Rachel Newton and Mairearad Green: Open Fund for Music Creators

Rachel Newton and Mairearad Green – ‘Anna Bhan’

Musicians, composers and cousins Rachel Newton and Mairearad Green are both highly acclaimed solo artists. This is their first opportunity to work collaboratively on a new piece of writing, having played music together informally all their lives. They have both been awarded the PRS Composer of the Year Award at the Scots Trad Music Awards and released several critically acclaimed solo albums. Mairearad has published two books of original compositions with many of her tunes becoming staples in sessions throughout Scotland and further afield, while two of Rachel’s albums were shortlisted for a SAY (Scottish Album of the Year) Award.

Rachel Newton and Mairearad Green will use their Open Fund for Music Creators grant to support the composition and premiere performance of ‘Anna Bhan’, a new piece of music inspired by Rachel and Mairearad’s Great-great Grandmother’s involvement in the women led 1852 Coigach Resistance during the Highland Clearances.

Despite playing music together as cousins growing up and being involved in various collaborative projects together, this is the first opportunity Rachel and Mairearad have had to make a piece of work as a duo and it is appropriate that they should choose such a powerful, personal and feminist narrative from their own family history to inspire this new work.