Singing Workshop with Jennie Duncan

We are delighted to have Jennie Duncan, a former committee member of the St Andrews Folk & Trad Society, at USAFF 2023 to run our Saturday afternoon singing workshop (in the Union's Large Rehearsal Room). Based on Skye, Jennie is a Gaelic activist, Gaelic teacher, and incredibly talented singer at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig where she previously studied Gaelic and Traditional Music following her graduation from the University of St Andrews. She has a long history of teaching and performing and will be on stage at this year's Celtic Connections festival in Glasgow as part of the Sabhal Mòr Ostaig @ 50 event, featuring the likes of Julie Fowlis, Christine Primrose (who led a Gaelic singing workshop as part of our 2021 Virtual USAFF festival), and Donnie Munro. This is a workshop you won't want to miss! Below is a little more about her: Skye-based Gaelic singer, activist and content-creator, Jennie Duncan, has been singing for as long as she can remember. With grandparents from the islands, she grew up in Glasgow amidst two rich musical heritages, spending her childhood singing Scots songs in bothies and pubs with her family, and listening to her grandpa playing the pipes or singing in his native Gaelic language. While a Biochemistry student at the University of St Andrews, Jennie started studying Gaelic formally through Sabhal Mòr Ostaig's summer courses. She became heavily involved with the St Andrews folk music scene, singing and playing piano with local band, Finfolk, and with Airdrie based band, The Plainsmen. She spent three years on the university Folk and Traditional Music Society's committee and helped in establishing the first ever University of St Andrews Folk Festival (USAFF). Since then, Jennie has gone on to study Gaelic and Traditional Music at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, now working full-time at the Gaelic college, and has taught workshops and sung at events as diverse as the Scottish Parliament's Festival of Politics and for Prince (now King) Charles upon his visit to the Isle of Skye in 2021. Tha seinneadair, neach-iomairt, agus neach-cruthachaidh, Sìneag NicDhonnchaidh, air a bhith a' seinn bhon 's cuimhne leatha. Le seann-phàrantan às na h-eileanan, thogadh i fhèin ann an Glaschu am measg dà dhualchas beartach, a' cur seachad làithean a h-òige a' seinn òrain Albais ann am bothanan is taighean-seinnse le teaghlach, is ag èisteachd ri seanair a' seinn na pìoba no a' gabhail òrain anns a' Ghàidhlig mhàthaireil aige. Fhad 's a bha i na h-oileanach a' dèanamh Bith-cheimigeachd aig Oilthigh Chill Rìmhinn, thòisich Sìneag air Gàidhlig ionnsachadh gu foirmeil tro chùrsaichean samhraidh aig Sabhal Mòr Ostaig. Bha i gu mòr an sàs leis a' choimhearsnachd-chiùil ann an Cill Rìmhinn, a' seinn agus a' cluiche piàno leis a' chòmhlan-chiùil ionadail, Finfolk, agus le còmhlan-ciùil anns an Àrd-Ruigh, The Plainsmen. A bharrachd air seo, chuir i seachad trì bliadhna air comataidh comann-ciùil traidiseanta an oilthighe agus chuidich i gus an fhèis The University of St Andrews Folk Festival (USAFF) a stèidheachadh. On uair sin, chaidh Sìneag air adhart a bhith a' dèanamh Gàidhlig is Ceòl Traidiseanta aig Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, is i a-nis ag obair làn-ùine an sin, agus tha i air bùthan-obrach a theagasg agus air seinn aig iomadh tachartas, leithid Fèis Phoilitigs Pàrlamaid na h-Alba agus airson a' Phrionnsa (a-nis an Rìgh) Teàrlach nuair a thadhail e air an Eilean Sgitheanach ann an 2021.