Brighde Chaimbeul

Brìghde Chaimbeul is a leading purveyor of Celtic experimentalism and a master of the Scottish smallpipes. Her music is mesmerizing and mystic: ancient melodies accompanying a haunting drone that seems to come right from the earth. A native Gaelic speaker from the Isle of Skye, Chaimbeul roots her music in her language and culture. She started learning the pipes at the age of seven, and has devised a completely unique way of arranging for pipe music that emphasises the rich textural drones of the instrument —that plush transcendent hum that roots us in a timeless frontier. Chaimbeul uses an array of effects and layering to convey her experience as the piper to the audience; these effects allow listeners to experience the music as if they’re up close to the pipes, enveloped by drone, inhabited by resonance and overtones.

Chaimbeul draws inspiration from the world of interconnected piping traditions, including Bulgarian, Irish, Scandinavian, and Cape Breton traditions. Her most recent album, 2025’s Sunwise, brings in influences from ambient, avant garde, and electronic music. She has collaborated with folk luminaries like Ross Ainslie and Lankum’s Radie Peet as well as artists like American singer Caroline Polachek and Montreal-based saxophonist Colin Stetson.

Recipient of the BBC Young Folk Award, and the BBC Horizons Award, Chaimbeul is transforming and creating new definitions for Scottish folk in the 21st century. Join us in the enchantment at Brìghde Chaimbeul’s VFMF debut. – LP

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