Edinburgh Tradfest: Hearth Fire Sessions
Welcome to an eclectic night of ancient myth, contemporary storytelling, post-folk music, and physical artistry!
About Edinburgh Tradfest: Hearth Fire Sessions
Steeped in the traditions of Scottish storytelling, we evoke the warm atmosphere of peat-smoked hearthsides and ceilidh house revelry, presenting timeless motifs relevant to a discerning modern audience. Join host Dougie Mackay as he invites a different selection of Scotland’s finest storytellers, songwriters, musicians, and performing artists to each bi-monthly Hearth Fire Session to create an innovative showcase of Scotland’s contemporary culture.
May's session features storyteller Niall Moorjani, Moroccan filmmakers/storytellers Tizintizwa (Nadir Bouhmouch and Soumeya Ait Ahmed) and musician Evie Waddell.
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Niall Moorjani is a non-binary, mixed Scots-Indian writer and storyteller. They are fascinated by the fantastical, the historical, and the liminal and have written and performed many shows, including A Fairie Tale and Mohan: A Partition Story at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and the Scottish International Storytelling Festival. They are also the founder and host of the Tales at The Tavern/Lighthouse open mic story night in London/Edinburgh. Niall's work has been described as ‘genius reinvention of the form’ (Fringe of Colour).
Tizintizwa (Nadir Bouhmouch and Soumeya Ait Ahmed) is a Moroccan art-research collective that fosters collective creation and cross-pollination across disciplines. They collaborate with rural communities to document oral traditions and explore ecological transformations. Their work emphasizes the importance of transgenerational transmission, land relations, and the interplay between nature and culture, showcased at notable venues worldwide. They will also perform at SSC as part of the Folk Film Gathering on Fri 9 May.
Evie Waddell is a Gaelic and Scots singer, and fiddler hailing from Stirlingshire. She graduated from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and her passion for Scottish music is deeply rooted in the influence of Jo Miller, also drawing inspiration from Ivor Cutler, Martyn Bennett, Lisa O Neill, and Rhiannon Giddens. Evie also performs in British Sign Language (BSL) and has directed and toured her own show 'Fàilte Gu BSL' as well as performing with Theatre Gu Leòr. She was a winner of the Danny Kyle Open Stage 2023 and was a BBC Young Traditional Musician Semi-Finalist 2024. Evie released her visual EP 'Cluich!' in February 2024.
Dougie Mackay hails from the Scottish Highlands, from a lineage of natural storytellers. He is fascinated by the wild northern tales of Scotland, Scandinavia, Ireland and the Baltics, with a practice steeped in group-work facilitation and storytelling as a tool for development, connection and empowerment. He has been telling stories professionally for over 10 years and has developed successful long-form shows including Animate Lands and A Wolf Shall Devour the Sun. He co-curates and hosts Hearth Fire Sessions throughout the year.
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Edinburgh Tradfest presents the very best traditional music and traditional arts from Scotland and around the world. This year's dates are Fri 2 – Mon 12 May 2025. Edinburgh Tradfest is run by Soundhouse, alongside programming partners at TRACS, Scottish Storytelling Centre, Queen's Hall, University of Edinburgh Celtic & Scottish Studies, Folk Film Gathering and other individual artists and creatives. Funded by Creative Scotland and the William Grant Foundation.
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