SOPHIE’S THE CHOICE TO PLAY ON HEBCELT STAGE

News release
Hebridean Celtic Festival
Year of Homecoming 2014

• Glasgow singer wins talent contest
• Sophie secures coveted stage slot at HebCelt
• Performance will open festival’s new acoustic stage

A prestigious stage slot at the award-winning Hebridean Celtic Festival is awaiting the winner of a new talent contest. 

Glasgow-based Sophie Rogers was one of eight finalists in the competition which was held as part of the Calmac Culture programme of events backed by ferry company CalMac Ferries Ltd.  

The singer and guitarist will play in front of an international audience at HebCelt on 18 July when she will be the first to perform on the new acoustic stage being introduced at the festival this year. In addition, the prize includes tickets and camping for four people at the festival

Sophie is a regular performer in Glasgow's music scene. In April she released her debut EP, An Overflow of Words, which she wrote and co-produced.

More than 50 performers entered the competition and the eight finalists each performed three live acoustic tracks to judges at King Tuts in Glasgow on Sunday.

Caroline Maclennan, HebCelt’s director and a judge at the contest, said: “We had a great night with a wide variety of finalists. Sophie did fantastically well on the night and we are delighted to add her to our bill for this year’s festival.

“We very much look forward to seeing her at HebCelt and opening our new acoustic stage.”

The 19th HebCelt will be held from 16-19 July in Stornoway in the island of Lewis and will be headlined by Levellers, Big Country and Donnie Munro.

Cara Dillon, Rachel Sermanni, Duncan Chisholm, Cajun band Magnolia Sisters, from the US, and Canadian outfit Gordie MacKeeman and His Rhythm Boys and are also among nearly 40 acts featuring in the event’s biggest ever programme .

The four-day festival is expected to attract an audience of about 16,000 – double the population of Stornoway – with more than half coming from outside the Hebrides and helping to generate around £1 million for the local economy.

NOTES TO EDITORS

This year HebCelt was selected as one of the top 10 UK summer festivals for the fourth year in succession by influential publication Songlines.

The festival, which is now part of the Green Arts Initiative, run by Creative Carbon Scotland and Festivals Edinburgh, has been hailed as one of the greenest festivals in the world after being the only Scottish event to receive an Outstanding award from environmental campaign group A Greener Festival. In addition, it was shortlisted in the Greener Festival category in the UK Festival Awards and in the Best Independent Festival category in the AIM Independent Music Awards.

In 2011 it was ranked Best Large Festival at the industry-sponsored Scottish Event Awards and it won Best Event of the Year award at the MG Alba Scots Trad Music Awards in 2004 and 2009.

For more information contact

John Ross
Lucid PR
01463 724593; 07730 099617
johnross@lucidmessages.com

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