Oran nan Car
Oran nan Car
Traditional music and songs of Scotland in Gaelic and Scots featuring rich vocal harmonies and toe-tapping tune sets. Imagine the King\'s Singers and the Chieftains mixing it up over Robert Burn\'s bar bill.
Oran nan Car sounds like:
a) a Celtic folk group
b) a Scottish Gaelic choir
c) a pub pick-up band
d) all of the above
If you answered d) all of the above, you're absolutely correct!
Stirring and harmonically rich traditional Scottish folk music is the creative passion of this seven-member Seattle-area band. In addition to playing timeless instrumental-driven tunes, Oran nan Car prides itself on being one of a precious few U.S. groups performing primarily in the endangered Scottish Gaelic language.
Whether it be ‘puirt-a-beul’ (mouth music) for dancing jigs, strathspeys, and reels, work songs, Scots ballads, pipe tunes, Robert Burns songs, ancient Gaelic poetry, or new compositions, the group provides audiences with a full portrait of Scottish folk music.
Why ‘Oran nan Car’ (pronounced OH-run nun CAR)? Yes, it’s a hybrid pun name combining Gaelic and English! ‘Òran-nan-car’ means cantata and ‘òran nan càr’ means songs of the car. Since the group began as four friends singing while carpooling to Gaelic choir rehearsals, the name stuck. Like a cantata, the interwoven melodies of all seven members comprises a rich musical tale appealing to audiences of all ages and backgrounds.
Founded in 1998, Oran nan Car was initially comprised of four members from Seirm, Seattle’s Gaelic choir. They began performing and competing as a vocal quartet for the 1999 Vancouver Gaelic Mòd. Over time, new members and numerous instruments have been added to the mix.
Oran nan Car is:
Ginny Byrnes-McKnight, Soprano
Penny McLeod DeGraff, Alto, Piano, Vocal Arranger
Kent Jewell, Tenor, Narrator
Corby Ingold, Bass, Bodhran, Concertina, Narrator
Jenny McLaughlin, Fiddle, Viola, Vocals
Jim McKnight, Bagpipes, Whistles, Vocals, Instrumental Arranger
Scott Buchanan, Guitar, Mandola, Vocals, Instrumental Arranger
All members bring a wealth of influences and expertise to the ensemble from across the musical spectrum – jazz, classical, rhythm and blues, marching bands, rock, as well as complementary folk traditions of other cultures. A majority are learners of Gaelic.
Answers to the initial quiz:
d) all of the above Track 13
a) a Celtic folk group Track 2
b) a Scottish Gaelic choir Track 5
c) a pub pickup band Track 10
Folk: Scottish Traditional