Taking its title from the innovative concept championed by American composer and piper Matthew Welch, Ceol Nua (New Music) is a dedicated space for the avant-garde, the experimental, and the electronic. This night celebrates the bagpipe not just as a traditional icon, but as a versatile tool for modern sound design. We invite you to step beyond the familiar and explore a landscape where centuries-old drones meet contemporary classical textures and cutting-edge processing. Performing tonight are: Glasgow-based artist Harry Gorski-Brown sits at the intersection of traditional Gaelic music and gritty, immersive electronics. Known for his ability to deconstruct folk forms, Harry uses voice, small pipes, and fiddle to create high-concept audiovisual experiences. His work has recently reached international acclaim, including the release of his experimental tape Durt Dronemaker After Dreamboats and the ambitious music-theatre piece Elephant, you shake your sheep!. Whether performing at renowned festivals like Unsound Kraków or collaborating with artist Wojciech Rusin and the Sinfonietta Cracovia on the 2025 premiere of Drift, Harry’s performances are a raw, compelling testament to the pipes’ potential in the world of experimental sound. Hailing from Clackmannanshire, Flynn Butler Fraser is a composer and performer whose work inhabits the evocative space between ambient electroacoustics and contemporary classical music. By blending traditional Scottish elements with electronic manipulation, Flynn creates soundscapes that are both deeply rooted and strikingly modern. An eager collaborator, his portfolio spans work with Architek Percussion and Nordic Viola to commissions for the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland’s ballet department. Whether acting as a solo piper or an audio technician, Flynn’s approach to the instrument is one of constant curiosity, making him an important figure in the next generation of Scottish experimentalists.

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