A Gaelic Mod champion singer from the Outer Hebrides is about to make his New York City debut. Paul McCallum, from South Uist joins the company of the 14 annual “Pipes of Christmas” concerts on December 15-16, 2012.
The concert, which is produced by the Clan Currie Society and sponsored by Edinburgh Napier University and Mercedes-Benz USA, will be staged in New York’s Upper East Side at the Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church.
Tenor Paul McCallum from South Uist will make his NYC singing debut at Clan Currie’s
McCallum came to the attention of concert producer and Clan Currie president, Robert Currie at a ceilidh in Benbecula as part of Clan Currie’s gathering and annual academic symposium. “Our clan enjoys a rich history in the Uists and it was a natural destination to hold our clan weekend,” said Currie. “It was an incredible delight to hear Paul sing at our ceilidh. The minute we heard his lovely tenor voice, we knew he would be perfect for our concert.”
Designed to bring a bit of home to thousands of Scots and Scottish-Americans living in the New York metropolitan area, “Pipes of Christmas” is regularly named one of the City’s top ten Christmas events.
McCallum will share the stage with an impressive company of performers including, Gaelic Mod champion harper, Jennifer Port originally from Golspie, Scotland, guitarist Steve Gibb originally from Inverness, Evan Cattanach from Kingussie and James Robinson, better known as young William Wallace from the film, “Braveheart.”
Also performing will be New England fiddle champion, Paul Woodiel, uilleann piper, Christopher Layer, Scottish country dance aficionado, Susie Petrov and the Blandford Memorial Pipe Band from Redlands, California.
Currie continued, “We are thrilled to be able to spotlight such wonderful Scottish talent like Paul McCallum. In so doing, we are also helping to build the next generation of musicians and composers as funds raised from the concerts support our scholarship program which includes bursaries to the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, the National Piping Centre and Sabhal Mòr Ostaig.”
The Pipes of Christmas
About Paul McCallum
Paul McCallum was born in Glasgow in 1963 and at the age of 4 was fostered out to the Currie family in the village of North Glendale, on the island of South Uist. It was to this village that acclaimed Gaelic folklorist Margaret Fay Shaw came in 1928 and stayed till 1935 to gather material for her book “Folksongs and Folklore of South Uist” which was published in 1955 and has not been out of print since!
A natural born singer, Paul was steeped in the language and music of South Uist learning Gaidhlig song on his mother and grandmother’s knee. He was educated in Sgoil Dhalabrog and went to sea after leaving school. It was at the Royal National Mod in Lochaber in 1985 that he first came to prominence, winning the main individual Gold Medal as well as the traditional Gold Medal for singing.
Also in attendance at the Lochaber Mod was Dr. Margaret Mackinnon who on hearing him sing pronounced, “There is a voice there somewhere.” Paul challenged her and said, “Train me then”! She did. Paul commuted to London and she to Scotland for his scholarship. Mackinnon trained him in the classical style while still retaining the natural voice which is so important to any singer. Two years later, McCallum won the prestigious Comunn Gaidhealach Gold Medal at the Stirling Mod in 1987. Since then his beautiful voice has taken him around the world, across Europe, the United States, and Canada.
Paul has also recorded a number of CDs including, “Eisd Ceol” (Listen to the Music) accompanied by Duncan Sinclair, “Taigh á Bhaird” (The Bard’s House) accompanied by Hamish and Kirsteen Menzies and “Margaret’s Glen” – a series of sings collected by Margaret Fay Shaw.
He is regularly invited to adjudicate at the local and national Gaelic Mods. He also teaches singing and vocal technique at the Benbecula campus of Lews Castle College, part of the University of the Highlands and Islands.