Fair Isle Music Events, 2012

There were a host of cultural activities on the isle in 2012, a number of them linked with the sea.

A new event, which developed into a small “festival”, with music playing a strong part, was the visit by the Norwegian training tall ship, The Loyal, in July. The crew included young island resident Tom Best and there is every indication that we can expect more visits on a regular basis. Fair Isle may appear a distant speck of land in a vast sea but there is no doubting its international credentials.

Native Fair Islander Chris Stout brought his Brazilian band, Chris Stout’s Brazilian Theory, to the isle for a concert in May and in August the isle was treated to a premiere of isle resident Lise Sinclair’s new musical composition A Time to Keep. The inspiration for the songs was taken from the writings of the same title by Orkneyman George Mackay Brown. The musicians included an Orkneyman but also a collaboration with Icelandic artists which included a translation of the lyrics into Icelandic by Ástvaldur Traustasson. A Time to Keep was also premiered in Edinburgh and Iceland and has been produced as a double CD.

Photos copyright - Left to right: ‘The Loyal’- copyright Nick Riddiford; Chris Stout’s Brazilian Theory – copyright Thomas H. Hyndman;  ‘A Time to Keep’ - CD cover image by Dave Wheeler.

Text and photos from FIMETI Newsletter 'Making Waves' no. 10, March 2013. Text copyright of Fair Isle Marine Environment & Tourism Initiative. All rights reserved.

Text and photographs Copyright Fair Isle Marine Environment and Tourism Initiative.  All rights reserved.