By all accounts, Hannah Rarity is the one to watch on the Scottish Folk scene and she is the special guest on Wednesday 28th March at Irvine Folk Club. This is a change to the scheduled Sean Donnelly.
Hannah, from Dechmont in West Lothian, won BBC Scotland’s Young Trad Musician of the Year competition in January, supported Cathal McConnell at a Celtic Connections concert, has toured internationally with Cherish the Ladies and also has done projects with the RSNO and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. She has a voice that is clear, expressive and strong – but in a gentle way. Repeatedly in performance reviews, Hannah’s ability to connect with audiences is mentioned. She appeared in the BBC2 documentary ‘The Wayfaring Stranger’ screened last year and sang The Parting Glass to tremendous acclaim.
Hannah is a graduate of The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland where one of her tutors was the renowned Scots singer Rod Paterson. She released ‘Beginnings’ a six track EP in 2016 and has set up a crowd-funding site to help complete her debut album scheduled for release in September of this year. Hannah’s repertoire in the main is trad songs which she augments with some of her own material.
Along with a busy touring schedule – she is part of the month long Highland Blast Tour in Germany in November – as part of the Live Music Now charity set up by Sir Yehudi Menuhin, Hannah along with Luc McNally take music to communities which don’t often experience live music eg Care Homes. Hannah has also put her name behind the Save Strings & Percussion tuition in West Lothian. This is a young woman passionate about music.
Hannah Rarity at Irvine Folk Club on Wednesday 28th March at 8pm in Vineburgh Community Centre in Caldon Road – be there!