The Willow Trio unveils debut album

The Willow Trio have unveiled their debut album, The Swan of Salen, which will be released on Friday February 17.

 

It comes from the Glasgow-based clarsach group, who are aiming to bridge the gap between classical and traditional music, producing a modern retelling of Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake ballet with the use of Gaelic melodies.

 

The album forms a musical backdrop to the Swan of Salen project, which will tour across Scotland as a multimedia adaptation of Swan Lake, taking Gaelic influences from stories and songs from the Loch Sunart area.

 

The Willow Trio comprises three multi-award winning female harpists, Romy Wymer, Sophie Rocks and Sam MacAdam, who are celebrated for their skilled compositions of both classical and traditional music.

 

Romy, Sophie and Sam each bring their own innovative style to the group, with musical influences ranging from harp-extraordinaire Catriona McKay to Debussy to Radiohead.

 

Sophie Rocks said: 'The tale of The Swan of Salen is one of love, loss and heartache. It’s a beautiful story and we wanted to make it accessible to everyone, particularly to those in communities who would not usually have easy access to ballet or live music.

 

She added: 'We hope to remove some of the cultural and personal barriers that may stand in the way of people pursuing or simply enjoying performances of ballet and folk music.'

 

Having released their debut EP Oystercatchers in 2021, The Willow Trio have performed at The Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Sofar Sounds and Celtic Connections on the Danny Kyle Stage.

 

The trio have also been featured on Talking Harps, Opening the Harp Chakra, Northern Soul, Local Heroes and BBC Scotland.

 

Their album, Swan of Salen will be available to stream and download on all digital platforms from Friday February 17.

 

The Willow Trio recorded The Swan of Salen at Dystopia Studios in Glasgow with sound engineer Luigi Pasquini.