Christine Primrose
Kinnaird (b. 30 April 1949, Edinburgh, Scotland) and Primrose (b. 17 February 1952, Carloway, Isle Of Lewis, Scotland), are known for their Gaelic-influenced folk music. Kinnaird studied the cello from the age of seven, and the Scottish harp in her teens. In 1978 she recordedThe Harp Key, the first record of the Scottish harp, after researching old manuscripts. This came out when fiddle music was particularly popular in folk circles, and the harp was often employed more as an instrument purely for accompaniment. A meeting with Ann Heymann, exponent of the wire-strung harp, in 1982, led to the follow-up, The Harper’s Land. Over the years Kinnaird has won numerous competitions and awards. These include the Clarsach Trophy at the National Mod, the Harp competition at the Pan Celtic festival in Killarney, awarded an MBE in 1997 and in 2002 she received the Creative Scotland award. Apart from being a professional Scottish harp player, Kinnaird also has a career as a talented glass engraver. Christine Primrose has been singing since early childhood, with Gaelic as her first language. She too won the National Mod in 1974, and the Pan Celtic Festival in Killarney in 1978. As a result of the success of Aite Mo Ghaoil, Primrose has toured both Canada and the USA, as well as Europe, taking her voice and Gaelic language to a wide audience. In the new millennium Primrose was teaching Gaelic singing at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig a Gaelic college on the Isle Of Skye. The duo complement one another perfectly, with the purity of Primrose’s voice combining with the equally pure harp sound of Kinnaird.
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