From sparkling jigs and reels to heart-stopping slow airs, Sarah Naylor and Rachel Hair, two of Scotland’s finest Traditional musicians join forces to present an evening of Scottish fiddle and harp. Both critically acclaimed in their own right, the concerts will see them perform both as soloists and as a duo on the “Woven Strings Tour”.

Born and brought up in Skye and Ullapool, respectively, their vibrant, but respectful approach towards their music, heavily influenced by the Gaelic and Piping traditions that surrounded them as children, will see them perform a mixture of Scottish music, both old and new.

Both first class honours graduates and joint award winners of the Alexander Stone Award 2005 for outstanding musical performance, the pair studied alongside each other at the BA Applied Music degree at the University of Strathclyde. In their short 2-year career since graduation, their playing has seen them perform in the USA, Europe and Asia as well as regularly throughout the UK. They are now very excited to be embarking on their long overdue tour of their homeland, the Scottish Highlands. Rachel and Sarah will be on the road for a total of 10 days, taking in venues from Blairgowrie to the Isle of Harris, as well their hometowns.

A highlight of their tour will include the fiddle and clarsach workshops in Portree, Kilmuir Oban, which will the give local players the chance to learn from and play alongside the duo.

Arranging the tour has been a huge learning curve for the pair, having co-odinated the full 10 days themselves. From hall bookings to beds for the night, and poster designs to raffle prizes, they hope that this tour will be prove to be a success and lead to more in the future.


Sarah Naylor

Holder of the prestigious 2005 Glenfiddich Fiddle championship, Sarah Naylor is recognised as one of Scotland’s most accomplished fiddlers, combining both maturity and assurance, with heartfelt passion and spirit to provide a performance which truly embraces the music and stories of the tradition.
A regular performer, Sarah has played at festivals including Fiddle 2006, Celtic Connections, and Brittany’s Lorient Interceltique Festival and is the sole featured artist on “Play Scottish Fiddle” DVD by Taigh na Teud.

Her eagerly awaited debut album is due for release later in the year, and features a mixture of solo fiddle tracks and collaborations with pianist Douglas Millar.

“She performed a rewardingly varied mix of traditional material and classic compositions…displaying admirable control and assurance across the full gamut of pace and mood.”**** Sue Wilson The Scotsman

Rachel Hair

Rachel Hair’s eclectic mix of Scottish, Irish and Original music, highly influenced from both her time studying alongside jazz, folk, rock and classical musicians and her mixed Scots and Irish parentage, has led her to be described as “one of the most innovative young musicians to have emerged over the last few years” (The Irish Music Review)

Her debut solo album “Hubcaps and Potholes” was released to outstanding critical acclaim and showcases the clarsach as a solo instrument, proving that it really can stand its own.
A seasoned performer, Rachel has played at many festivals including the Edinburgh International Harp Festival, Speyfest and Celtic Connections, as well several times on both TV and radio.

"It would be difficult to find another Celtic music debut album of such consistent quality and beauty" rambles.net



Concerts July 2007

Tickets on the door
Wed 18th 7.30pm £6 (£4 conc.) Blairgowrie Town Hall, Blairgowrie*
Thu 19th 7.30pm £6 (£4 conc.) Boat of Garten Village Hall, Boat of Garten *
Fri 20th 7.30pm £6 (£4 conc.) Macphail Centre, Ullapool*
Sat 21st 7.30pm £6 (£4 conc.) An Tuireann, Portree, Isle of Skye*
Mon 23rd 7.30pm Harris Hotel, Tarbert, Isle of Harris
Wed 25th 7.30pm £6 (£4 conc.) Kilmuir Village Hall, Isle of Skye
Thu 26th 7.30pm £6 (£4 conc.) Crafts and Things Arts Café, Ballachulish
Sat 28th 7.30pm £6 (£4 conc.) Taynuilt Village Hall, Taynuilt

*With guest piano accompanist Douglas Millar


Workshops July 2007

Sat 21st An Tuireann, Portree, Isle of Skye
Elementary Clarsach: 1-2pm
Intermediate + Clarsach 2.30-3.30pm
Elementary Fiddle 1-2pm
Intermediate + Fiddle 2.30-3.30pm

Wed 25th, Kilmuir Village Hall, Kilmuir, Isle of Skye
Workshops from 2pm, details tbc

Sat 28th, Church Centre, Oban
Elementary Clarsach 12.30-1.30pm
Intermediate Clarsach 1.45-2.45pm
Advanced Clarsach 3-4pm
Elementary Fiddle 12.30-1.30pm
Intermediate Fiddle 1.45-2.45pm
Advanced Fiddle 3-4pm

To book workshops (limited places) please call 0776 978 1691 or email info@rachelhair.com.

www.wovenstrings.co.uk          www.rachelhair.com         www.sarahnaylor.co.uk