Latest news with #BBCALBA
Scotsman
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Contemporary trad band ‘Falasgair' wins talent search to open Belladrum main stage
Six-piece contemporary trad band Falasgair has been announced as the winner of this year's Belladrum Tartan Hearts Festival talent search, bagging the opportunity to perform on the festival's main stage. The Skye band, who take their name from the Gaelic word for the seasonal act of burning heather, are set to light up Bella 2025 as the opening act. Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... BBC ALBA teamed up with The Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival to find the best of Scotland's up-and-coming musical talent with artists from across the Highlands and Islands submitting a selection of their best tracks to be shortlisted for the public vote. Following a rigorous judging process to whittle the diverse talent down to a shortlist of just eight, Falasgair fought off some strong competition to win the slot. The band was in good company on the shortlist joined by The Chosen Lonely, The Cherries, Scott C. Park, El Sartel, Isla Scott, Low Light Listening Lounge and Ró Ó hEadhra. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Falasgair will open the festival with a mix of contemporary, traditional, and self-penned songs. The band is led by Macaulay Ross on fiddle, with the whistle and bagpipe duo of Dougal McKiggan and Finn MacPherson, all reinforced by a powerful backline - Ben Muir on keys, Caetano Hayes Pelletti on guitar and bouzouki, and Eoghainn Beaton on bodhrán. Falasgair - Belladrum talent search winners The talent search win follows on from the success of Falasgair at the MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards where they won Up and Coming Artist of the Year 2024. Finn MacPherson, Falasgair, said: 'Having attended Belladrum quite a few times since I was young I never thought I'd see myself on the main stage playing alongside my pals, so it's a pretty surreal feeling. We're incredibly grateful to everyone who voted for us — we couldn't have done it without the amazing support from our family, friends, and the local community. It really shows the strength of the music scene here. 'This has come at a great time for us a band as we're recording our debut album and will release it later this year. We're looking forward to kicking off the festival in a traditional manner - with the pipes!' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad True to its longstanding support of Scottish artists, BBC ALBA supported the search which provides a platform to propel newcomers onto the celebrated Scottish music scene. Falasgair will also appear on BBC ALBA, which will be available to watch on BBC iPlayer as part of the broadcaster's festival coverage. Falasgair - Belladrum talent search winners Calum McConnell, commissioning editor at BBC ALBA, said: 'After their success at the MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards last November, winning this opportunity to open the Belladrum Tartan Heart Music Festival seems like the icing on the cake for Falasgair. A brilliant, young, energetic traditional music band whose star is definitely on the rise, so make sure you're down the front of the Hot House Stage to catch them while you can!' Robert Robertson, lead singer of Tide Lines and independant judge on the competition, said: 'I had a lovely afternoon listening through all the entries! The standard of music was extremely high and a great representation of our vibrant Highland music scene. Falasgair are well deserved winners. It's brilliant that the festival will be opened by a young, island band playing traditional music with such dynamism and energy. They'll have the place bouncing!' Known for its unique and diverse showcase of music and the arts, the festival has grown in popularity over the past 20 years, now attracting thousands of visitors. As Belladrum prepares for its 21st year, Falasgair will share the stage with some amazing acts including Texas, Supergrass, Paul Heaton, Tom Walker and Natasha Bedingfield. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Belladrum festival producer, Dougie Brown, said: 'Congratulations to Falasgair. We were blown away by the level of entries this year and we can't to welcome the band to our 21st birthday outing and kick things off on the main stage this July!' Musicians were invited to apply to the BBC ALBA Belladrum talent search by submitting a bio and link to their music, with entries judged by a panel of experts. The shortlist then went to public vote on the Belladrum website.
