PICTURES: National Trust for Scotland manager hits the heights at singer-songwriter talent showcase
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The mountains of Torridon and Kintail are amongst the inspirational areas National Trust for Scotland manager, Will Boyd Wallis, is inspired by on a daily basis.
And the conservation charity's operations manager for the north-west Highlands and Islands was certainly on a high after channelling that inspiration into songs that wowed a festival audience at Celtic Connections.
A singer-songwriter in his spare time, the former Cairngorms National Park Authority officer was selected to appear at the recent festival in a showcase for undiscovered traditional talent.
He proceeded to come away with the top award, being one of the six winners at the event.
The auspicious debut at the Danny Kyle Open Stage event saw him perform alongside 80 new musical talents given the chance to shine.
He introduced the Glasgow audience to four of his most recently penned songs, two of which were evoked by experiences on his trust travels.
Since joining the trust I have been hugely inspired to be back amongst the people, and in the land and seascapes we manage.My guitar goes with me everywhere, so in the evenings and weekends it’s always to hand – bringing people together to share our stories and songs.
His patch offers plenty of range for musical inspiration, including the towering Ross-shire peaks and Ben Lawers to West Affric, the dramatic Falls of Glomach, and the islands including Iona, Staffa, Mingulay, Pabbay and Berneray as well as the isolated archipelago of St Kilda.
Will, who was based in Grantown as the CNPA's head of land management, said: "Since joining the trust I have been hugely inspired to be back amongst the people, and in the land and seascapes we manage.
"My guitar goes with me everywhere, so in the evenings and weekends it’s always to hand – bringing people together to share our stories and songs."
Will, plays anywhere he finds himself, on mountain crags, in caves, by the fireside – and now on a famous festival stage. There, he shared his self-penned numbers.
"The song Billy and Eilidh was written last May on the Isle of Barra when I was trying to get across to Mingulay. It’s about a young couple separated by a treacherous stretch of water," he explained.
Stormbird was written after an incredibly powerful experience with a Leach’s Storm Petrel chick on St Kilda. Seabirds are in desperate need of help – I chose to sing Stormbird to remind us all just how fragile the sea is.
"I was the last performer on stage and my final song Fistful of Sand tells the story of my great-great grandfather John McLean and the day he and 300 others were evicted from the Isle of Rum in 1826.
"It’s a song that has taken me over 20 years to write, so I was very relieved to finally sing it to a large audience knowing all my McLean cousins in the UK and New Zealand could also hear it live online."
He added: "All the songs seemed to go down well, I was deeply honoured to be selected as one of the six finalists".
He performed again in early February in a showcase event. You can hear Will’s first performance here: DKOS Fri 27th
Scottish folk singer-songwriter Danny Kyle, who passed away in 1998, was a passionate supporter of traditional music and a constant campaigner for its revival in Scotland. The annual open stage event in his name has been the launch pad for many now familiar names such as Karine Polwart, RURA, and The Chair.
