Sylvia Barnes

Sylvia’s pedigree in Traditional music is a long and distinguished one. Together with her late husband Jim, she formed the vocal nucleus of the influential Glasgow band Kentigern, and was one of an elite group of female vocalists to sing the with the Battlefield Band, before moving to England in the 80’s. She fronted several bands during this time and continued to perform as a duo with Jim, becoming firm favourites with folk club and festival audiences throughout the country and abroad, and releasing a number of well received recordings. She continues to be in demand as a solo singer, being a frequent guest at singing festivals in this country and in Ireland and was recognised as "Scots Singer of the Year" for 2006, an award sponsored by the Traditional Music and Song Association of Scotland. Among the very top flight of Scots singers, she is a dramatic performer with a wonderful voice. She can render passion, humour and gentle sentiment with equal ease and has been described as one of the finest ballad singers of her generation. Her deep commitment to her songs and her involvement in them bring them to life in a way few other singers can achieve.