band and the HebCelt debut for the Western Isles Trad Orchestra and it is going to be another brilliant showcase for island music and musicians.”
HebCelt Artist Programmer Michelle Shields said the partnership with An Lanntair continues to produce some of the most memorable moments of the festival.
“An Lanntair delivers some of the most magical and unique moments of the festival year after year bringing our island’s cultural and pioneering creative spirit to the fore.
“This year’s line up demonstrates that by ensuring those moments can be enjoyed by young families celebrating the gift of storytelling and through providing such a vital platform for showcasing our Gaelic traditions.
“It is a brilliant line up all round.
“It is great to be able to bring back Atlantic Blast some 16 years since the first show.
“Beinn Lee are just so talented it is unreal and anyone who gets along to see Maggie MacInnes is in for a treat.
“No HebCelt week would be complete without a brilliant ceilidh and late night Festival Club to keep the party going for what is one of the most important weeks of the year for our community with An Lanntair at its very heart.”
HebCelt has already announced that Sian, Colin Macleod, The Tumbling Souls, Sean Harrison and Band and Emberline will also appear at this year’s festival.
The main arena programme will feature performances from Manran, Peatbog Faeries and Fara on Thursday, The Mary Wallopers on Friday and The Saw Doctors closing the festival on Saturday night.
Demand for tickets across festival week is already tracking ahead of the previous two years, with music fans urged not to risk missing out and to buy in advance.
For more information and ticket, visit www.lanntair.com or www.hebceltfest.com
