Fàilte don làrach-lìn ciùil agam.
Robert John MacInnes is a young, up and coming singer and traditional musician.
With a large repertoire of Gaelic, Scots and English songs, Robert creates accapella and self-accompanied piano arrangements that pull at your heart strings. His performances are full of emotion, passion and a genuine love of music. The story of each song is told through his delivery, from heartbreak to Puirt a-beul, and is certain to draw you in as if you were sat beside the composer.
With his parent's love of traditional music, and coming from an extended family of island musicians, it was inevitable that Robert John MacInnes would one day follow a musical path. It was at nursery that it became apparent that this would be sooner rather than later!
From the age of seven, he received Gaelic singing lessons through Feis Rois with Eilidh Mackenzie and then privately with Maggie MacDonald. In 2010, aged eleven, he was accepted into the National Centre of Excellence in Traditional Music at his local High School in Plockton to study primarily in Gaelic song, (along with bagpipes and piano), receiving singing tuition from Wilma Kennedy and Rachel Walker. Robert is the only person (so far) to complete the full six years of High School education at the Centre.
After completing an HNC in Music at West Highland College in Fort William, he returned to the music school between 2018 and 2020 as a tutor on the Development Programme.
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In 2015, Robert made his debut at the world-famous Celtic Connections festival as part of the 'Slainte Mhath' showcase. He returned to the festival lineup in 2021, this time in an online format, to showcase Gaelic songs from North Uist.
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During the Covid-19 pandemic, Robert set himself an online 'Song a Week' challenge, with videos being viewed as many as ten thousand times.
Most recently, Robert has joined the Seall@Home scheme with SEALL - a leading performing arts organisation based on the Isle of Skye. The scheme brings music to audiences all over the Highlands and Islands in online and in-person settings. He also takes part in Alzheimer Scotland support events throughout the local area.
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He was a semi-finalist in the BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year competition for 2024.
As a Gaelic language learner, Robert is continuing to develop his own language skills and can bring both Gaelic and English speech to his performances.
From village halls and at ceilidhs across the Highlands and Islands, to being on the line-up at Celtic Connections and the Blas Festival, you can be sure that each performance will take you on a music journey to remember.