BBC ALBA announced a new four-part series about traditional music which will feature eight young musicians from Scotland and Ireland.
The series, Sruth, shows that traditional music is as much at home amongst the Industrial suburbs of Glasgow or the side-streets of Belfast as it is under the shadow of Mount Errigal or on the Isle of Skye.
The young traditional musicians will get the chance to show their talents while getting to play with some more established A-listers such as Julie Fowlis, Phil Cunningham, Niall Vallely and Duncan Chisholm.
READ MORE: Pianist Michael Biggins wins Young Traditional Musician of the Year award
Scottish fiddler, Duncan Chisholm, said: “The music represents where we're from, who we are and that connection between the north of Ireland and Scotland is very clear in the music.”
Filmed in Belfast, Glasgow, throughout Ulster and the Scottish Highlands and Islands, the production of the series was of course a daunting prospect under Coronavirus restrictions but while the young musicians and their mentors might have been socially distanced, the music created a strong connection between them.
Executive Producer, Dónal O’Connor of Táin Media said: “This music can put us in touch with ourselves in ways that no other art form can do. It can embrace the pulse of our ancestral memory, allowing us to redefine our dreams of what it is to be Irish or Scottish.”
He added: "The series features performances which will take your breath away. Traditional music is quintessentially the art of solo performance and these four one hour programmes give us the chance to let the music breath. We get to experience the magic that great solos can produce, they can grace a moment of joy or they can amplify a moment of sorrow."
Sruth will be broadcasted on BBC ALBA on February 25, the first episode will also be available beforehand as an exclusive iPlayer drop on February 22 on BBC iPlayer.
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