The Findhorn Bay Festival has launched its full 2024 programme – an eclectic, vibrant and wide-ranging mix of outstanding Scottish, national and international art, theatre performance and live music, alongside family-friendly events and a host of participative and accessible creative activities.
From Friday 20 to Sunday 29 September, the multi-award-winning biennial festival will present a spectacular ten-day cultural explosion, set in unexpected spaces and scenic locations, within the rural and coastal towns and villages around the stunning bay of Findhorn and beyond.
The themes of the 2024 festival are nature and the natural world, connection and belonging.
Festival Director Kresanna Aigner said: “We look forward to welcoming local and visiting audiences to celebrate the very best of local, national and international cultural experiences. Encompassing themes of nature, connection and belonging, we have over 42 shows and 119 events.
Participation and engagement
“The 5th Findhorn Bay Festival programme is set to spark debate and reflection as well as inspire people of all ages. Participation and engagement are at the heart and central to our programme.
“We would like to thank all our Funders without whom there would be no festival, so a special shout-out to Creative Scotland, EventScotland, Moray Council, The UK Government Fund and Berry Burn Community Fund. This year’s festival is truly a creative and cultural explosion and one not to be missed.”
Visit Moray Speyside Chief Executive Gemma Cruickshank added: “Visit Moray Speyside recognises the significant impact this multi-award-winning festival has on bringing visitors to our beautiful region. The diverse range of cultural, artistic, and musical events not only showcases the rich heritage and creative talent of Moray Speyside but also provides a substantial economic boost to local businesses and communities.
Connections and belonging
Events like the Findhorn Bay Festival are crucial in highlighting our area’s unique attractions and fostering a sense of connection and belonging among both residents and visitors.
“The festival’s focus on nature and the natural world aligns perfectly with our ongoing efforts to promote sustainable and immersive travel experiences.”
“We are particularly excited about the opportunities this festival presents for local artists, performers, and small businesses to shine on an international stage. The economic benefits extend far beyond the festival dates, contributing to the overall growth and resilience of the visitor economy in Moray Speyside. This festival is a testament to the power of cultural events in driving tourism and creating lasting memories for all who attend.”
Opening concert – Brother Sea and Oran
The festival opens and closes with two stunning concerts. The opening concert features two local talented musicians and singer-songwriters – Brother Sea and Oran – on their home turf. With hypnotic vocals accompanied by a playful twist on classic folk instruments, Brother Sea creates a sense of awe and intrigue with songs like campfire stories exploring heritage and folklore as they gently flicker through captivating soundscapes. Moray-based singer-songwriter Oran will launch her debut album Rebellious Rebirth, that’s been inspired by Moray’s landscape.
Celebrated South Korean-born cellist, Su-a Lee, closes the concert with her collaborators from her debut album Dialogues. Joining her on stage are Duncan Chisholm, Donald Shaw and Hamish Napier. Support on the night comes from Oonchancy, the culmination of Findhorn Bay Festival’s international musicians-in-residence collaboration between Dopey Monkey (Moray) and Jean Luc Thomas and Gab Faure (Brittany). The festival is delighted to partner with Compagnie Hirundo Rustica in Brittany for this international exchange. The musicians will be popping up throughout the festival in a range of different settings.
Highlights
Other music highlights include the Manchester-based music duo The Breath with their contemporary take on alt-folk. Joining them on stage is Inge Thomas with Fraser Fifield. Story in Song brings together three musicians – Adam Ross, Greenshanks and Harry Bird. The award-winning composer Malin Lewis will share the stage with VRï – two-time winners of ‘Best Album‘ at the Welsh Folk Awards.
Scotland in Song brings together some of our finest Scottish singers – Brian Ó hEadhra, Fionnag NicChoinnich, Jo Miller and Scott Gardiner.
Jazz and Blues take centre stage with the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra and Kurt Elling with a stunning repertoire directed by Scottish jazz legend Tommy Smith. Top Scottish blues band, Main Street Blues performs their tribute to the three blues masters: Albert King, Freddy King and BB King – King of the Blues.
