Grace Stewart-Skinner - clàrsair

Recent graduate with Honours in Celtic at University of Edinburgh, Grace also studied Composition in the Music Department.  Winner of the Margaret Balfour Award for Composition from the Royal National Mod, Grace was awarded the Hands Up for Trad Inspiration Award for work in playing clàrsach.  Grace played solo Under Canvas at Eden Court Theatre as an Emerging Artist and for Edinburgh International Harp Festival's A New Generation.  She recently formed duo Cionar with Christina Stewart, playing at Edinburgh Folk Club and recording original arrangements of traditional Gaelic songs with the Clàradh san Sgòth project in 2022.  In Spring 2022, Grace was commissioned along with Christina to create a new work for Spiorad360, celebrating stories of Inverness.  She was recently President of the Edinburgh University Folk Society, with additional responsibility for inclusion and safety, regularly playing for events.  Grace is developing her own repertoire suitable for players of the clàrsach who need to adapt their playing due to motor skill considerations. Grace grew up immersed in traditional culture participating in Tales at Martinmas from an early age and many years of fèisean culminating in touring with Fèis Rois Cèilidh Trail.