Sunday Afternoon Concert

Graham Mackenzie and Rory Matheson are a fiddle and piano duo from the Highlands of Scotland, known for their intricate playing and innovative arrangements. Both graduates of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, they’ve been performing together since 2019, blending their love for traditional Scottish music with a fresh, dynamic approach. Finalists in the BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year, the duo’s debut album, Take Six, was released in June 2025. With their unique style and musical flair, Graham and Rory are quickly becoming one of the most exciting duos in Scotland’s folk music scene.

MG Alba Scots Trad Awards 2024 ‘Up and Coming Artist of the Year’ Nominee. Talented emerging Scottish musician Lauren Collier, is making a name for her virtuosity on the fiddle and captivating vocals. Originally from Irvine in Ayrshire, Lauren now lives in Glasgow and has been writing and playing her own music for the last six years. She has toured all over Scotland and has played in Canada, India, Ireland, Denmark and Sweden.

Lauren will be playing along with Ali Hutton on guitar. Ali, from Methven in Perthshire, was inspired at the age of 7 to take up the bagpipes and rose through the ranks of the world famous Vale of Atholl Pipe Band. It was there that he was taught, alongside Ross Ainslie, by the late, great Gordon Duncan. He has since gone on to become a successful multi-instrumentalist on the Scottish folk music scene. His arsenal includes Bagpipes, Whistle and Guitars. Ali has performed and worked alongside some of the most respected musicians and bands on the scene such as Capercaillie, Dougie Maclean, Carlos Nunez, Deaf Shepherd, Clueless, Steve Forman, Salsa Celtica, and Shooglenifty to name but a few.

Fèis (plural Fèisean) is the Gaelic word for a festival or feast. However over the past thirty years the word has become synonymous with the Fèis movement; a group of Gaelic arts tuition festivals, mainly for young people, which now take place throughout Scotland.Fèis Spè has been providing access to top quality tuition and performance opportunities in traditional music and Gaelic for young people throughout the Cairngorms National Park since 1990. We are delighted to have this group of musicians joining us at the festival for the first time.