SUMMER NEWS  

Mary Ann Kennedy and Na Seòid continues to do really well – a ‘milestone' in Gaelic music according to Rob Adams in the Herald. The collective will be playing at the Hebridean Celtic Festival in Stornoway on the 16 th July, and you can also catch them in Ullapool at the MacPhail Centre on the 15 th . We hope to be able to confirm a big broadcast gig very soon – watch this space!

Recent releases produced by Mary Ann & Nick include Ailie Robertson 's debut album, ‘First Things First' on Ailie's own label, and ‘Slighe an Airgid' – a 25 th anniversary album for the Mod Champions, Ceòlraidh Gàidhlig Ghlaschu's conductor, Kenny Thomson. Both were a joy to work! Albums currently in production include the soon-to-be-mastered debut recording of another fine choir, the Inverness Gaelic Choir, and the long-awaited new album from Arthur Cormack (when we manage to pin him down in the studio to finish it!)

On the World Music front, Mary Ann continues to present ‘ World on 3 ' on BBC Radio 3, taking two weeks out of six alongside fellow presenters, Lopa Kothari and Charlie Gillett, late Monday nights. She'll also be MCing the first ever World Music Prom on July 30 th when some of the winners of this years Radio 3 Awards for World Music take to the Royal Albert Hall stage. Mary Ann Kennedy's Global Gathering will be taking a short break from the 15 th July, but will be back on the air on Tuesday the 26 th August.

You can also hear Mary Ann on BBC Radio nan Gaidheal on Tuesday afternoons at 4pm with the current series on choral music, ‘Togaibh I!' and also with the long-running Gaelic-Gaelige co-production, ‘Sruth na Maoile', co-presented with Seán O hEanaigh. Click here to get to the BBC iPlayer for Radio nan Gaidheal.

On TV, Mary Ann has just finished ‘Làrach san Fhàsach' (Footsteps in the Desert) – a documentary co-production for Watercolour Music and Eyeline Media , charting the inspiring story of Gaelic singer, Donnie Murdo MacLeod 's educational in Botswana. It's scheduled to be broadcast on BBC Scotland in the autumn. During the filming of this programme, Mary Ann was able to visit the San people of the Kalahari Desert , and saw crocs, hippos and elephants in the wild. She found herself at the crossing point of four African nations – Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe – right in the middle of the Zambesi river, and they were welcomed at the Zambesi ferry as ‘Livingstone's people!' just after visiting the magnificent Victoria Falls.

One of the most exciting musical TV projects in a long time for Mary Ann is a six-part series for the new Gaelic digital channel BBC Alba, called ‘Garaids' (Garage), produced by Studio Alba in Stornoway. Hooking up Gaelic musicians with bands and singers from the worlds of jazz, rock, indie and world music, the resulting collaborations have produced some of the most innovative new Gaelic music in a long time. Mary Ann was Musical Director for the series and Nick was the sound engineer, so with the lovely Mike Alexander (Transatlantic Sessions) as director and Angus MacKay as producer, the series will sound as good as it looks! The musicians include Phil and Tom Bancroft, Norrie MacIver , Reem Kelani , Catriona Watt, Skerryvore and Crash My Model Car .

This summer, Mary Ann will be teaching in the US for two major summer camps. She will be in Banner Elk, North Carolina , for a combined Gaelic language and song course for An Comunn Gaidhealach Ameirigeanach from 6 th -11 th July. And from the 16 th -30 th July, she's realising a long-time ambition in joining Scottish fiddle maestro, Alasdair Fraser , at his Valley of the Moon fiddle camp in California , to teach Gaelic song.