English presentation - Filidh Ruadh
Filidh Ruadh in Gaelic means the red-haired bard… We chose that name to suit our ballads, which, whether in English or Gaelic, are mostly issued from the ancient Gaelic bards and Scottish poets, and range from 16th to 20th century. We naturally also pay a special tribute to Robert Burns (1759-1796); whether they describe the homeland, nostalgia or love, both texts and melodies illustrate the wonderful landscapes and nature of the Scottish people. Our trio is made up of Christiane Rupp (Celtic harp and voice), Isabelle Watson (voice and percussion) and Nikita Pfister (Hackbrett and diatonic accordions). We shall take you on a moving journey through the fresh sea air of the “Highlands and Islands”…
Biographies
Isabelle Watson could not envisage life without music and singing. Coming from a classical background, former member of the Ensemble Vocal de St Maurice, and working in the field of classical music, she is particularly attracted to ancient music and contemporary music, as well as the French song repertoire. Gaelic, Gaelic ballads, and all aspects of Scottish music are her passion. She is also caller (MC) for the Loch Léman Ceilidh Band.
Christiane Rupp studied the Willems method, and in 2003, she created the musical expression workshop for children in hospital and their relatives, called « Espace Musique » in the CHUV (Hôpital Universitaire du Canton de Vaud) and the Hôpital de l’Enfance in Lausanne. She teaches Celtic harp (initiation) at home and in workshops (including the Keltische Tage am Bodensee, and has created a yearly Celtic Harp Festival in Vevey (Rencontres autour de la Harpe Celtique). She plays with various groups of Celtic and traditional music, including Filidh Ruadh, Filigrane and the Loch Léman Ceilidh Band.
For over 30 years, Nikita Pfister’s passion has been the traditional music of Europe and Switzerland. He has played with various groups : Bazoche, Les Carottes Sauvages, Tsimbl, Montferrine, with whom he recorded several CDs. He teaches diatonic accordion and hackbrett, privately and in workshops, and taught traditional musique from Suisse Romande at the Luzern Hochschule. In 2002, he was commissioned by Pro Helvetia for compositions in the traditional style. Apart from Filidh Ruach, he plays with various traditional music groups, such as Alpbarock (CD Alpha 525) and Filigrane. He conducts the Loch Léman Ceilidh Band, Scottish dance orchestra which he created in 2007. He has taken part in various music programmes for the Radio Suisse Romande.