‘Torch-bearers of a freshly reinvigorated tradition. . . one of the most exciting Scottish folk discoveries in recent years’ AllMusic

‘Gifted, imaginative, complex and engaging. . . a sound that just exudes joy’ FRUK

‘Bring contemporary fiddle music to new heights. . . enthralling vocal arrangements’ Scotsman

The new decade marks an exciting new chapter for Scotland’s fabulous fiddle-led Fara, as founding Orkney frontwomen Jeana Leslie, Catriona Price and Kristan Harvey welcome young Highland pianist Rory Matheson to the line-up.

Having bid a fond farewell to original fourth member Jennifer Austin, who’s moved on to other projects, Fara recruited Matheson via the fabled folk scene in Glasgow, their shared adoptive hometown.

A 2018 finalist in BBC Radio Scotland’s Young Traditional Musician of the Year, Matheson hails from the rich musical heartland of Scotland’s north-west coast, where he learned his craft through the world-renowned Fèis Rois youth programme.

The fiddlers’ ensuing collective sweep of top UK new-talent trophies included Catriona’s Dewar Arts Award, a Young Traditional Musician of the Year title for Kristan (who’s also a member of Blazin’ Fiddles) and Jeana’s Radio 2 Young Folk Award, in her duo with singer Siobhan Miller. Individual guest and session gigs, meanwhile, ranged from Belle and Sebastian to Nicola Benedetti, alongside periodic joint excursions back home, as riotous reinforcement to mighty Orcadian folk-rockers The Chair. The first formative threads of Fara’s rich sonic skein were thus already being spun.