Aidan O'Rourke

Aidan is a fiddle player and composer from the Isle of Seil off the West Coast of Scotland. He has toured extensively in Europe and North America from the age of 15 and has made his name as one of Scotland’s most expressive and dynamic musicians. At 19, Aidan formed Tabache with Claire Mann and went on to record the internationally acclaimed album ‘’Waves of Rush’.

Aidan now performs with Alyth McCormack and the hugely successful Blazin’ Fiddles. In his new project, Sunhoney, Aidan has found the opportunity to explore different styles of music, from rock/pop, to jazz, roots and groove to drum 'n' bass which have had huge influences on his musicality and expression as well as keeping with the traditional music he loves. Sunhoney released their debut album ‘November’ in September 2002.

“They keep the essential elements of traditional music – the melody and great singing – whilst managing to be at the cutting edge of modern Scottish music. An excellent debut.” www.worldmusic.org.uk

Aidan is much sought after as a session musician having played on over 30 albums, ranging from Runrig to Michael McGoldrick.

In 2001 Aidan was commissioned to write the music for a Dundee Rep Theatre’s Christmas show and in October 2002, as musician in residence for Folkworks in Tyneside, Aidan wrote a piece for a number of the region’s finest young musicians. The project called ‘Encore’ included a rehearsal period, the recording of a CD and a region-wide tour as the opening act for Blazin’ Fiddles.

In January this year Aidan wrote a piece of music for Celtic Connection's New Voices series. The 12-piece band incorporated some of Europe's top jazz and traditional musicians including Harald Haugaard, Charlie McKerron, Brian Finnegan, Luke Daniels and Phil Bancroft. The piece, entitled "Sirius," received much critical acclaim and in April 2003 the Carl Nielsen Academy of Music, Odense, Denmark chose to use this piece with their final year students as an example of how different musical genres can work together.

“….the piece showed extraordinary powers of description, ambition and a vast range of musical references, and yet was as impressively executed as it was imaginatively conceived.” Rob Adams, The Herald 20/01/03

More recently Aidan has been touring with Blazin’ Fiddles, Alyth McCormack and her band, performing at summer festivals with Sunhoney and in June he had his acting debut as a helmsman from Barra in the Highland Festivals theatre production, The Seven Hunters.

“Aidan O’Rourke underlined the sheer quality available in this band, with marvellous, soft toned articulation and apparently endless reserves of musicality.” The Herald


“It is O’Rourke’s playing that most immediately commands attention with his fervent hyperactive bowing and quicksilver dynamic control.” The Scotsman


“O’Rourke is a dazzling fiddler in any setting” Scotland on Sunday