CELTIC CONNECTIONS 2011 DOESN’T FAIL TO PLEASE
Written by Archie Fergusson on 28/01/2011
DCR has had a wonderful response to the first full week of live broadcast from Celtic Connections and are very pleased to welcome over Eight Hundred new listeners on line who have registered this week .
Victor and Fiona joined the Celtic Music Radio team at the beginning of the week. While Fiona concentrated on reporting from The Danny Kyle Open Stage and other live events, Victor joined the CMR outside broadcasting team in the Exhibition Hall of the Royal Concert Hall.
This weeks live broadcast have been presented by many of the familiar names from our day time transmissions of CMR including Uncle Gordon Hotchkiss and Auntie Liz Clark, Bill Morris, Alex Jenkins, Ross Macfadyen, Mary K Burke, Allan Broom, Mark Sheridan and Ken Macdonald. Victor joined several of the CMR presenters during their broadcasts and had his own programme on Tuesday afternoon.
The midday Ian Anderson in Conversation was a very popular programme with DCR listeners last year and seems once again to be as popular. Guest this year have included Ian Green founder of Greentrax records talking about his autobiography Fuzz to Folk, Trax of my Life, which even if you are not interested in folk music is a very good read. Rodge Glass discussed Scottish Literature, writing past and present .
Midweek saw Scots singer songwriter Rab Noaks; best known for his his work with Lindisfarne and Gerry Rafferty and his 70s album “Red Pump Special” sit with Senior BBC Music producer Stewart Cruickshank to discuss the influence of Scottish songs and poetry on Bob Dylan’s songwriting. Music and radio men : Mike Harding and singer Archie Fisher took to the stage on Thursday for a lively conversation mainly about Mikes book : Strange Lights Over Bexleyheath.
For a lot of listeners the highlight of Celtic Connections is the daily Danny Kyle Open Stage 5pm-7.pm established in memory of the late Danny Kyle, a champion of new musical talent. The Danny Kyle Open Stage at Celtic Connections has been an invaluable career launch-pad for a great number of acts over the years and so far it seems this year will be no different with so many extremely talented musicians having already performed before enthusiastic audiences.
We shall of course continue to broadcast the concerts right up to and including the Finale Showcasing of Danny Kyle Open Stage Winners 2011 the final to take place 5.00pm Sunday 30th January.
More of the same to come this week so keep your eye on the programme schedules and keep tuned in and if you would like to see some photo’s from Celtic Connections taken by our friends at Celtic Music Radio http://www.flickr.com/photos/celticmusicradio
