Rachel Walker and Aaron Jones present Despite The Wind & The Rain
With support from
Cairn Chorus Choir, with their Songs of Protest.
Susi Briggs, Scots poet, author & storyteller.
Lani O’Neil, local female piper.
Join us for an evening of musical & spoken word tributes to the extraordinary life of local lass, suffragette, medical pioneer, radical activist & queer icon Dr Flora Murray.
The evening will take place at Dumfries Museum where the audience will also be able to view the exhibition dedicated to celebrating and commemorating the extraordinary life and times of Dr Flora Murray, on the centenary of her death.
We have co-curated a very special evening of musical and spoken word tributes featuring folk musicians Rachel Walker and Aaron Jones who have recently written a song about Flora for their album ‘Despite the Wind and the Rain’, which celebrates under represented women in Scottish History.
A special collaboration between D&G Arts Festival, DJ McDowall of The Imaginarium & Dumfries Museum for Dumfries Pride.
Doors will open at 7pm for you to view the Flora Murray Exhibition with the performances starting at 7.30pm. (Please note that the exhibition is up a flight of stairs).
Rachel Walker and Aaron Jones
Together Rachel Walker and Aaron Jones bring a wealth of experience, knowledge and musicianship to their partnership. Since their first collaborations back in 2007, both have spent the intervening years writing, touring and recording with many of the biggest names in traditional music. They re-united in earnest to write and perform again on Rachel’s critically acclaimed release ‘Gaol’ in 2020 and their combined passion for song and the exploration of the wide repertoire across the tradition, in Gaelic, Scots and English cemented a new partnership which culminated in their debut collaborative release, the EP ‘A Happy Place’ in 2021.
“Happy puts it mildly, listening to this music takes me to a place way beyond happy, so joyously upbeat is the music, songs and melodies buoyant with vibrancy and life.”Seuras Og – At The Barrier
The duo continued to develop their repertoire through lockdown and as live performances returned, they took their music to the stage, first in online performances for Celtic Connections and Fèis Rois and then live at the Under Canvas Festival at Eden Court, Am Bothan Dhùn Èideann and The Loch Sheil Festival.
In 2021 the duo embarked on a project to recognise the achievements of Scottish women through song, which culminated in the release of ‘Despite the Wind and Rain’ in November 2022. The album, a collection of ten brand new songs, has received an overwhelming response…
“…a tremendous historical and artistic document…the songs themselves are musically just beautiful…this is one hell of an album.” Mike Wistow (www.folking.com)
“…one of my albums of the year – great singing/musicianship but more important – great soul.” Mike Harding
Following on from their incredible headline gig at Celtic Connections in January 2023, the duo will spend 2023 out on tour promoting their album, with plans to return to the studio to continue their writing collaborations. Whether as a duo or with the full band, be sure to catch Rachel and Aaron on the road for a heartfelt evening of songs and stories.
Cairn Chorus
Cairn Chorus is a community performance choir based in Moniaive, Thornhill, Dumfries and Galloway. Founded in 2007 the intention was to encourage the joy of singing as an inclusive community activity.
The choir is now 14 years old and our current musical director, Kate Howard, leads us through fantastic international repertoires and constantly presents us with ambitious new challenges.
Choir members hail from all corners of Dumfries and Galloway and learn the songs by ear and/or sheet music. We strive to perform without the use of files as we believe that by learning the material we can engage more effectively with the audience and thus give a more lively performance.
Susi Briggs
Susi is a seasoned performer of poetry, story and song. She co-hosts, writes and performs with Alan McClure on the Oor Wee Podcast show, which was shortlisted for a Scots Language Award.
Susi Briggs is registered with The Scottish Book Trust and the Scottish Storytelling Centre in Edinburgh.
Lani O’Neil
With 14 years of performance experience, Lani O’Neill is a local queer piper with a passion for national and international traditional music.