❄️ JANUARY GIGS ❄️
‘The Scottish Four Seasons’
23rd Jan - Celtic Connections
24th Jan - Stockbridge Music Hub
‘Daughters of Donbas’
28th Jan - Celtic Connections
29th Jan - St Mary’s Episcopal Church, Edinburgh
30th Jan - University of St Andrews
Posts by Isla Ratcliff
🎶 NEW MUSIC VIDEO - OUT NOW 🎶
Happy Hogmanay! Here’s a waltz to celebrate ❄️
‘The Hogmanay Waltz (Winter 2)’ is from my recent album ‘The Scottish Four Seasons’, which you can buy on Bandcamp or listen to on Tidal.
youtu.be/lAobRQOndX0?...
The Scottish Four Seasons by @islaratcliff.bsky.social now available on TIDAL to stream at high fidelity. Do listen 2 this stunning trad interpretation of Vivaldi s famous work. Support independent musicians by buying album together with poems & track notes islaratcliff.bandcamp.com/album/the-sc...
Tune in to BBC Radio Scotland ‘Classical Now’ at 7pm tonight to hear me chatting about my new album ‘The Scottish Four Seasons’ 🌸☀️🍁❄️🎻
Voting closes at midnight tonight! 🕛
Thank you so much!
A weekend of signing CDs, writing handwritten track lists for my crowdfunder supporters, packaging them up & getting to know my local post office staff very well 💿✍️📦📮🎻
Thank you to everyone who has bought my album & sent lovely messages. I’m feeling very happily overwhelmed by the response so far ❤️
Thank you!
Thank you for sharing and for your kind words! Really glad you’re enjoying it 😊
🌸☀️ THE SCOTTISH FOUR SEASONS - OUT NOW 🍁❄️
My album ‘The Scottish Four Seasons’ is out today! I’m SO excited that it’s finally out in the world for you to hear! 🥳
Listen / buy here: islaratcliff.bandcamp.com/album/the-sc...
Film by Jack Hinks @jackhinksmusic.bsky.social
This moment ❤️ Almost 2 years of work have led up to this! Watch to the end for my absolutely genuine *I thought I was off camera* reaction 🥹
Album release is tomorrow! CDs will be in the post tomorrow! 🎻💿
Pre-order your CD here: islaratcliff.bandcamp.com/album/the-sc...
Vlog No.3: A day of 2 radio interviews, 1 film shoot, 1 rehearsal, a haircut (not featured) and some happy tears 🥹
Only 4 days until album release!!! 🥳 Pre-order now on Bandcamp!
And only 6 days left to vote for me to be ‘Musician of the Year’ at the Trad Awards!
Now for some sleep… 😴
Isla x
✨ Album artwork reveal!!! ✨
I’m delighted to reveal this gorgeous album cover art by Elly Lucas. Elly took such care in creating this stunning collage of Scottish plants 🌱
You can now pre-order my album on Bandcamp!
islaratcliff.bandcamp.com/album/the-sc...
Only 5 days until release day!
Isla x
Vlog No.1: A day of admin, social media promo and a Hegedu rehearsal 💻🎻🎶
Vote for me for ‘Musician of the Year’ (deadline 16th Nov): projects.handsupfortrad.scot/scotstradmus...
Here is the first of several vlogs showing what being a professional musician actually involves (it’s not all music!).
I’ve been nominated for ‘Musician of the Year’ at the @handsupfortrad.bsky.social Trad Awards 2025! 🥳
This is SUCH an honour ❤️
Now I need you to vote for me! Voting closes on Sunday 16th November.
Vote here: projects.handsupfortrad.scot/scotstradmus...
✨ Friday 23rd January 2026 ✨
I am VERY excited to be performing my upcoming album, ‘The Scottish Four Seasons’, at Celtic Connections in the Barony Hall in January! I’ll be playing with a fantastic band 🎵
Tickets are on sale now from the Celtic Connections website! Can’t wait!!
#CCFest2026
Thank you to @heraldscotland.bsky.social for a lovely write-up about my work, alongside Electra Perivilatis, Jay Capperauld, Gillian Walker & Seyoung Oh🎵🎻
My single ‘Autumn Leaves (Autumn 1)’ was released yesterday! Listen to it on Bandcamp & streaming services 🍁
Isla x
🍁🎻 SINGLE RELEASE 🎻🍁
My single “Autumn Leaves (Autumn 1)” is released today!
islaratcliff.bandcamp.com/track/autumn...
This track is about having fun in autumn - playing with leaves, foraging for brambles & eating crumble!
I enjoyed turning Vivaldi’s original melody into a polka! 🎵
✨ 3 days left on my crowdfunder ✨
Thank you for supporting my crowdfunder so far.
I have raised 70% of my target. I need to raise the remaining 30% in the next 3 days. If I don’t reach my target, I don’t get any money at all.
Any help - financial or sharing - is appreciated.
Thank you!
Isla x
⭐️ My crowdfunder is live!!! ⭐️
I have just launched my crowdfunding campaign for my 2nd album, “The Scottish Four Seasons” - a Scottish trad reinterpretation of Vivaldi’s famous work to mark its 300th birthday!
I have 30 days to raise £11,000.
Thank you so much for your support!
Isla x
3) Join my mailing list (link below). This is where I will be sharing all updates about both my crowdfunding campaign and my album when it launches.
mailchi.mp/5da53d9360be...
Thank you so much for your help! I hugely appreciate it!
Isla x
2) Share my pre-launch page (link below) with your friends and family. The more people this pre-launch page reaches, the better!
www.kickstarter.com/projects/isl...
1) Click “Notify me on launch” on my crowdfunder pre-launch page (link below). This means that you will get notified when my crowdfunder launches. The more support I can get in the early days of my crowdfunder, the more successful my crowdfunder will be overall.
www.kickstarter.com/projects/isl...
✨ Please help me crowdfund my new album!
I will be launching my crowdfunding campaign for my new album, “The Scottish Four Seasons”, very soon!!!
I would really appreciate it if you could please help me in the lead-up to the launch by doing any of the following 3 actions:
Aw thanks, Gavin!
Thank you very much to Creative Scotland for funding the making of this album. This funding covers roughly half the costs, so I will also be running a crowdfunding campaign in about a month’s time, so please keep an eye out for that!
I can’t wait to share more details with you very soon!
Isla x
I am hugely excited to be working with these fantastic musicians:
Fiddle: Megan Henderson & Kristan Harvey
Viola: Lauren MacColl
Cello: Natalie Haas
Double bass: Charlie Stewart
Piano: Iona Reid
Producer: Anna Massie
🌟 ALBUM ANNOUNCEMENT 🌟
“The Scottish Four Seasons” 🎻🌷❄️
My second album will be a Scottish trad reinterpretation of Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons” to mark its 300-year anniversary. Think jigs, reels & slow airs - keeping Vivaldi’s instrumentation, but rewriting his melodies & adding trad harmonies!
🔥 EXCITING ANNOUNCEMENT COMING SOON 🔥
I’ve made best pals with this guy over the past year! Who is he and what have I been working on??? All will be revealed very soon…!
#music #fiddle #scottishmusic #folkmusic #tradmusic #scottishfiddle #venice #classicalmusic #violin