‘Dùthchas’ is an ancient Gaelic term, describing a sense of interconnectedness and belonging between people, land, and nonhuman beings.

The ‘Highland Clearances’, which took place in Scotland during the late 18th/early 19th century, was the forced eviction of local people from the Highlands and Western Isles, to make way for more profitable sheep farming. Evicted tenants were often given ‘assisted passages’ – when landowners paid for their fares to emigrate, leaving them with little choice but to move to countries such as Canada, America, Australia, and New Zealand. The Clearances resulted in the destruction of traditional clan society, and decimation of the Gaelic language.

Lucy’s programme has been curated to transport listeners through the journey of an emigrant – arriving in America with Steve Reich’s Vermont Counterpoint, and concluding with Electra Perivolaris’ Glen Sannox River Song: a modern reflection on a land without its people.

Lucy Walsh is a Scottish flautist, strongly influenced by her upbringing on the Isle of Arran, Scotland – creatively channelling the sounds of a childhood immersed in traditional music, and time spent in nature. She is grateful to be supported by the Dewar Arts Awards.

Part of Bloomsbury Festival’s New Wave programme, a platform for emerging talent.