Rachel Newton is a Scottish singer and harpist. As well as playing both acoustic and electric harp she also plays viola, fiddle, piano and harmonium. She performs solo as well as in the bands The Shee, The Furrow Collective and Boreas and was formerly a member of the Emily Portman Trio. She was a member of the Lost Words Spell Songs project and is a co-founder of The Bit Collective, a group campaigning for equality in folk music.

Early life

Newton was brought up in Edinburgh and learnt harp, fiddle and classical violin. She spoke English at home and Gaelic to her grandfather. At her Gaelic-language school she sang in both English and Gaelic. During the holidays she would stay with her grandparents in Achnahaird,

Wester Ross Wester Ross () is an area of the Northwest Highlands of Scotland in the council area of Highland. The area is loosely defined, and has never been used as a formal administrative region in its own right, but is generally regarded as lying to the ...

. At fifteen she decided to make a career in music.

Musical career

Formation of The Shee (2005 – 2011)

In 2005 Newton formed The Shee with friends

Shona Mooney Shona Mooney (born c. 1984) is a Scottish fiddle player and composer. Career Shona Mooney was the winner of the BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician competition in 2006. She has appeared at international festivals such as the Tønder ...

, Laura-Beth Salter, Amy Thatcher, Lillias Kinsman-Blake and Olivia Ross whom she had met while studying for the Folk and Traditional Music degree at Newcastle University. The group perform a mixture of their own works and traditional music, in both English and

Gaelic Gaelic is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". As a noun it refers to the group of languages spoken by the Gaels, or to any one of the languages individually. Gaelic languages are spoken in Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man, and Ca ...

. In 2008 The Shee released their first album ''A Different Season''.

fRoots ''fRoots'' (pronounced "eff-Roots", originally ''Folk Roots'') was a specialist music magazine published in the UK between 1979 and 2019. It specialised in folk and world music, and featured regular compilation downloadable albums, with occa ...

magazine said it had an "air of bold friskiness and abundant energy" and called it "a very impressive debut indeed", and Folkworld described it as "raw, vibrant and powerful". Earlier in 2008 the album ''Dear Someone'' had been released under the name ''Rachel and Lillias'', a collaboration between Newton and Kinsman-Blake, who was also part of The Shee. Newton won for "Best Music and Sound" at the 2009

Critics' Awards for Theatre in Scotland The Critics' Awards for Theatre in Scotland (CATS) are an annual event awarding performances "substantially produced in Scotland, or developed, rehearsed and premiered in Scotland". Awards ceremony The ceremony is itinerant in terms of location, sw ...

for her work with Rowantree Theatre Company. ''Decadence'', the second album by The Shee, was released in 2010 containing a mixture of traditional and original music. Colin Irwin writing in

said it showed "confidence, conviction, adeptness and raw talent".

The Furrow Collective & first solo releases (2012 – 2015)

In 2012 Newton released her first solo album ''The Shadow Side''. The album contained five instrumentals composed by Newton and new arrangements of six other songs, with the original compositions being mentioned by reviewers as the most notable part. The album was nominated for "Album of the Year" at the 2012

Scots Trad Music Awards The Scots Trad Music Awards or Na Trads were founded in 2003 by Simon Thoumire to celebrate Scotland's traditional music in all its forms and create a high profile opportunity to bring the music and music industry into the spotlight of media an ...

. Also released the same year was the third album by The Shee, ''Murmurations''. The album was mostly original work with some traditional tunes, with praise directed to the arrangements and the range of musical influences on show. The artwork for the CD showed a

murmuration Starlings are small to medium-sized passerine birds in the family Sturnidae. The Sturnidae are named for the genus ''Sturnus'', which in turn comes from the Latin word for starling, ''sturnus''. Many Asian species, particularly the larger ones, ...

starlings Starlings are small to medium-sized passerine birds in the family Sturnidae. The Sturnidae are named for the genus '' Sturnus'', which in turn comes from the Latin word for starling, ''sturnus''. Many Asian species, particularly the larger ones, ...

and was designed so no two CDs had exactly the same arrangement of birds. Newton's second solo release was the 2014 album ''Changeling'', which was commissioned by the

Celtic Connections The Celtic Connections festival started in 1994 in Glasgow, Scotland, and has since been held every January. Featuring over 300 concerts, ceilidhs, talks, free events, late night sessions and workshops, the festival focuses on the roots of tra ...

