IT’S a long way from Argentina to Scotland’s northern isles but some of the country’s most exciting musicians are heading to Orkney and Shetland this summer for a new festival.
The brain child of award-winning Orcadian musician Catriona Price, the new Rumbo North Isles will bring together Latin American vibes with the sounds of Orkney and Shetland music.
“It will be a celebration of Latin and local collaboration and we can’t wait to experience the joy, colour and creative energy that will emerge when our fantastic line-up comes together,” she said.
The festival is the result of the Routes to Roots project that Price has been developing for more than a decade. She now co-leads the organisation with Joni Strugo and Juan Grabina of Argentine duo El Guapo, who she met by chance at a conference a few years ago.
“I asked them to come and do a track as part of the development of Routes to Roots and that sort of snowballed as we realised we were a great team,” she explained.
Their mission is to bring together musicians from diverse backgrounds to co-create original, genre-defying work that fosters empathy, connection and understanding.
Through live performances, artist residencies and community workshops, Routes to Roots aims to use music to celebrate cultural richness and promote dialogue across borders.
“I think music is such a good tool to help us understand each other better and that’s why I think it’s important to have an intercultural project, because it’s a way to show that we all have way more in common than we think,” she said.
“There is much more that connects us than divides us and music sometimes gets that message across much better than words.”
Most of the organisation’s work so far has been within Latin America, including at its first Rumbo Oaxaca festival which took place in Mexico this January.
The story will continue this August in Orkney and Shetland, with a festival programme of performances across the islands, connecting local artists with Latin American artists to create new music together.
It’s a big year for the organisation as it will also be releasing an EP of the music created in Rumbo Oaxaca, as well as programming a special Routes to Roots stage at Edinburgh International Festival.
“Our first official year as an organisation is shaping up to be a huge one,” said Price. “As well as our first-ever festival, Rumbo Oaxaca in Mexico, we curated a Routes to Roots showcase at Celtic Connections in January. Rumbo North Isles is an exciting new chapter in our journey.
“As someone whose music is rooted in my Orcadian upbringing, bringing the project home to the islands feels particularly special.”
Price hopes the festival will lay the foundations for lasting artistic relationships, future international exchange and new opportunities for artists and audiences alike.
“After performing across Orkney and Shetland with my Routes to Roots colleagues Joni and Juan over the past two summers, it felt like a natural next step to create a Scottish edition of the festival in the North Isles,” she said. “We hope Rumbo North Isles will create unforgettable performances this summer.”
She added: “The music went down so well when the boys came up last year and we realised that Latin music and music from the North Isles actually has a lot in common because of the vibe and the energy. People responded really well so we’ve decided to create two big shows, one in Shetland and one in Orkney, as well as some smaller events in the more remote areas.”
Strugo, creative director of Routes to Roots, said he was delighted to be returning to Scotland.
“Since beginning to work with Catriona, I’ve spent a lot of time here and it has become a very special place for both me and my El Guapo partner Juan,” he said. “The North Isles in particular have a unique creative spirit and sense of community that we’ve fallen in love with.
“It’s a pleasure to share our Latin American-rooted original music with audiences here and even more exciting to bring artists together through Routes to Roots. We believe that when people from different cultures make music together, something truly special happens, and Rumbo North Isles is all about creating those moments of connection.”
Srugo said he was “thrilled” with the line-up for the first edition of Rumbo North Isles.
“It’s a real privilege to be welcoming Lohdóh – the incredible Argentine musicians Noelia Recalde and Jonatan Szer – to Scotland for the very first time,” he said
“In addition, we have some of the finest musical exports from the North Isles, including Kris Drever, The Chair, Amy Laurenson and Norman Wilmore, as well as exciting emerging acts such as Auskerry and Skelpit, alongside the Routes to Roots team – Catriona Price and my band from Argentina, El Guapo.”
Two headline events form the centre of the programme. The first takes place on August 1 at Mareel in Lerwick, followed by a second on August 9 at the Marquee at Picky in Kirkwall.
Tickets for Rumbo North Isles are on sale now at https://routestorootsmusic.org
