Culture Fund Case Study 2024-2025: Orkney Music and Culture

We requested support to establish a new music event, Water Sound Bluegrass, and Roots Festival based across the Churchill Barriers, on the two linked Isles of Burray and South Ronaldsay, specifically to support travel and performing costs for our visiting acts.

We had world class, internationally renowned, Bluegrass performers travelling from USA, Czech Republic and UK to bring the high-quality music we wished to present along side some of our excellent local music performers over the 3 day festival.

Many people attending this event have expressed their delight with the performances, saying that they loved the setting of having the music being centrally based in a large marquee over the 3 days. They could come and go at will as the live music ran continuously from midday until midnight on the Friday and Saturday and from midday until 9.00pm on the Sunday with workshops running on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday mornings from 10.00am until midday. Outreach work also took place by the visiting musicians to the 3 local primary school and students of Stromness Academy and KGS also a free performance was provided to the residents of Braeburn Court ( a supported living complex) and the Marengo centre (Sheltered Housing).

There were also informal jamming sessions running in the Burray Hall and in another smaller marquee sited near the main marquee on the football field throughout the festival period, this allowed for all participants to play alongside other musicians of all abilities.

We have been overwhelmed by the positive feedback we have had from both professional musicians and local people attending the event. The music genre was well accepted and enjoyed, the whole festival had a very informal, family/village fete feel to it. The visiting musicians were delighted to have the opportunity to spend time with the 3 local primary and senior schools, plus the supported living facility, the children were polite and attentive throughout the workshops and were well engaged and joined in appropriately.

It is clear that the festival is in a good place to become a recurring event and showcase Orkney’s musical heritage. we think the model of having everything in one place geographically has many advantages, the local businesses all had an increase in footfall and sales.

A further unexpected outcome is that following the successful collaboration of 3 local sound and lighting technicians in Orkney who worked together to provide this service to this festival that they are now looking at the possibility of a centralised community sound and lighting store that would allow all local festivals and large events to loan/hire equipment from, thereby being more cost effective and keeping the money circulating in Orkney and developing local technicians.