festival as part of its New Voices series, and premiered in January 2014 at the festival. The album was written by Newton and on the recording she performs vocals and plays harp and viola. It also features

Corrina Hewat Corrina Hewat (born 21 December 1970, Edinburgh) is a Scottish harpist and composer who was awarded Music Tutor of the Year at Na Trads in 2013. She has worked with poet Robin Robertson and has written music for the Dunedin Consort. She sings wit ...

on vocals and harp,

Lauren MacColl Lauren MacColl is a Scottish fiddle player from Fortrose. She has released three solo albums as well as a duet album with flute player Calum Stewart. MacColl is a member of the fiddle quartet RANT and contemporary folk band Salt House. Discogra ...

on fiddle, Adam Holmes on vocals, Mattie Foulds on percussion, Su-a Lee on cello and musical saw and Alec Frank-Gemmill on horn. The theme was inspired by Scottish folk takes of human children being taken by fairies and replaced by supernatural creatures and the use of this to explain children with behavioural problems and disabilities. In the album Newton wanted to look at the darker side of traditional folk tales and use them to explore feelings about life and death that are hard to express outside of music.

Robin Denselow Robin Denselow is a British writer, journalist, and broadcaster. Education Denselow was educated at Leighton Park School, a boys' Quaker boarding independent school (now co-educational) in Reading, Berkshire Reading ( ) is a town and borough ...

writing in

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

gave it 3 stars out of 5 while praising the "haunting vocal work and elegant harp playing" and the

Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in London, England, the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, Nik ...

gave it 4 stars out of 5. Other reviews called it "quietly compelling" and "emotionally stirring". In 2014 Newton took part in a week-long retreat at

Hatfield House Hatfield House is a country house set in a large park, the Great Park, on the eastern side of the town of Hatfield, Hertfordshire, England. The present Jacobean house, a leading example of the prodigy house, was built in 1611 by Robert Cec ...

, along with

Martin Simpson Martin Stewart Simpson (born 5 May 1953) is an English folk singer, guitarist and songwriter. His music reflects a wide variety of influences and styles, rooted in Britain, Ireland, America and beyond. He builds a purposeful, often upbeat voi ...

Nancy Kerr Nancy Kerr (born 1975) is an English folk musician and songwriter, specialising in the fiddle and singing. She is a Principal Lecturer in Folk Music at Leeds Conservatoire and Newcastle University. She was the 2015 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards "Folk ...

Jim Moray Jim Moray (born 1981) is an English folk singer, multi-instrumentalist and record producer. Recording artist While studying classical composition at the Birmingham Conservatoire, Moray released the home-recorded ''I Am Jim Moray'' EP. During ...

Bella Hardy Bella Hardy (born 24 May 1984) is an English contemporary folk musician, singer and songwriter from Edale, Derbyshire, England, who performs a combination of traditional and self-penned material. She was named Folk Singer of the Year at the 2014 ...

, John Smith and Hannah James as well as Emily Askew, a specialist in early music. The retreat was organised by the

English Folk Dance and Song Society The English Folk Dance and Song Society (EFDSS, or pronounced 'EFF-diss') is an organisation that promotes English folk music and folk dance. EFDSS was formed in 1932 when two organisations merged: the Folk-Song Society and the English Folk Dan ...

and the Folk by the Oak festival to write new works inspired by

Elizabethan music During the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1558–1603), English art and high culture reached a pinnacle known as the height of the English Renaissance. Elizabethan music experienced a shift in popularity from sacred to secular music and the rise of ...

. The new music was then performed and released as an album. The Furrow Collective, a new group made up of Newton, Lucy Farrell, Emily Portman and Alasdair Roberts formed in 2013, released an album in 2014 titled ''At Our Next Meeting'' and then released the EP ''Blow Out the Moon'' in 2015. The releases were new interpretations of traditional music, with songs chosen with an emphasis on storytelling. With all four members being established artists on the Scottish and English folk scenes the group was described by the

British Council The British Council is a British organisation specialising in international cultural and educational opportunities. It works in over 100 countries: promoting a wider knowledge of the United Kingdom and the English language (and the Welsh lan ...

as an "Anglo-Scots supergroup". They were nominated for "Best Group" and for "Best Traditional Track" at the 2015

BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards The BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards celebrate outstanding achievement during the previous year within the field of folk music, with the aim of raising the profile of folk and acoustic music. The awards have been given annually since 2000 by British ra ...

and again nominated for "Best Traditional Track" at the 2016 awards.

