Sutherland Sessions - TRIP in concert at Edderton Hall this weekend
This Saturday 7th November at 7.30pm, the 6-piece traditional Celtic folk band TRIP (including Rory Matheson from Drumbeg) will be revisiting Sutherland Sessions by popular demand and this time they will be performing at Edderton Village Hall.
By Andrena Ballantyne & Silvia Muras
TRIP are wonderful fiddler and Gaelic speaker Isla Callister from Peel on the Isle of Man; Sligo’s Tiernan Courell, a winner of the prestigious All-Ireland Senior Flute competition at the Fleadh Cheoil, on whistles as well as flute;
Michael Biggins, a multi-instrumentalist from Newcastle and a recipient of BBC’s Young Traditional Musician of the Year, on accordion; Alasdair MacKenzie from Dingwall, who came up through the ranks of Fèis Rois and attended the National School of Excellence in Traditional Music at Plockton, excelling on both guitar and vocals; Sutherland’s own Rory Matheson, a much sought-after pianist and also a member of FARA as well as leading his own all-star dance band; and bodhran maestro, Craig Baxter, from Clackmannanshire, well-known to audiences far and wide as a member of the band Gnoss. Now based in Glasgow, members of TRIP met and formed the band in 2017, whilst studying at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.
At the heart of TRIP’s live performances is an infectious energy and camaraderie that has captivated audiences across Scotland and beyond: they have played at Celtic Connections, Sligo Live, Belfast Winter Trad Festival, Estonia’s Viljandi Folk Festival, Orkney Folk Festival, Shetland Folk Festival and Festival Interceltique de Lorient. Recently, a stunning collaboration with The Scottish Dance Theatre on “Moving Cloud” saw them travel to Colombia in South America. Their debut album “A Drop for Neptune” (2022) garnered nominations for Best Album of the Year at the Scots Trad Music Awards. Their second album, “In Terra’s Keep”(2025) celebrates the deep connection between land and traditional music. The support slot will be ably filled on the night by emerging Scottish traditional singer and whistle player, Kirsty McInnes, originally from Sutherland, who performs moving interpretations of Gaelic and traditional songs. She attended the National Centre of Excellence in Traditional Music in Plockton and studied Gaelic song at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.
Sutherland Sessions are grateful to Edinburgh Sutherland Association for a small grant which will pay for venue hire for the remainder of this year’s concerts.
About Sutherland Sessions...
Sutherland Sessions was formed in 2016 by three local women. Their plan was to bring top quality trad music to East and mid-Sutherland so that it could be more readily accessed by all.
In addition, emerging local musicians would be invited to showcase their talent during twenty minute support slots. The not-for-profit group has now been established for ten years. The committee has grown slightly, but the twin aims remain the same and everyone who comes to a concert is assured of a friendly welcome. Over twenty-five different venues have now been used for more than a hundred concerts.
Despite the fact that most of the committee members have home commitments and busy day jobs, planning is now well underway for a 2027 programme which promises to be just as good as ever. The committee is extremely grateful to all who have supported Sutherland Sessions in the last ten years.
More on Sutherland Sessions, from our archive:
Silvia Muras
Comments ()