Scotsman
18-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Voting for The Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival talent search is now open
BBC ALBA and The Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival have once again teamed up with a quest to find the best up-and-coming musical talent from the Highlands and Islands. The winner of the talent search will be given the opportunity to perform on the main stage at this year's Belladrum Tartan Heart Music Festival. Open to solo artists and bands (where at least 50% of its members have a Highland home address) across all genres, one newcomer will be given the opportunity to perform on the main stage at this year's Belladrum Tartan Heart Music Festival. Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Public votes can be cast on the Belladrum website and will be closing at 5pm Friday 20 June, ahead of Belladrum Tartan Heart Music Festival 2025 from Thursday 31 July to Saturday 2 August. Vote here - Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Eight incredible up-and-coming acts are in the running to open the MAIN STAGE at Bella 2025! Cameron Ferguson, main stage Belladrum 2024 Low Light Listening Lounge Falasgair The Cherries Isla Scott The Chosen Lonely El Sartel Ró Ó hEadhra Scott C. Park Known for its unique and diverse showcase of music and the arts, the festival has grown in popularity over the past 20 years, now attracting thousands of visitors. As it prepares for its 21st year, with acts including Texas, Supergrass, Paul Heaton, Tom Walker and Natasha Bedingfield confirmed, the team is on the hunt to find the best new homegrown talent to open the main stage at the Hot House Arena on Thursday 31 July. True to its longstanding support of Scottish artists, BBC ALBA is supporting the search, providing a platform to propel newcomers onto the celebrated Scottish music scene, as well as an additional opportunity for the winner to record an acoustic session in the BBC ALBA studio at the festival. Find out more about Belladrum and get your tickets at Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Cameron Ferguson, main stage Belladrum 2024
Scotsman
15-06-2025
- Politics
- Scotsman
How new legislation would strengthen the rights of parents to ask for a Gaelic school
The Scottish Languages Bill will be debated on Tuesday, and Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes has written about the legislation's importance. Sign up to our Politics newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Having been immersed in Gaelic medium education since the age of three, I recognise the immense benefits Gaelic brings to communities around Scotland. Living in the Highlands, I've seen how the language is a unique selling point for Scotland when exporting products, like whisky, or inviting visitors to the country. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, the National Centre for Gaelic Language and Culture, is based in Sleat, on the Isle of Skye | Sabhal Mòr Ostaig The language also benefits the economy, with our thriving Gaelic broadcasting supporting 340 jobs across Scotland. The success and talent of the sector has been showcased to the world through BBC ALBA's recent crime thriller series An t-Eilean, or 'The Island'. The programme, which debuted earlier this year, has had tremendous success, attracting a record number of viewers on BBC ALBA. It has also been sold to several European broadcasters and was recently named Europe's best regional programme at the CIRCOM Awards. To accelerate Gaelic's growth, the Scottish Government has introduced the Scottish Languages Bill, which MSPs will consider on Tuesday. I am honoured to take forward this Bill into its final stage as a Gaelic speaker and Scotland's first Cabinet secretary for the language. It presents us with a significant opportunity to protect and restore our treasured languages of Gaelic and Scots. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad New powers within the Bill would strengthen the rights of parents to ask for a Gaelic school to be set up in their area. Under the plans, local authorities would be required to assess if the request was practical and affordable. After taking advice, ministers could direct local authorities to proceed with the establishment a new Gaelic school if the authority's assessment considers it to be viable. We know that Gaelic medium schools offer good value for money as they frequently demonstrate above average performance despite costs being no greater than English medium schools. Research also indicates that children who are bilingual tend to perform better in school and have access to more jobs when they grow up. The Scottish National Party's (SNP) Kate Forbes. Picture: Jane Barlow/PA Wire Other measures include introducing educational standards for Gaelic and Scots and bringing forward targets on the number of people speaking and learning Gaelic. This would ensure that ministers are accountable to MSPs on progress made in growing Gaelic throughout Scotland. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The Bill would also establish Scots and Gaelic as official languages and support the creation of areas of linguistic significance in Gaelic communities, so that we can better target policies to support the language's growth These provisions aim to build on the encouraging progress made in the most recent census in 2022, which found an increase in Gaelic use for the first time since 1971. However, I recognise that more needs to be done to grow Gaelic in communities where it is traditionally spoken following a drop in speakers in the Outer Hebrides. That's why the Scottish Government is working with partners to support more economic and social opportunities in Gaelic communities so that more people who speak the language continue to live in those areas. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The Scottish Languages Bill would also play a vital role in restoring Gaelic's place in these communities. The significance of Gaelic medium education to the language's resurgence is reflected through my own family. My grandparents, who lived just south of Inverness, spoke the language, but this was not passed on to my parents. But through Gaelic medium education I had the privilege to become fluent in Gaelic. I am optimistic that, with the passage of this Bill, the privilege of Gaelic medium education will become more widely available to children and young people in all parts of Scotland.
