Allan MacDonald 

Tha Ailean Dòmhnallach air a shireadh fad is farsaing mar chruthadair-ciùil, stiùiriche ciùil, pìobaire, seinneadair agus òraidiche ann an ceòl na Gàidhlig. Tha tàlant sònraichte aige pìobaireachd a thoirt chun a’ mhòr-shluaigh. Tha obair mar sgoilear is cluicheadair, a’ ceangal pìobaireachd on 17mh linn le a fhreumhan Gàidhlig às ùr, air buaidh mhòr a thoirt air ginealach de phìobairean.

Tha Ailean air cluich aig gach prìomh fhèis pìobaireachd air feadh an t-saoghail. Tha e na òraidiche ann an Ceòl na h-Alba aig CRA agus tha e air iomadh pìos ciùil a chruthachadh airson telebhisean.

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Rugadh Ailean anns a’ bhaile bheag Ghàidhealach, Gleann Ùige ann am Mùideart agus choisinn e a’ phrìomh dhuais ann am pìobaireachd aig a’ Choinneimh a Tuath dà bhliadhna an dèidh a chèile. Lean e ùidh a chridhe is dhealbh e stoidhle cluiche stèidhicht’ air cultar na Gàidhlig eadar 1550 is 1750. Tha blasad de na blòighean eachdraidheil leantainneach a tha fhathast beò ann an coimhearsnachdan na Gàidhlig rin lorg ann an stoidhle Ailein agus e a’ strì gus cridhe a’ chultair a thoirt gu aire an t-sluaigh aon uair eile.

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A leading light in the Gaelic musical scene, Allan MacDonald is in demand internationally as a composer, musical director, piper, singer and lecturer in Gaelic music. Making pibroch accessible is one of his many gifts. His work as a scholar-performer reuniting seventeenth-century piping with its Gaelic roots is influencing a whole generation of pipers.

Allan has performed at every major Celtic and piping festival worldwide. He lectures on the Scottish Music course at the RCS, and has had numerous commissions to compose for television.

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Born in the tiny Gaelic-speaking township of Glenuig, Moidart, Allan won the highest award in piping at the Northern Meeting two years running. He followed his heart and developed a playing style reflective of Gaelic culture from 1550-1750. His approach is infused with an insider’s ear for the fragile traces of historical continuity that survive within Gaelic-speaking communities, and he attempts to reverse the effects of post-Industrial sanitisation and cultural colonialism. 

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Blas Festival 2017 Appearances

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Eden Court, Inverness - Friday 8 September

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