Fèis Rois
Fèis Rois enables people of all ages to access, participate in and enjoy the traditional arts through a diverse programme of activities in Ross & Cromarty, across Scotland and beyond.
Based in Ross & Cromarty, Fèis Rois is widely recognised as a national leader in the arts, particularly in music education. The organisation aims to give young people the opportunity to experience and engage with traditional music and Gaelic culture in a manner which supports them in developing their social skills and inspires them to reach their full potential. In 2015, more than 3,000 young people will take part in regular Fèis Rois activities and the organisation will reach audiences of over 10,000.
Fèis Rois provides opportunities for thousands of young people to learn skills in the traditional arts, as well as encouraging cross art form collaboration, innovative contemporary practice and the use of digital technology. Many of those who participated in the first Fèis Rois workshops have now gone onto carve out very successful careers in the Scottish music industry and they regularly return to teach the next generation of young musicians coming through Fèis Rois, and so the cycle continues.
Australia & Canada joins Feis Rois Ceilidh Trail 2014
In this next phase of the project, an Australian and a Canadian ambassador will travel to Scotland to participate in Fèis Rois’ annual Ceilidh Trail program. The program provides the opportunity to young musicians to develop their skills as a musician and performer through touring across Ross-shire and Scotland over a period of 6 weeks, playing a variety of gigs including formal concerts, background music and ceilidh dances. It is also a great cultural tourism initiative, which encourages local businesses to engage with traditional music, culture and Gaelic language to connect with local communities and tourists.
This year’s ambassadors will tour with Fèis Rois’ National Ceilidh Trail, performing at prestigious festivals including the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and Cambridge Folk Festival, as well as travelling throughout Scotland from the Isle of Lewis to the Scottish Borders, and beyond to London and Cambridge.
Jack Wilson will represent the National Celtic Festival, and in addition to perfoming on Ceilidh Trail, will complete an 11-week internship coordinated by Fèis Rois focusing on language planning and policy issues in Scotland. Jack will also work with partner organisations such as the Universities of Glasgow and Edinburgh, An Lòchran and Bòrd na Gàidligh, Scotland’s national language planning body, to review Fèis Rois’s Gaelic Language Policy and to co-ordinate a Gaelic-medium music fèis for university students from across the country.
Maxim Cormier from Cheticamp, Cape Breton Island, will also be joining the Commonwealth Ceilidh Trail. He is a multi award-winning guitarist and composer with two studio recordings to his name at only 22 years of age. Maxim will travel to Scotland shortly after returning from a trip to Australia, performing and working with Fèis Rois in Australia for the National Celtic Festival.
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Check out the full gig listings here for the Commonwealth Ceilidh Trail, as well as Fèis Rois’s National and Local Trails for this summer.
National Celtic Festival & Feis Rois at Celtic Connections
In January 2014, a delegation of 7 travelled to Scotland to represent the National Celtic Festival at the Celtic Connections festival in Glasgow. Una McAlinden, the NCF’s artistic director, and Fiona Ross were accompanied by five young Australian musicians. Four musicians are members of the award-winning Australian band Tolka: Hilary Glaisher, Robert Hillman, Cameron Hibbs and Allan Evans. They were joined in Scotland by Jack Wilson, the 2013 Face of the National Celtic Festival.
The group performed with other young Scottish musicians from Fèis Rois in a concert at St. Andrew’s in the Square on Saturday 25 January, followed by a performance at the Glasgow Hydro for the festival’s International Burns Concert in front of over 5000 people, which was broadcast nationally on BBC television.
The group also visited Ross-shire and participated in a number of Fèis Rois’ different programs for people young and old, including music programs in primary schools, after-school music programs for young people and jam sessions for adult learners. The young Australian musicians also performed at Hootananny Pub in Inverness and Tulloch Castle in Dingwall.
The group also visited Ross-shire and participated in a number of Fèis Rois’ different programs for people young and old, including music programs in primary schools, after-school music programs for young people and jam sessions for adult learners. The young Australian musicians also performed at Hootananny Pub in Inverness and Tulloch Castle in Dingwall.
