Having recently been approached about a new project, it was really an easy decision to get onboard.

For many years as a student and onwards, many of my musician friends were very talented folk musicians as well as having been involved with the stage production of Shehallion and played with a few brilliant Celtic bands including the brilliant Ceilidh Minogue. So the opportunity to be a founding member and music director was a chance I really couldn’t pass up.

There are certain elements of the project to which I’m sworn to secrecy; but the project is already underway with many of the initial songs and compositions being written as well as band members meeting and rehearsals planned for later in 2025.

A number of performances are already booked for 2026 and out of the repertoire we’re working on, a selection will make their way onto the first album entitled Wilderness.

Rhovan is primarily a Celtic word however it was adopted by JRR Tolkien into his Elvish language; in both dictionaries it means “Wilderness”.

It’ll be a busy summer of 2025 developing the ensemble (I’m not used to saying “I’m in a band” and it’s not something I feel comfortable saying at the age of 56) and I’m very much looking forward to meeting up with the other musicians. We are currently looking for a female singer with experience in contemporary music as well as folk and perhaps traditional Scottish.

So watch this space!