A Glasgow music festival that celebrates Scottish folk music has announced it will return in January for the 30th edition of the event.
Budding musicians Eric Linklater and Beth Malcolm teamed up to help launch the milestone Celtic Connections and will each be performing a New Voices commission that they compose and arrange themselves.
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Beth, whose father Jim Malcolm was one of the first musicians to play at the inaugural Celtic Connections festival in 1994, said: “It’s like the biggest music festival now in the folk music scene and it lights up January, which is quite a quiet time otherwise.”
Eric, an emerging fiddle player, added: “It’s very exciting to be a part of the 30th anniversary.
“In January it’s so nice to have something and loads of musicians get together and there are lots of great concerts to go and see.
“Especially after Christmas and Glasgow is quite rainy and dark in January but it’s definitely nice to have something on then.”
The festival, which runs from January 19 until February 5, 2023, has a jam-packed programme that will pay homage to the last three decades with a spotlight on musicians that have been involved in Celtic Connections since it began.
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Donald Shaw, the creative producer for Celtic Connections, said: “Our 30th anniversary is a hugely important moment for the festival, especially considering the last couple of years.
“We will, of course, be paying homage to the musicians, bands and artists who have contributed, supported and inspired the festival over the last three decades, but importantly this is also a moment to look to the future.
“The last two years have been incredibly tough for so many musicians and the live entertainment industry in general, so Celtic Connections 2023 is an opportunity to commemorate how far the festival and the Scottish music scene have come, and to also celebrate the fact that we are still here.
“Celtic Connections is still showcasing some of the best music Scotland and the world has to offer, established and emerging musicians are still here creating and performing, and audiences are still here enjoying the cultural exponents of our country and other nations from across the world.
“Sharing our music and our arts is a vital part of our human existence, connecting us and enriching lives, and we have missed that.
“I can’t wait to revel in a live festival once again and celebrate the resilience and the longevity of our sector.”
Tickets are available from 10am on Wednesday from celticconnections.com.
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