The programme for the 2021 Scottish International Storytelling Festival was revealed today as the festival theme ‘Imagine’ promises an eclectic mix of online events spanning across the globe and small-scale face-to-face events. Over 100 performers will take part in the festival and countries represented include USA, Colombia, Canada, Italy, Spain, England, Kenya, Northern Ireland, Holland, … Continued

Imagine something different. Imagine pasts, futures, or a timeless other. Dip into dreams and desires, old and new, lost worlds and worlds still to become. Imagine from the outside in, and the inside out. What would a different world look like in your dreams? We’re eager to know! SISF 2021 extends an invitation to storytellers, … Continued

(Photo above: Maeve Mackinnon – photo by Paul McNally) The Traditional Music Forum (TMF) and TRACS (Traditional Arts and Culture Scotland) proudly present Scotland Online: A Directory of Musicians, the only comprehensive online resource of its kind, promoting traditional musicians working and recording in Scotland. To celebrate the launch of the directory, TMF have invited … Continued

This World Storytelling Day, Sat 20 March 2021 at 7.30pm, TRACS is hosting a European Ceilidh to reach out to our friends, celebrate and strengthen our connections across Europe. As Lorenzo, one of our participating storytellers, put it so beautifully “If our stories have no borders, why should we?”. Of course, a traditional Ceilidh includes … Continued

TRACS is delighted to be assisting Creative Scotland and other partners in delivering a pilot programme of Traditional Arts Mentoring, building on work undertaken by the Traditional Music Forum. The aim is to exchange knowledge, skills and experience between the generations. The programme is aimed at early or mid-career practitioners in Scotland. Successful applicants will … Continued

TRACS and the Scottish Storytelling Centre present an entertaining take on the life of Robert Burns with poems, stories, songs and music this Burns Night, devised by storyteller, author and presenter David Campbell, as an alternative to Burns Suppers with formal speeches. The popular annual live event now goes virtual to offer a convivial evening … Continued

Set sail this autumn, as the Scottish International Storytelling Festival (SISF) takes audiences on a voyage, exploring Scotland’s coasts and water through music and storytelling. The 2020 SISF programme is revealed today, promising an eclectic mix of online events spanning across the globe and small-scale face-to-face events, celebrating Scotland ‘a nation shaped by the sea’. … Continued

We just celebrated the summer solstice–the longest day of the year–on Sunday, and we’re enjoying the longer daylight hours that summer brings. On Wednesday 24 June, we will celebrate midsummer in Scotland. Midsummer has its roots as a Celtic fire festival, blessing the crops for a fruitful summer harvest with bonfires and using torches to … Continued

We’re excited to announce that the Scottish International Storytelling Festival, which runs from 17 – 31 October 2020, will keep you ‘In the Flow’ with an eclectic mix of online events and small-scale face-to-face performances, celebrating Scotland ‘a nation shaped by water’, taking you on voyages at home and away. Stories and songs are vital … Continued

It’s been hard to miss the various creative responses to the restrictions, mandatory and self-imposed, caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. From the weekly outbreak of applause, pot-banging and bell-ringing in appreciation of the health workers, to rainbows in windows, and comedian Janey Godley’s affectionate parodies of the First Minister, people have been making sense of … Continued