‘Quite the best debut album that has come this way in a long time.’ – The Living Tradition
Biography
Fiddle player, singer and composer Isla Ratcliff is a passionate and inventive musician from Edinburgh, Scotland. Since releasing her debut album The Castalia in 2021, Isla has been receiving increasing attention for her fiery fiddle playing and her rich singing voice. She was a Semi-Finalist in the BBC Young Traditional Musician of the Year 2022 competition, and she was nominated for Up and Coming Artist of the Year 2022 at the MG Alba Scots Trad Music Awards. She has performed across Scotland, the UK and Europe, including at Celtic Connections, Cambridge Folk Festival, Sidmouth FolkWeek, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Seall Festival of Small Halls, the BBC Proms, and festivals in France, Germany and Denmark. Aged 13, she played a trad duet with Nicola Benedetti in Edinburgh’s Usher Hall.
Isla’s debut album The Castalia features traditional and self-composed tunes inspired by the 4 months that she spent in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada in 2019. Described as ‘quite the best debut album that has come this way in a long time’ (The Living Tradition), her album expresses her love for the tradition, its ethos of community, and the power of music to bring people together. Isla is now working on her second album.
The Castalia – Album
VIDEOS
The Castalia – Reviews
- ‘Quite the best debut album that has come this way in a long time. … Isla’s playing here echoes much of past masters like Jerry Holland and Buddy MacMaster.’ – The Living Tradition
- ‘A fine debut album … showcasing her bright, articulate playing’ – The Scotsman, ****
- ‘Isla Ratcliff’s superb fiddle-playing, crisply toned, fiery or tender as the tune demands… Of course, for me the star was Isla’s voice which is as pure, clear and natural as spring water.’ – Sheena Wellington, Friends of Wighton
- ‘Ms Ratcliff has assembled almost an hour of excellent hard core fiddle music, most of it bearing the energetic stamp of Cape Breton Island. … The crunchy triplets and driven bow of Cape Breton fiddling are to the fore here, but Ratcliff’s skills extend far beyond that. … The Castalia should ensure that Isla Ratcliff is held in equally high regard on this side of the ocean.’ – Folk World
- ‘A refreshingly lively new take on trad. … This recording is a vigorous new interpretation of the sometimes overly worthy school of (largely) solo fiddle recordings.’ – At The Barrier
- ‘A beautifully crafted debut’ – Shire Folk
PHOTOS
Promo photos here.
COntact
Contact Isla here.
Isla Ratcliff 
