SCOTTISH folk band Fara is to make it’s first appearance at Abergavenny’s Borough Theatre on Friday, February 10.

Fara brings  together  four emerging  musicians  at the forefront  of today’s  young  Scottish  folk scene  --  Jennifer Austin, Kristan Harvey, Jeana Leslie and Catriona Price’s three fiddles and a piano -- to produce a fiery sound rooted strongly in their upbringing among the music of Orkney.

Having  been  friends  since  early  childhood,  the young  band members  grew  up under  the musical  guidance  of Douglas  Montgomery  (The  Chair,  Saltfishforty)  with  the  three  East  Mainlanders  of  the  band  in  fiddle group  Hadhirgaan   at  Kirkwall  Grammar  School,  and  Kristan,  a  West  Mainlander,   in  Jenny  Keldie’s Shoramere at Stromness Academy.

The four of them then went on to study south, and gained degrees from The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Strathclyde University, The Royal Northern College of Music and The Royal Academy of Music. They have all since established themselves in  the  Scottish  music  scene  winning  prizes  along  the  way  which include the BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award, The BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year, The Deutsche Bank Award in Performance and Composition, and the Danny Kyle Award.    

The idea for the band came after several appearances as “The Chairettes”, The Chair’s backing band. At one gig, they were put on stage  to  play  a  couple  of  sets  on  their  own,  and  Bob  Gibbon,  The Chair’s  Accordionist  and  Orkney  Folk  Festival  director,  suggested  they  form  a  new  band.  To the Chair’s disappointment they decided to lose the name, and Fara was born.

 “It’s been wonderful to work on our first recording project together,” they confirm. “We feel like we’ve arrived at a nice mixture of original and traditional tunes and songs, both from home in Orkney, and further afield. It’s been great to learn about how Fara works in the studio, and the sessions have given us lots of thoughts and ideas for our next album already!   

“I think the fact that the music Fara makes is a sound we all cut our musical teeth on, is the driving force behind our collective passion for the band. It’s great to be working on a project that is very much focused on where you came from, and your roots as a musician”.

A mixture of self-penned and traditional Orkney tunes as well as stunning vocals,  the  band’s combined  musical  experiences  and  friendships  produce  an  exciting  and individual sound.    

“This album,” says the band, “is a culmination of our first couple of years together, and our experiences  along the way. We’ve all known  each  other  since  we  were  children,  but  the  process  of working  together  as  adults  has  created  a  real  Fara  sisterhood, which has quickly become an important part of all of our musical lives.  

 “The  four  contrasting  personalities  and  individual  musical  voices in Fara  make  for  a colourful  melting  pot  of  ideas  during  arranging  sessions  - each  member  brings  a different musical pallet to the table. But the strong Orkney fiddle tradition that we all grew up with is the glue that binds us together, being at the heart of all of our musical characters’   

Tickets for Fara at the Borough Theatre are available from the theatre’s box office on 01873 850805 or online at www.boroughtheatreabergavenny.co.uk