Third album and Shee anniversary (2016 – 2017)

Newton won the 2016 Instrumentalist of the Year at the

and in the same year won

Hands Up for Trad The Scots Trad Music Awards or Na Trads were founded in 2003 by Simon Thoumire to celebrate Scotland's traditional music in all its forms and create a high profile opportunity to bring the music and music industry into the spotlight of media an ...

's Ignition Award, an award for artists who are innovating in Scottish traditional music. Newton's third solo release was ''Here's My Heart Come Take It'' in 2016, which was shortlisted for the

Scottish Album of the Year Award The Scottish Album of the Year (SAY) Award is an award given annually for an outstanding album produced by a Scottish artist. The award was launched in 2012 by thScottish Music Industry Association(SMIA) in partnership with Creative Scotland Cre ...

in 2017. The album was mostly traditional songs in new arrangements, including songs from the Max Hunter songbook and original music for

Sir Walter Scott Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet, playwright and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European and Scottish literature, notably the novels '' Ivanhoe'', '' Rob Roy' ...

's ''An Hour With Thee''. The album featured

on fiddle and Mattie Foulds on drums. The album was well reviewed, receiving four stars out of five from both the Guardian and the Financial Times. To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Shee, with support from

, the band commissioned folk musicians

Andy Cutting Andy Cutting (born 18 March 1969) is an English folk musician and composer. He plays melodeon and is best known for writing and performing traditional English folk and his own original compositions which combine English and French traditions ...

Brian Finnegan Brian Finnegan (born 20 August 1969) is an Irish flute and tin whistle player from Armagh. Finnegan began playing whistle at age 8 and flute at age 10 as a student of the Armagh Pipers Club under the tuition of the Vallely family. He first cam ...

Karine Polwart Karine Polwart ( ) (born 23 December 1970) is a Scottish singer-songwriter. She writes and performs music with a strong folk and roots feel, her songs dealing with a variety of issues from alcoholism to genocide. She has been most recognised f ...

Kathryn Tickell Kathryn Tickell, OBE, DL (born 8 June 1967) is an English musician, noted for playing the Northumbrian smallpipes and fiddle. Music career Early life Kathryn Tickell was born in Walsall, then in Staffordshire, to parents who originated fro ...

and Chris Wood to write new works for them. Each composer gave the band the lyrics with some giving a full score and others giving notes or suggested arrangements. The album ''Continuum'' comprised four new compositions by the band together with their arrangements of these six compositions. The next album from the Furrow Collective, ''Wild Hog'', was released in 2016. As with previous releases the album was make up of new versions of traditional songs. As well as the four members of the group the recording featured Stevie Jones on double bass and

Alex Neilson Alex Neilson (born 22 September 1982) is an English drummer, percussionist and singer who is based in Glasgow but grew up in Leeds. He is a founding member and main songwriter of folk-rock group Trembling Bells (2008-2018). He is also known for ...

on drums. The album got four-star reviews from

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the w ...

, The Guardian and the Financial Times. In 2016 Newton joined Lori Watson, and Irene Tillung of to release the album ''Ahoy Hoy'' under the name Boreas. The release was a nautical themed album combining traditional Scottish and Norwegian music. At the 2017

Newton won "Musician of the Year" and the Furrow Collective won "Best Group". In 2017 Newton announced that she was leaving Emily Portman's Coracle Band and the Emily Portman Trio.

Current work (2018 – present)

''Fathoms'', the third album by the Furrow Collective, was released in 2018. As with the previous albums by the group it was made up of new recordings of traditional works. For this album songs were taken from New Zealand, Ireland, the USA and Scotland. Reviewers praised the use of harmonies and the atmosphere created, with both the Guardian and the Financial Times giving the album four stars out of five. Newton's fourth solo album, titled ''West'', was released in 2018. The album was recorded in her late grandparents' croft in

, and unlike her previous releases was truly solo, with no other musicians. The album contained a mixture of original tunes and traditional works, with Dolly Parton's song Jolene also included as a nod towards Newton's love of

Country and Western music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, old- ...

