Fèis Rois is delighted to launch the third year of its innovative Fèis an t-Samhraidh (Summer Festival) project, providing a vibrant programme of traditional music in the Highlands throughout the peak summer period of July and August.

The two key elements of Fèis an t-Samhraidh are the Cèilidh Trail and the Summer Sessions.  The Feis Rois Ceilidh Trail is a hugely popular four-week training event designed to help young musicians develop their performance skills whilst at the same time creating a lively traditional music entertainment programme throughout the area.

This year's participants are Katie MacKenzie, Eilean Green, Catriona Ramsay, Roya MacLean, Colin Gordon, Alex Urquhart-Taylor and Ruairaidh Campbell. They will be joined by fiddle player, Fiona Dalgetty, who is also co-ordinating the project. 

The eight participants will take part in an intensive training week with some of Scotland's top musicians and singers, including: Iain MacDonald, youngest brother of the famous piping family from Glenuig; pianist and composer, James Ross, and Maggie MacDonald, a member of the Gaelic 'super group,' Cliar. The training week will equip the participants with technical skills such as basic sound engineering, as well as allowing them to develop their repertoire before they take to the road for a three-week trail of music, song and dance all over the Highlands.
 
The success of this innovative Fèis Rois project has led to several other areas adopting the model and there are now Cèilidh Trails springing up all over the country. This year sees the 25th anniversary of the Fèis movement and the Fèis Rois Cèilidh Trail participants are thrilled to be joining four other Fèis Cèilidh Trails, based in Sutherland, Skye, Lochaber and Spey, for a celebratory concert on the Isle of Barra on Saturday 30th July. 

Another highlight in the diary for this flagship Cèilidh Trail is a performance at the Tartan Heart festival near Beauly on Saturday 13th August.

Be sure to catch the Cèilidh Trail at one of these events:

• Monday 25th July  The Ceilidh Place, Ullapool, 9 - 11pm
• Tuesday 26th July  ANTA Factory Shop, Fearn, 2 - 4pm
• Tuesday 26th July  Seaboard Memorial Hall, Balintore, 8 - 11pm
• Saturday 30th July  Tangasdale, Isle of Barr
• Monday 1st August  The Ceilidh Place, Ullapool, 9 - 11pm
• Tuesday 2nd August  Highland Museum of Childhood, Strathpeffer, 5 - 7pm
• Wednesday 3rd August Inverewe Garden, Poolewe, 1 - 3pm
• Wednesday 3rd August Poolewe Village Hall, 8 - 11pm
• Saturday 6th August  MacNab's Bistro and Bar, Inverness, 9pm - midnight
• Sunday 7th August  Scatwell Garden Open Day, Marybank, 2 - 6pm
• Monday 8th August  The Ceilidh Place, Ullapool, 9 - 11pm
• Tuesday 9th August  Coigach Community Hall, Achiltibuie, 8 - 11pm
• Friday 12th August  Hootananny, Inverness, 9pm - midnight
• Saturday 13th August  Tartan Heart Festival, Beauly, 12noon

The Summer Sessions offer traditional music entertainment throughout Ross and Cromarty every night of week from 18th July to 28th August. This year seventeen venues have joined the scheme; the venues stretch from Applecross to Achiltibuie in the west coast and from Portmahomack to Muir of Ord on the east coast. All the venues are busy booking their musicians for the six-week period, choosing from a fantastic range of musicians. 

Feis Rois Manager Rita Hunter explains: "There was a terrific opportunity here to showcase the extensive range of existing and emerging talent in the Highland traditional music scene. We find that many visitors tell us that this is exactly what they were hoping to find in their visit to Scotland. Our summer programme is very popular and is giving a great boost to cultural tourism in the Highlands."

Funded through Highlands and Islands Enterprise, the Scottish Arts Council and the Highland Council, the Feis Rois Summer programme should be a great success. For any further information and programme details please call 01349 862600.