Vietnamese musicians come to Highlands as part of Feis Ros and Jazz Festival

Music lovers will be sampling a cultural exchange in a series of concerts starring artists from Vietnam and the Highlands this weekend.

A collaboration between a celebrated group from Hanoi and prominent Scots musicians is bringing together talent in the latest phase of an exciting global showcase.

It’s the third leg of a cultural exchange made possible by the British Council.

Scots musicians performed in Hanoi last year after a Vietnamese contingent visited Glasgow in 2019.

Artists have travelled from Vietnam to perform at the festival

Saxophonist Quyen Thien Dac said: “For some reason we are losing our traditional ethnic music so we are trying to bring that into the present day.”

Those taking part say their harmonies show how universal a language music can be, and say they’re forging a collaboration that will continue for many more years to come.

Scots organisers Feis Rois and the Glasgow Jazz Festival said they’re delighted to bring together such exciting sounds for Highland audiences.

Fiona Dalgetty from Feis Rois said: “Both countries are doing this in a contemporary context and we are seeing more of this in Scotland that musicians work across genres together.

The festival was organised by the teams behind Feis Rois and Glasgow Jazz Festival

“Collaborating with the Jazz Festival and bringing jazz and folk music together has been brilliant.”

For Young Traditional Musician of the Year Ali Levack, from Maryburgh, the first concert is just a few miles away from home, at Resolis, this weekend.

Then he is heading to Ullapool and finally the opening night of the Glasgow Jazz Festival next week.

He said: “I was having a wee jam with the guys and one of the lads from Vietnam who was playing a fish trap.

“We can’t speak to each other with words sometimes, but we can with music.”