Young, female, traditional music duo 'Blyde Lasses' are bringing the sounds of Shetland to Riverbank Arts Centre on Friday 26th and Saturday 27th of March.
On Friday, the talented Scottish musicians blyde Lasses will play a free lunchtime concert at Riverbank Arts Centre, Newbridge. Kicking off at 1pm, music lovers will have a chance to sample the delights of the music created by this female duo.
Following the free show on Friday, budding musicians and those with an interest in music traditions and ceili dancing will then have an opportunity to take part in a mixed instrument workshop with the Blyde Lasses on Saturday 27th at 2pm.
The duo's name means 'glad girls' in Shetland dialect, and Claire White and Frances Wilkins have been looking forward to their trip west for almost a year. Concertina player Frances Wilkins explains 'We're excited about sharing our songs and tunes with new audiences and introducing them to the history and landscape of Scotland's northern isles'. Singer and fiddler Claire White eagerly awaits the reaction of 'overseas' audiences to her accented lyrics!
Blyde Lasses formed in 2007 when Frances and Claire both found themselves living and working in Aberdeen. After several pub sessions they struck up a playing partnership which has seen them visiting the North Atlantic Fiddle Convention in Canada in 2008 and performing aboard the 'Glenlee' Tall Ship at Partick Folk Festival in 2009.
As an ethnomusicologist Frances is expert at ferreting out old music and dusting it down for the duo. Claire works as a BBC Producer by day recording and broadcasting all manner of audio material. The pair perform traditional, contemporary and self-penned Shetland music and are famed for their colourful co-coordinating outfits!
See the Blyde Lasses for free at Riverbank on Friday 26th, 1pm. Take part in the Blyde Lasses Mixed instrument workshop on Saturday 27th March at 2pm, workshop price €10. Contact Riverbank box office on 045 448327 for bookings or see www.riverbank.ie