THERE are many reactions and emotions that musicians talk of after the exhilaration of a live performance – the energy and love of the crowd, the unique vibrations they feel on the stage from a powerful sound system, the apparent miracle of thousands of notes and phrases all colliding to form short lived melodies, and the rush of endorphins as the years of devotion to their art become realised. But the one consistent factor they invariably turn to is the motivation to do it again. To get back on the stage as soon as possible and re-shape and explore that repertoire in a quest for the holy grail of life on the road – the unattainable perfect gig.

Well, since the last of the Celtic Connections applause faded away at the beginning of February 2020 there has been a serious blow to said motivation and possibilities of any kind of gig, never mind the perfect one. There has been no stage (with a crowd in front of at least) to climb back on after the fall, pretty much anywhere in the world in the last eight months. That’s a seriously long time to go without adulation or motivation in the career span of a musician, especially when they are faced with little or no may of making a living from their chosen vocation. As my band compadre used to say after a few days back from a gruelling coast-to-coast US tour “there is only one thing worse than touring, and that’s not touring”.

READ MORE: Celtic Connections to return with full programme of online events

So when it dawned on us earlier this summer that we would still be practising social distancing come January, we knew we had to find a way to re-imagine Celtic Connections – even at the very least to help flame the motivation factor and sense of optimism and general well-being that performing music together brings.

Surely even the hardened of cultural sceptics were moved by the willingness of artists to let down their guard, through DIY performances from their bedroom or garden or anywhere really, filmed on a phone and uploaded to the world – partly in a gesture of artistic generosity and partly in the hope that some sense of normality and well-being could come back. An inspiring example of course being the Covid ceilidh series on social media by renowned Highland fiddler Duncan Chisholm, in which he gave a beautiful solo recital every morning of lockdown from his doorstep, featuring a repertoire of traditional favourites and compositions by his peers. By the 100th day it was like a daily dose of musical medicine for thousands of viewers.

As a festival used to a well-drilled process of public event management we watched in amazement at the extraordinary endeavour by other festivals, venues, orchestras and schools to connect with audiences in a different but equally meaningful way through digital and online means – and we felt emboldened to try and film some of the magic that happens on a stage and get that magic to you instead of you coming to us. And so, thanks to the support of Glasgow Life and our funders Creative Scotland, Scottish Government and Glasgow City council we began trying to make a vision into reality and the Celtic Connections 2021 digital-first (and hopefully only) festival was born.

In its digital format, Celtic Connections will present online concerts every night between Friday January 15 – Tuesday February 2, 2021.

IT turns out that filming ambitious live performances across the city of Glasgow for a digital festival presentation is fairly challenging. Particularly while making sure we are adhering to government guidelines, alongside the issue of travel bans and enforced isolation. But the one thing that made our life easier was the heart-felt dedication of musicians to find a way to make it work – to embrace the opportunity to play together again, in some cases for the first time since their last show at Celtic Connections a year before.

We wanted to try and make up for the lack of an audience by finding an inspirational space for artists to perform, hence our use of some of Glasgow’s most iconic venues including Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum, City Chambers, Barrowlands and our festival favourite the Old Fruitmarket.

The venues mattered of course, but maybe more importantly we felt compelled to ensure that the festival would support and encourage the creative industries here in Scotland to help protect our rich but potentially fragile musical legacy.

So armed with a two-metre stick to keep musicians Covid safe, a multi-camera film crew, a mobile recording studio, some moody lighting and a number of people who are brilliant at what they do, we made the leap and began producing some unique performances that we hope will light up January on anything that has a screen (including your TV if you are one of those people who has worked out to get Vimeo on your TV!). Not surprisingly hearing the graceful tones of a fiddle come alive on our first day of filming was tear inducing – there was a time for many of us at the turn of Autumn when we didn’t know if music would feel the same again after so much silence.

IT’S no secret that the very best of Scotland’s roots music has always been at the heart of the festival. This long-established connection and cultivation of the Scottish traditional music scene, alongside the recognition that Celtic Connections and other similar festivals are key drivers in the development of Scotland’s cultural sector, informed our decision that this digital-first festival would have a particular focus on talent from at home here in Scotland.

Consistent with the festival’s commitment over the years to emerging talent we again commissioned projects like our New Voices, highlighting new filmed sets this year from piper Steven Blake, Gaelic singer Josie Duncan, and fiddler Charlie Stewart. Similarly we have engaged with some unique collaborative projects, like our Edwin Morgan 100th celebration (in association with Edinburgh International Book Festival) that features a new score for choir by Gavin Bryars.

FOR us, on many ways the biggest challenge was trying to keep the International strand of the festival alive and well against the backdrop of travel restrictions – something that was particularly frustrating for our Celtic cousins – from Ireland, Galicia, Brittany, Asturias and Wales, from where we would usually welcome so many great artists in previous years.

Celtic Connections unites and collaborates with cultures and musical talent from all over the world so again through the dedication of musicians and technicians we were able to create remote filming sessions to give a sense of the global partnerships we feel has always played such an important part in what Celtic Connections is truly about – connections, collaborations and relationships.

So performers from India, Africa, Scandinavia and North America all play an exciting part in this digital party – including a special concert from Quebec featuring perennial favourites Le Vend Du Nord.

I would like to say a huge thank you to all of the musicians who have contributed both at home and abroad, it has been brilliant to see them all get behind the concept and support our vision.