Nominated ‘Instrumentalist of the Year’ at the Scots Trad Awards 2016

Whatever the context, Tony McManus’ presence is unique and driven by a passion for the music. His engaging personality on stage has taken him to five continents, and his contribution was recently recognised with a Gold Medal, voted by the readers of Acoustic Guitar Magazine – fellow recipients were John Williams, Paco de Lucia and Tommy Emmanuel. Tony’s 2009 recording, The Makers Mark, won universal acclaim even in the rock guitar press, where jigs and reels would have been unheard of prior to its release.

Tony’s most recent album, Mysterious Boundaries, took a different path altogether, exploring the music of Bach, Couperin, Monteverdi, Satie and Granados.

Tony will be joined by special guest Julia Toaspern on guitar, fiddle and vocals.

Through Tony McManus’ hands, the emotions of celtic music are transferred to the guitar and the listener is drawn into the driving energy of a reel or the timeless atmosphere of a lament – each finding an authentic voice through his interpretation. That emotional connection lifts McManus’ playing beyond mere virtuosity to a place where new listeners worldwide – from the Hebrides to Connemara and from Bogota to Tokyo – are won over to this music. In addition to his solo albums, there have also been groundbreaking recordings with musicians as diverse as Scots fiddler Alasdair Fraser, bluegrass legend Dan Crary and French bassist Alain Genty, to name but a few.

‘Tony McManus is the best Celtic guitarist in the world’ John Renbourn
‘Tony is the Jeff Beck of the acoustic guitar’ Paul Reed Smith, PRS Guitars