William Jackson – Scottish Harper and Composer

Originally from Glasgow, Scotland, and now based in Mayo, William Jackson has been at the forefront of traditional music for nearly 40 years. He has recorded and toured alongside many well know Irish and Scottish musicians and has also performed and taught at many festivals in the USA and Canada. In 2004 he was the recipient of the Swannanoa Gathering ‘Master Music Maker award for Lifetime Achievement’ (Swannanoa, North Carolina USA). His most recent collaboration is with Irish harper and concertina player Gráinne Hambly from County Mayo, and they released their first CD as a duo in 2009.

He was a founding member of Ossian in 1976, which became one of Scotland’s best-loved traditional bands. The band, whose music influenced a generation of musicians, toured extensively throughout the U.S.A. and Europe. While his main instrument is harp, he also plays whistle and bouzouki. William is also a trained Music Therapist, specialising in working with children.

While working with Ossian, William also established himself as a composer and he has steadily knit together traditional influences with classical instrumentation in a style uniquely his own. His impressive list of commissioned works and subsequent recordings includes “The Wellpark Suite”, “St. Mungo”, “Inchcolm” and “Duan Albanach”. His composition “Land of Light” won the international Song for Scotland competition in 1999, organised by The Herald to find a new Scottish Anthem. His music has also been choreographed by the Irish National Ballet. His most recent composition is a 4-part suite of music inspired by the connections between Ireland and Scotland (supported by the Arts Council of Ireland).

Recording Credits
Solo: Land of Light; Duan Albanach; A Scottish Island; The Celtic Suites; Inchcolm; The Ancient Harp of Scotland; Celtic Experience Vol. 1-3; Notes from a Hebridean Island; The New Harp
With Ossian: The Carrying Stream; Light on a Distant Shore; Borders; Seal Song; Dove Across the Water; The Best of Ossian; Ossian; St. Kilda Wedding

Links to facebook videos:

Part 1: The Stone of Sorrows https://fb.watch/5oIBVnRg_g/
Part 2: Fingal’s Cave / Causeway https://fb.watch/5oIQb4mqb-/
Part 3: The Battle of Faughart https://fb.watch/5oISqvDyND/
Part 4: Mayo of the Saxons / The Yew Tree https://fb.watch/5oIUuQH8ya/