Cream of student talent at Celtic Connections on Campus

Catch up-and-coming live acts every day from 12.30pm
Catch up-and-coming live acts every day from 12.30pm

The cream of student talent will be back on stage and behind the scenes at Celtic Connections on Campus, GCU’s annual lunchtime concert series.

Celtic Connections on Campus – in the Re:union bar from 12.30pm until 2.15pm, from January 21 to 25 – features up-and-coming talent from across the UK, Norway and Canada, backed by GCU’s BSc Audio Technology and BSc Audio Systems Engineering students. GCU students will support live sets by performers including Lisa Kowalski, Figgins-Garden, Jocelyn Pettit, Calum Mackenzie-Jones and Gardening for Bumblebees on campus, as well as Celtic Connections performances at Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, in partnership with Celtic Music Radio.

There’s no need to book and the concerts – which attract hundreds of music fans every year – are free.

In addition, on Tuesday, January 22, 16 to 24 year olds are invited to meet industry experts to get the inside track on running a successful audio event. Sponsored by AES Scotland, the event includes workshops on, for example, how to manage a sound check, an introduction to tuning and PA, and broadcasting. Book here

Senior Lecturer Patrick Quinn, of the School of Computing, Engineering and Built Environment, is leading the project. He said: “GCU is delighted to once again host our incredibly popular Celtic Connections on Campus concerts. Everyone is welcome to come along to hear a fantastic series of concerts that give many music fans their first glimpse of emerging talent. We’re excited to be welcoming performers from as far afield as Canada and Norway for the first time as well as giving young people an exclusive opportunity to hear how to build a career in the industry from the experts.

“GCU’s students have been an integral part of Celtic Connections for seven years and this strand of concerts offers them opportunities to develop their creative and technical skills in a real-world environment, as well as bring a vibrant group of emerging musical talent to the campus.”

Donald Shaw, Artistic Director of Celtic Connections, said: “We’re delighted to be collaborating with Glasgow Caledonian University for a fourth year of Celtic Connections on Campus. It’s a great start to your day at the festival with a whole host of fantastic music from schools, colleges and universities in Scotland and beyond.”

On Monday, Lewis McLaughlin & Friends , Zak Younger Banks, Loireag and Lisa Kowalski will perform; Tuesday’s line up is Edinburgh College Traditional Music Band, Barry Nisbet, Figgins-Garden and Anna Garvin; Wednesday has Calum Mackenzie Jones, Glasgow University Folk Music Group, Shelagh McKay Jones, and McLaren and MacInnes; Thursday’s line up is Jocelyn Pettit with Rav Sira and Ellen Gira, Megan Shearer, Calum McIlroy Trio and A Lack of Colour; and, on Friday, it’s Madderam, Craig Harrison and Elias Muusavi and Erin At Eleven.

Glasgow’s annual folk, roots and world music festival, Celtic Connections celebrates Celtic music and its connections to cultures across the globe. From January 17 until February 3, 2100 musicians from around the world will perform in concerts, ceilidhs, talks, art exhibitions, workshops, and free events.