. In 2019 the album ''The Lost Words: Spell Songs'' was released, based on the book ''The Lost Words'' by Robert Macfarlane. The book was a response to nature words being removed from the Oxford Junior Dictionary. The album was commissioned by the Folk by the Oak festival and included sections of the book set to music and new compositions inspired by the book. The songs were written and performed by Newton,

Kerry Andrew Kerry Andrew (born 5 April 1978) is an English composer, performer and author. She has a PhD in Composition from the University of York and is the winner of four British Composer Awards. Her debut novel, ''Swansong'', was published by Vintage ...

Julie Fowlis Julie Fowlis (born 20 June 1978) is a Scottish folk singer and multi-instrumentalist who sings primarily in Scottish Gaelic. Early life Fowlis grew up on North Uist, an island in the Outer Hebrides, in a Gaelic-speaking community. Her moth ...

Kris Drever Kris Drever (born 31 October 1978) is a Scottish contemporary folk musician and songwriter who came to prominence in 2006 with the release of his debut solo album, ''Black Water''. Drever is the vocalist and guitarist of the folk trio Lau with ...

, Jim Molyneux, Beth Porter,

Seckou Keita Seckou Keita (born 14 February 1978) is a kora player and drummer from Senegal. He is one of the few champions of the lesser-known kora repertoire from Casamance in southern Senegal. Musical career Keita was born in Ziguinchor, Senegal. Thro ...

and

. The album received four stars out of five from

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...

and

The Evening Standard The ''Evening Standard'', formerly ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), also known as the ''London Evening Standard'', is a local free daily newspaper in London, England, published Monday to Friday in tabloid format. In October 2009, after bei ...

and five stars from

The Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in London, England, the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, Nik ...

. In March 2019, Newton curated a weekend's programming at

Kings Place Kings Place is a building in London’s Kings Cross area, providing music and visual arts venues combined with seven floors of office space. It has housed the editorial offices of ''The Guardian'' newspaper since December 2008 and is the for ...

in London under the title "Trad. Reclaimed: Women in Folk", as part of the venue's RPS Award-winning series about women composers, "Venus Unwrapped". This included panel discussions, a music theatre piece about

Margaret Barry Margaret Barry (1917–1989) was an Irish Traveller, traditional singer and banjo player. Biography Born Margaret Cleary in Cork into a family of Travellers and street singers, she taught herself how to play the zither banjo and the fiddle ...

, and performances by The Shee Big Band, Kathryn Tickell and the Darkening and others. Newton announced in 2020 that her fifth solo album would be funded via

Kickstarter Kickstarter is an American public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative projects to life". As of July 2021, ...

. The album reached its funding goal and was released in November 2020 under the title ''To the Awe''. Due to

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

restrictions the album was recorded at home, with Newton recording her vocals in a wardrobe. The album was longlisted for the

Bit Collective

Newton is one of the founder members of the Bit Collective, a group addressing issues relating to equality in the Scottish traditional arts scene.

Discography

Solo work

*''The Shadow Side'' (2012) *''Changeling'' (2014) *''Here's My Heart Come Take It'' (2016) *''West'' (2018) *''To the Awe'' (2020)

Rachel and Lillias

*''Dear Someone'' (2008)

The Shee

*''A Different Season'' (2008) *''Decadence'' (2010) *''Murmurations'' (2012) *''Continuum'' (2016)

Boreas

*''Ahoy Hoy'' (2016)

The Furrow Collective

*''At Our Next Meeting'' (2014) *''Blow Out the Moon'' (EP) (2015) *''Wild Hog'' (2016) *''Fathoms'' (2018)

Other Projects

*''The Elizabethan Session'' (2014) *''The Lost Words: Spell Songs'' (2019)

References

External links

*
Spell Songs: The Lost Words
official website
The Elizabethan Session
official website
Trad. Reclaimed Rewind Playlist
Newton discusses her musical influences and inspirations for her curated weekend of women in folk at Kings Place.

at Mainly Norfolk {{DEFAULTSORT:Newton, Rachel 1985 births Living people Scottish singer-songwriters Musicians from Edinburgh 21st-century Scottish women singers Scottish folk harpists Women harpists