Award-winning instrumentalist and singer Julie Fowlis returns Nov. 2 to the Community Concert Hall with “Music of the Scottish Isles”

DURANGO, Colo. – Scottish instrumentalist and singer Julie Fowlis (FOE-liss) returns to the Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College on Wednesday, Nov. 2, with “Music of the Scottish Isles.” Durango is one of only 12 stops on Fowlis’ current US tour. Local Celtic band Giant’s Dance opens the show.
With mesmerizing vocal power, the gracious Fowlis brings centuries-old songs from the windswept islands of the Outer Hebrides, west of the Isle of Skye in Scotland, to a contemporary audience. Performing in Scots Gaelic, she has cultivated ancient roots and an overlooked language understood by less than 1 percent of the Scottish population, moving this music from the edge of the world to center stage.
Growing up in North Uist, Fowlis was surrounded by tradition, learning Gaelic songs and rhymes from an early age. In recent years, she has caught the ears of a rapidly growing number of mainstream music fans, something unprecedented for a Scottish Gaelic singer. Most attribute it to her voice, the pure, precise, lilting tone that reflects Fowlis’ passion for the songs and conveys absolute confidence born of living with these songs for a lifetime. Her goal is to learn 500 Gaelic songs before she turns 50.
Wrote London’s Evening Standard, “There are some voices that carry much more than a melody. They transport you to another place, give you goose flesh and make magic out of thin air. Julie Fowlis has just such a voice.”
An accomplished musician, who began playing the Highland bagpipes in what she references as “primary school,” she also brings a multitude of traditional instruments to her shows, including whistles, oboe, cor anglais and more.
In both 2005 and 2007, Fowlis was named Gaelic Singer of the Year at the Scots Trad Music Awards, and earned the BBC Radio 2 Folk Singer of the Year 2008. She was also honored as the first recipient of the Scottish government’s new Gaelic Ambassador of the Year award (Tosgaire Gàidhlig na Bliadhna). The award honors the person who has done the most to raise the status and profile of Gaelic at home and abroad.
Currently, in addition to having one of the busiest touring schedules in Scotland, Fowlis has delved into the broadcasting world hosting “Fowlis and Folk” on the BBC Radio Scotland. She can also be seen on television on Scotland’s new Gaelic digital channel, BBC ALBA.
Since the release of her award-winning album, Cuilidh in 2007, Fowlis has developed her own sound with a first-class touring group including husband Eamon Doorley, Dublin’s Tony Byrne, Highlander Duncan Chisholm and bodhrán champion Martin O’Neill. This creative and dynamic sound was captured on Fowlis’ most recent release, Live at Perthshire Amber (2011).
Discover the magic that is Julie Fowlis on the short video at www.youtube.com/watch?v=qczDug2BNRo&feature=related.
Local Celtic band Giant’s Dance will open the show as Julie Fowlis’ special guest. Said to celebrate the reverent and irreverent traditions of world Celtic music, Giant’s Dance offers original and tradition tunes with soulful vocal harmonies. The band features Kevin Dawson (vocals, fiddle), Karen Cunningham (vocals, flutes and pennywhistles), Steve Cunningham (guitar, vocals) and Eric Morningstar (bodhrán, percussion).
Tickets for Julie Fowlis ($20/$30) with special guest Giant’s Dance are available online at www.durangoconcerts.com or by calling 970.247.7657, or at the Ticket Office in Downtown Durango at 7th St. and Main Ave. All sales final.
Showtime is 7 p.m., with doors to the Concert Hall and concessions, serving beer, wine and non-alcoholic beverages and snacks, opening at 6 p.m.
The Community Concert Hall is located in the arts complex of Fort Lewis College. It operates through a partnership with the college, a state-supported, independent institution of higher education, and with financial and in-kind contributions from generous members of the community.