The National
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The National
BBC Alba launch search for homegrown talent to play Belladrum festival
The broadcaster has teamed up with The Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival to unearth the next top talent from the Highlands and Islands in a bid to celebrate newcomers to Scotland's music scene. The competition is open to solo artists and bands, where at least 50% of their members have a Highland home address, across all genres, with one newcomer receiving the opportunity to open the main stage at the Hot House Arena on Thursday, 31 July. As the festival prepares for its 21st year, with acts including Texas, Supergrass, Paul Heaton, Tom Walker, and Natasha Bedingfield confirmed, BBC ALBA is on the hunt to find the best new homegrown talent to add to the lineup. READ MORE: Winter festivals worth almost £200 million to Edinburgh, report shows Calum McConnell, commissioning editor at BBC ALBA, said: 'While there is nothing quite like the atmosphere of being in the field at a festival, shoulder to shoulder with fellow music and arts fans, BBC ALBA remain committed to bringing the magic of Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival to audiences who can't be there in person, as we have done for the past 13 years. 'Our festival highlights are always a popular fixture in BBC ALBA's summer schedule, and this year will be no exception. The addition of the talent search will shine an even brighter light on the incredible creativity emerging from the Highlands and Islands.' (Image: BBC ALBA) Held on the Belladrum Estate in Kiltarlity, the festival has grown in popularity over the past 20 years and now attracts thousands of visitors. BBC ALBA, which held a similar competition last year, said it aims to support Scottish artists and aims to provide a platform to propel newcomers into the industry. The lucky winner will also have the additional opportunity to record an acoustic session in the BBC ALBA studio at the festival. Musicians can apply by submitting a bio and link to their music to tartanheart@ with entries judged by a panel of experts, including representatives from the BBC and Belladrum, alongside an independent musician appearing at the festival, before the shortlist goes to a public vote. Applications will open on May 27 at 9am and will close at 11.59pm on June 8. It is expected that the public vote will open on June 13 on the Belladrum website and will close on June 20, ahead of Belladrum Tartan Heart Music Festival 2025, which runs from July 31 to August 2.
Scotsman
04-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Scottish stars read Gaelic children's bedtime stories in new BBC ALBA series
BBC ALBA is helping little ones wind down with a new season of Stòiridh, its much-loved Gaelic bedtime story series with the help of some familiar Scottish personalities. Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter, get the latest news and reviews from our specialist arts writers Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Stars of the acclaimed drama An t-Eilean, Sorcha Groundsell and Sam James Smith, along with Scotland's Makar, Peter Mackay, chaplain and broadcaster Suzie Roberts and poet Babs Macgregor are the Gaelic personalities lending their voices and storytelling talents to the new series, guiding young viewers into dreamland with charming Gaelic tales. With two episodes airing each week at 5.55pm on BBC ALBA, Stòiridh invites children to cosy up in their favourite aodach-leapa (pyjamas) to hear this season's guest contributors read from some well-known storybooks, with cuddly toys and fun props to help bring the tales to life. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Aimed at 3-6 year olds, the series supports early Gaelic language learning while providing an entertaing evening routine. The season opens with Sorcha Groundsell reading Sin an Dìthean Agamsa! | That's My Flower!, a beautifully illustrated story about a protective bird that tries its best to take care of a precious flower. BBC ALBA - Stòiridh Sam James Smith Talking about her involvement in the new series, Sorcha Groundsell says: 'I'm thrilled to be part of this iconic series reading some of our well-loved Gaelic stories to little ones before bedtime. It's a great way to educate BBC ALBA's younger audiences with Gaelic words they may not be familiar with. 'We hope the new series will help kids – and their parents – get a good night's sleep!' Peter Mackay, Scotland's Makar, adds: 'It's great to be part of this series of Stòiridh; I wish that when I was young we'd had so many different stories - and readers - on TV in Gaelic. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'There are so many great books out there, and I hope each story in the series helps encourage children to love reading, and playing, and messing around with words themselves.'
