Arranging & Composing
String arrangements & original compositions
One of the first albums I played strings on was the folkie noughties classic, Don't Sing Love Songs by Maeve Mackinnon, where myself, Duncan Lyall and Ali Hutton had loads of fun layering up some of my most memorable string lines to date.
Since then, I've single-handedly written, played (as in violins, viola and sometimes cello) and recorded strings for Tim Edey, Flook, Brian Finnegan, Ross Ainslie & Ali Hutton, From the Ground and most recently, the Scottish folktronica band, Inyal. I love providing what many call, 'the icing on the cake' and it's an amazingly rewarding process to collaborate with artists on their precious songs or tunes, in the closing stages of production. There have been tears!
BA in Applied Music with Recording & Sound Production specialism - University of Strathclyde
String Arranging Commissions
Inyal - Fathoms
2026
I wrote these string arrangements at home, notating on Sibelius and recording demos into Logic. There was some back and forth between the band's amazing fiddler, Robbie Greig and I and the players on the session at Gloworm were Seonaid Aitken (violin), Claire Telford (violin), myself (viola) and Alice Allen (cello).
Brian Finnegan - Bone Memory
2025
Love working with Brian and Sean Óg Graham and I did a mix of tune playing here and layering up some string parts. I did my best Seonaid Aitken impression here!
Flook - Sanju
2025
Woweee I'm now on two Flook albums - what a dream come true. We put together these tracks before the Irish tour we did in 2024. It was such a great experience and what lovely people. These were recorded at home and it was great to e-meet the producer, Steve Jones on this! I'm on tracks 2 and 5.
From the Ground
2024
Another project with long-time collaborator and friend Ali Hutton, this time alongside mandolin player and singer Laura-Beth Salter. I was given free reign to sculpt the strings around the nearly finished tracks, like a hug, and I love the way they turned out, cleverly mixed by Duncan Lyall.
Flook - Ellie Goes West (Ancora)
2023
This is a gorgeous tune and as you can imagine, I was absolutely buzzing to be asked to contribute to this one.
Tim Edey - I Got Rhythm
2021
Another recorded at home offering, this was super fun and it's such a treat to play for the amazing Tim! I'm on a fair few tracks on this album - total classics like Isn't she Lovely, Don't Know Why, Fields of Gold and How Deep is Your Love!
Oka Vanga - Oka Vanga
2021
I enjoyed working with this duo a lot. We first worked together in person in Devon but this was kind of a lockdown project and so everything was written and recorded in my home studio. Check out Beneath the Apple Tree, Blue Sky, Bows of Yew and Johanna.
Ross Ainslie & Ali Hutton - Symbiosis II
2018
These parts were written and recorded at home. The great thing about layering parts up myself is that you can have such a huge range of string sounds/colours/effects over the course of an album. The more 'players' on each part, the softer and more epic it sounds and I always have multiple instruments and bows on hand in order to systematically avoid those funky, phasing sounds when recording the same instrument multiple times!
Maeve Mackinnon - Don't Sing Love Songs
2007
The folkie noughties classic where it all began, down at Gran's House studio - layering up some of the most memorable string lines with Duncan Lyall and Ali Hutton.
Composition and Orchestration
I amn't a prolific composer by any stretch of the imagination but I do enjoy a wee commission now and again, whether it be a standalone tune for somebody or a more substantial piece, requiring serious orchestration. My first real public outing as a composer was in 2008 when my New Voices commission, Bridging the Gap took to the stage. Since then I've taken on commissions for Tryst - the piping supergroup, The Gordon Duncan Experience, the North Atlantic Fiddle Convention and most recently, the Grit Orchestra!