Alyth McCormack

'the voice at the leading edge of gaelic song'
Alyth McCormack was brought up amidst the Gaelic singing of the Island of Lewis, in the Scottish Outer Hebrides. She began singing when she was very young and, having been immersed in this culture, decided to study music. She went to college in both Edinburgh and Glasgow and in 1994 graduated from the RSAMD with a degree in Music Performance.

'a voice of such heavenly purity . . . '
The years that followed were spent touring Britain and Europe with various bands. She then began to experiment with other musical genre and to develop the style of Gaelic music she now performs. In 1998 she was invited to Canada to represent Scottish Gaelic for the CBC/BBC television production 'Celtic Electric'. Further television appearances include the BAFTA award winning 'Tacsi' as a solo artist in 1999 and 2000, a Scottish/Irish production for 'Tele nan Gaidhlig' and 'Togaidh sinn fonn'.

'. . . yet tinged with worldly sadness'
She has appeared solo on the German Scottish Folk Festival Tour (Jan'00), at Celtic Connections (Jan'01), the Hebridean Celtic Festival (July'99) and Kaustinen Folk Festival (July'99), the Highland Festival(Jun'00) and also The Edinburgh Festival 2000. This year she will be touring with 'Shine' in Greece, England on Folkworks' 'Sharper than the Thorn' tour, Italy, The Highland Festival, Spain & The West End Festival in Glasgow.

Artist Web Site: www.alyth.net

Mary MacMaster

'emotion-bearer of the Scottish tradition'
Mary Macmaster is considered one of the most innovative players of the metal-strung harp in the world today. As a self-taught mistress of the bright golden tones of this instrument, and as a fine singer of Gaelic and Scottish songs, she has contributed to some of the best traditional music to come out of Britain this decade.

'inimitable technique on wire-strung and electroharp'
Mary began her career as half of the harp duo, Sileas, with Patsy Seddon, whom she met while studying Scottish History and Gaelic at the University of Edinburgh. With Patsy, she went on to become a founder member of the highly popular four-piece band,The Poozies, in which she also plays the fantastic Camac electro-harp.

'raw, velvet-toned vocals'
She has worked alongside legendary musicians like Dick Gaughan in the band Clan Alba, with The Scottish Chamber Orchestra on Phil Cunningham's Highlands and Islands Suite; with Jo Freya and Kathryn Locke in a performance of contemporary music commissioned for the Byron Festival in Nottinghamshire, with Mike Travis' Uncharted Territory, a jazz/folk fusion project, and following that same theme, in 1999 she took part in the great Geordie event, Bigfest.

Corrina Hewat

'mistress of harmony'
One of the leading harp players in the world today, she has toured Europe, the Far East, America and Canada to rave reviews and regularly appears on radio and television (BAFTA award-winning 'Tacsi', BBC2, 'Demo TV', BBC 2 and Channel 4). Few can boast such a wealth of experience in such a diversity of music. She also has a degree in Jazz and Contemporary Music from the City of Leeds College of Music.

"one of the top harpers in the world"
Corrina has taken the Small Harp to a new level of excellence, combining traditional style music with contemporary attitude. She is in demand as a player, composer, arranger and teacher, and her appeal grows larger as more and more people get to hear and meet her. She has worked in Seannachie (1994 - 1996), Bachue (1995 onwards), Chantan (1996 - 1998), and has done touring and session work with Eric Bibb and Horse MacDonald among others.

"a jazz singer's flexibility, a blues singer's economy, a folk singer's heart"
She is also blessed with a stunningly individual voice, which resonates with years of soaking up Scotland's musical tradition, while exploring contemporary elements and jazz. She is also a composer with three commissions under her belt so far: 'Making the Connection' for Celtic Connections' 'New Voices' 1998, 'Songs of Redshank' for the Highland Festival 1996 and 'Photons in Vapour' for An Tobar, Isle of Mull 2000.

Artist Web Site: www.corrinahewat.com