Brìghde Chaimbeul is a leading purveyor of celtic experimentalism and a master of the
Scottish smallpipes – the bellows-blown, mellower and more emotive cousin to the famous
Highland bagpipes – and she’s taken them to the global stage. A native Gaelic speaker from
the Isle of Skye, Brìghde roots her music in her language and culture. She rose to
prominence as a prodigy of traditional music, but has since begun a journey to take the
smallpipes into uncharted territory. She has devised a completely unique way of arranging
for pipe music that emphasises the rich textural drones of the instrument; the constancy of
sound that creates a trance-like atmosphere, played with enticing virtuosic liquidity.
She draws inspiration from the world of interconnected piping traditions, and her most recent
album brings in influence from ambient, avant garde and electronic music. One can talk
about Brìghde’s awards (BBC Young Folk Award; BBC Horizons Award; SAY Award
nominee) and her wide array of collaborators (Caroline Polachek; Colin Stetson; Gruff Rhys;
Aidan O’Rourke…) but after it all, her music speaks for itself.
Haunting, entrancing, breathtaking, beautiful – this open-eared, understatedly virtuosic
performer is transforming and creating new definitions for Scottish folk in the 21st century.
Brìghde Chaimbeul
