Rachel Sermanni is a 19 year old songwriter from Carrbridge and Timespan and Friends of Kildonan Church are very excited to welcome her to Helmsdale on 10 August 2011 to perform an intimate, acoustic set in the wonderful setting of the historic Kildonan Church.

Sometimes Rachel plays solo and sometimes she is surrounded by a group of wonderful musicians consisting of Laura Wilkie, Siobhan Anderson and sometimes Louise Bichan (the fiddle pixies), Leo and Declan Forde and pianist the lovely Jennifer Austin . On this occasion she will be playing solo in this small, intimate venue so this is a chance to get up close and personal with Rachel before she hits the big time.

Over the last 12 months Rachel has been winning over audiences and making friends everywhere she goes. She went to London to play the Communion night at Notting Hill Arts Centre having had her track My Friend Fire, recorded and produced by Ben of Mumford and Sons, feature on the first Communion compilation album after they discovered Rachel playing on a beach in Ullapool.

Rachel has been honoured to have supported many acts over the past twelve months including Mumford & Sons on their infamous Highlands & Islands tour as well as amongst others, KT Tunstall, Newton Faulkner and John William Grant. The latter two who Rachel has ended up dueting with.

There have been many trips overseas already this year, with SXSW (Austin), Musexpo (LA), London Calling, Naked Song and Eurosonic (Netherlands) successfully conquered. Closer to home shows including The Great Escape and Celtic Connections, have lead to many festival appearances this summer including T in the Park , HebCelt Festival, Wickerman Festival and the Cambridge Folk Festival to name a few.

Looking to the future , there are many plans are afoot for this fast rising Highland star . Recording sessions are booked, every spare minute between shows is spent rehearsing and writing as Rachel prepares to release her debut EP for release in the second half of 2011 . The music press are getting quite excited about Rachel and so are we!

‘Incredibly promising…we’re sure she has an illustrious career ahead of her’. The Independent

‘Rachel Sermanni impresses with a stunning singing voice.’ clashmusic.com

‘expect sultry vocals and lyrics by the one, the only… Rabbie Burns (always a good thing)’ NME

Tickets are on sale now from Timespan – 01431 821327. There will also be a bus going from Timespan for just an extra £1 per ticket – please let us know at time of booking.

Source: Timespan