Dancefloor salsa, afrobeat, cumbia…
Forres Town Hall is getting taken over by Karawane DJs, Mark Thomson & Ali Aitken – known for their back-to-back 4-deck journey sets through wild dancefloor salsa, afrobeat, cumbia and joyful music from around the world. Joining them for the festival takeover are artists who will raise the level to a fever pitch and give an unforgettable experience.
Making her debut, Annabel Kershaw performs The Mariner’s Daughter, inspired by her own experience of growing up in a coastal community in the North East of Scotland and her family heritage as daughters and wives of master mariners. Co-commissioned by Sound Festival and performed by a stellar line-up of classical musicians.
Poet Genevieve Carver and Highland composer Lucie Treacher perform a new collaboration – Hydrophonica – fusing music, spoken word and ecological science. Written during a residency with the Lighthouse Field Station in Cromarty, Hydrophonica responds to fieldwork studying dolphin and porpoise populations in the Moray Firth.
The festival welcomes back the National Theatre of Scotland with June Carter Cash: The Woman, Her Music and Me. Festival favourite Ben Harrison returns with his long-term collaborator David Paul Jones, to perform Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me – a homage to the 1980s.
The theatre programme includes Graeme Leak’s SAVED – a meditative, musical journey through the mundanity of everyday life, finding beauty in small moments, elegantly orchestrating instruments onto which Leak has lovingly bestowed a new lease of life.
Scottish and South Asian music
Hebridean Treasure makes a welcome return to Moray captivatingly blending song, dance and storytelling with live Scottish and South Asian music.
Barrowland Ballet’s much-loved Family Portrait and Vision Mechanics The Fantastic Life of Minnie Rubinski make up the installation programme. Two personal and pertinent pieces were created during the pandemic – one capturing Barrowland Ballet’s Artistic Director, Natasha Gilmore and her three children in an intimate portrayal of family life and the other a deeply meaningful piece inspired by Kim Bergsagel’s (Vision Mechanic’s Creative Director) experience of her mother’s rapid onset of dementia.
Family shows include Eco Drama’s The Forgotten Orchard – a show dedicated to apples; Moonbeam on a Cat’s Ear adapted from the book by Marie-Louise Gay and Unicorn Dance Party is set to add some sparkle to the festival.
Visual arts
Visual arts play a strong part in the festival. Silver Stories explores the emotional and spiritual journey of people who choose to let their hair naturally turn silver. Source to Sea is a curated selection of large paintings from local award-winning artist Lisa Shaw drawing from the artist’s intimate connection with both the Moray Firth and the Findhorn River.
LVII Independent Photographers Collective will present work from established, early-career and emerging fine art photographers based on the festival themes: nature and the natural world, connection and belonging. The Moray Kilt Series exhibition presents the works-in-progress of local kiltmaker Andrea Chappell at Acme Atelier, who has collaborated with local craftspeople and communities to develop contemporary kilt outfits that promote the kilt as a functional garment of workwear.
Festival Artists-in-Residency include Eve Mosher further exploring our connections to the watershed and inviting others to celebrate nature and the natural world, local waterways, the watersheds ecosystem and its inhabitants. Kate MacKay has collaborated with artists, young people and their families to re-imagine everyday spaces to enhance wellbeing. Working creatively with light, colour, texture, plants and sound, a public space has been transformed into a Space for Wellbeing.
The Festival’s Out and About programme encompasses events and activities including walking tours, performance art, and family events. Look out for the Festival Markets in Forres on each Saturday of the Festival, showcasing the wealth of local makers and artists.
To view the whole programme and buy tickets, visit findhornbayfestival.com. The Festival Box Office is at 98 High Street, Forres, Moray, IV36 1NX.
The fifth Findhorn Bay Festival is presented by Findhorn Bay Arts and funded by Creative Scotland, Event Scotland, Moray Council, the UK Government, and Berry Burn Community Fund.