Julie Fowlis: Bringing the Ancient Songs
of Hebridean Islands to New Audiences
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JULIE FOWLIS is a talented singer and instrumentalist from Scotland. |
VANCOUVER - Bringing centuries old songs from the windswept islands of the Hebrides to a modern audience, Julie Fowlis remains steadfastly true to her roots in North Uist. If you haven't heard her before, be prepared to be surprised by her music and her "breathtaking vocal power."
Julie Fowlis is a talented singer and instrumentalist from Scotland. She is the reigning BBC Radio 2 Folk Singer of the Year and in a few short years she has taken the music scene by storm, gathering a small army of fans around the world.
She is somewhat of an enigma as she sings in a language only understood by around 60,000 people - which accounts for only approximately one percent of the population of Scotland. She sings in Scottish Gaelic and spends her time touring around the world bringing ancient songs form the Hebridean Islands to new audiences.
She is an accomplished musician as well - playing Highland bagpipes, smallpipes, whistles, oboe and cor anglais and is currently expanding her repertoire on the one row melodeon.
Recently Julie has delved a little into broadcasting, and has had the opportunity to present two flagship music programmes on BBC Scotland - the traditional music programme Travelling Folk and the world music show Global Gathering. A one hour documentary on Julie and her musical travels, entitled Bliadhna Julie/Julie's Year was also broadcast by the BBC in 2007.
She was publicly voted Gaelic Singer of the Year 2007 at the Scots Trad Music Awards and her second solo album Cuilidh, which has just been re-released as a three CD box set, including a DVD and live cuts from the Celtic Connections Festival in 2008 as well as her amazing cover of The Beatles' Blackbird - in Gaelic! - was voted Album of the Year at the same awards.
Julie Fowlis will perform the only Canadian date on her short tour of North America this February with her husband, Eamon Doorley - of Danu, young Shetland fiddle diva Jenna Reid, and Dublin guitarist Tony Byrne.
Don't miss the Julie Fowlis Quartet performance in Vancouver on February 20 hosted by the Rogue Folk Club at St. James Hall (3214 West 10th Avenue). Tickets $25 ($22 members). On sale at Highlife Records, Rufus' Guitar Shop, and on-line at www.roguefolk.bc.ca. For information and reservations, call (604) 736-3022.
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