Mythology and storytelling take centre stage in this ambitious cross-genre creation. The familiar sounds of a string orchestra are pulled in unfamiliar directions into a sound world shaped by drones, just intonation, and the earthly tonal spectrum of the pipes. The folklore and history of Skye comes to the fore; from traditional Gaelic waulking songs and the eerie tale of the Spòg Liath (“The grey paw”) to the phases of the moon and the landscape of Scotland’s islands.
The performance will blend live and electrically manipulated sound with specially commissioned visuals from Brìghde’s long-time collaborator Jonny Ashworth, whose bewitching films draw on the landscapes and lore of Scotland’s highlands and islands. Audiences will encounter something both deeply rooted in Scottish heritage and boldly contemporary.
The new collaboration was developed during a three-day residency on the Isle of Skye in March 2026, which culminated in a free sharing at community arts centre An Crùbh, allowing local audiences to be the first to experience the work-in-progress.
Brìghde Chaimbeul, from the Isle of Skye, has set the world of Celtic music alight with her creative, forward-looking approach to Gaelic music. Through her distinctive blend of Celtic experimentalism, she has performed at Big Ears Festival (Knoxville), Edinburgh International Festival, Supersonic Festival and Monheim Triennale. In recent months she has collaborated with artists including Caroline Polachek and Colin Stetson, and recently opened Dior’s 2025 show at Drummond Castle. Scottish Ensemble is a pioneering string orchestra of outstanding musicians, known for ambitious cross-artform projects that reimagine how classical music can be created, performed, and shared. Notable recent collaborations include ANNO with Anna Meredith, and Goldberg Variations – ternary patterns for insomnia with Andersson Dance, a choreographed work for musicians and dancers performed 50 times across the world including at London’s Barbican Centre, the Kennedy Centre Washington, and De Doelen Rotterdam.
Brìghde Chaimbeul said: “It’s been a real honour to collaborate with Scottish Ensemble and create new music for them. I’ve loved shaping a piece that blends together the raw voice of the smallpipes with the rich, expressive world of the strings, and allowing the character of the pipes to guide the music. Inspired by the shifting cycles of the moon as they appear in Gaelic folklore, the piece moves through contrasting landscapes, at times grounded and earthy, at others luminous and otherworldly. And woven throughout, of course, are the ever present drones.”
Jonathan Morton, Artistic Director at Scottish Ensemble, said: “We recently spent three inspiring days on Skye working with Brìghde to draw together the smallpipes and strings into this new, beguiling sound world. It was a fascinating experience for all of us, working from different musical traditions to create something unique and wholly unfamiliar. We’re so looking forward to sharing this with audiences on tour later this year.”
Produced by Scottish Ensemble. Co-commissioned by Edinburgh International Festival and Eden Court, with support from PRS Foundation’s Beyond Borders, the Leche Trust and the Cockaigne Fund, administered by Foundation Scotland.
