Tinto Summer School |
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Tutors for Tinto Summer School 2010
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Rachel Hair Since graduating with a first class honours music degree, Rachel has gained recognition as a performer and composer leading her to play and tour many times throughout the UK, Europe, the USA and Asia, playing at many prestigious festivals including Celtic Connections, Sidmouth Folk Week and The Edinburgh International Harp Festival. Rachel's solo album "Hubcaps and Potholes" was released to great critical acclaim in 2006. Her latest album "The Lucky Smile" features her trio of harp, guitar and double bass together with special guest musicians. As well as performing Rachel is a highly experienced, and much sought after freelance tutor of the harp. Regularly tutoring for organistations including Feisean Nan Gaidheal, Feis Rois (Scottish Gaelic Music), Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann (Irish music) and Glasgow's own Celtic Connections. she is currently the harp tutor at Douglas Academy, one of Scotland's four specialist schools for excellence in music. Rachel frequently travels far and wide to countries which have included Switzerland (Celtic Days Harp Festival), Finland, Denmark, the USA and India, to teach not only Scottish/Irish Harp but general traditional/Celtic Music and Groupwork. She teaches using the traditonal "by-ear" method with a strong emphasis on fun and enjoyment. She has also lectured in Scottish and Irish Traditional music at Universities in both America and Scotland. |
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Sharon Hassan Sharon was born and brought up in Insch, Aberdeenshire and it is there that her initial obsession with all things fiddle music began. She was one of the first graduates of the RSAMD degree in Traditional Music and it was there that she met and co-founded the band, Dochas, with some of her college chums of the day. Over the years Sharon has enjoyed working with many great music organisations including Feisean nan Gaidheal, SCaT, The Gordon Gaitherin, Super Strings and the RSAMD and now does development work on a freelance basis for Edinburgh Youth Gaitherin. Due to many hours hiding in the school music department as a teenager (when she probably should have been doing other things!) Sharon developed an addiction for teaching herself to play new instruments including guitar, double bass, piano, whistle, mandolin, bagpipes, drums and has even dabbled with the accordion! She plays with top North East ceilidh outfit 'Hoolichan' and has recently founded the 'North East Folk Collective' sessions which provide young people from Aberdeenshire with opportunities to meet and rehearse together and bring their music to a wider audience. |
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Maeve MacKinnon Maeve was born in the west end of Glasgow in the early ‘80s and developed a love of music from an early age. A learner of Gaelic since the age of 17, Maeve studied the language at college before being accepted onto the RSAMD’s Scottish Music degree in 2000, majoring in Gaelic song and graduating with Honours in 2004. In 2005 Maeve was a finalist in the BBC Radio Scotland “Young Traditional musician of the year”. That same year she was awarded a scholarship to study at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, where she spent a year studying while making her debut album "Don't Sing Lovesongs". The album caught the attention of Celtic Connections festival director Donald Shaw, who invited the band to perform a prestigious “Classic Albums” gig at Celtic Connections. Whilst working full-time in Gaelic medium education, Maeve was voted “Up and Coming Artist of the year” at the 2007 Trad Music Awards. As her singing commitments increased, Maeve decided to take the plunge and now pursues music full-time. Currently making an impact on an international level, Maeve is equally in demand in her native Scotland. She appears regularly on national radio and television and was nominated for "Gaelic Singer of the year" at the 2008 Trad Music Awards. |
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Charlie McKerron Charlie began playing the fiddle when he was nine years old and was taught by Drummond Cook at Hopeman Primary School. In secondary school, his teacher was Jimmy Taylor from Elgin. Charlie won his first fiddle competition when he was twelve at the Elgin Strathspey and Reel Society. One of Scotland's finest fiddle players, he also won the Daily Record Golden Fiddle Award. He did a science degree in Edinburgh, but became a professional musician after completing his degree and was undertaking Scottish tours in his final year. He is known nowadays as the fiddler with Scots supergroup Capercaillie and the fabulous Session A9 and is a prolific composer. |
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James Ross James Ross, from Wick, plays piano, keyboards and accordion. He began playing music at the age of eight, studying under respected musician and composer, the late Addie Harper. He went on to study at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, Glasgow, from which he graduated with a BA in Scottish Music in July 2000. James, as part of a group, was a finalist in the 1999 Radio 2 Young Folk Award. He has performed extensively throughout Britain, Ireland and America, and has recently recorded a live broadcast on solo piano for Celtic Connections, BBC Radio Scotland. James currently plays piano as part of Gaelic singer James Graham's trio and he also works and tours with fiddler Anna-Wendy Stevenson. He has just released his debut album on Greentrax Records. |
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Innes Watson Innes is a native Borderer and fast-rising star of the Scottish folk scene, in equally high demand for his fiddle and guitar playing. He graduated from the RSAMD Traditional Music course in 2006 and is now playing with some of the best up-and-coming acts of Scotland such as Lori Watson and Rule of Three, Border Fiddles, the Treacherous Orchestra, and many more! Innes is currently working on a solo album which will feature brand new music and concepts in contemporary Scotland. |
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