BELA FLECK FITS IN OBAMA INAUGURATION GIG IN BETWEEN CELTIC CONNECTIONS SHOWS

Legendary US banjo wizard Bela Fleck will fit a performance at Barack Obama's presidential inauguration festivities in between his two Celtic Connections concerts. Fleck, who is performing with an all-star African line-up of Toumani Diabate, Oumou Sangare and Bassekou Kouyate on January 17th in the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, has been invited to perform with Wynton Marsalis and The Lincoln Centre Jazz Orchestra in Washington D.C. on 19th January to celebrate Obama's inauguration.

He'll then fly back to Glasgow for his gig with Abigail Washburn and the Sparrow Quartet on January 21st at the ABC. As a result, the free screening of Fleck's acclaimed documentary Throw Down Your Heart, which will be attended by the legendary banjo player himself (when he will take part in a Q&A) has been rescheduled from January 19th to January 16th.

ALL STAR LINE-UP OF FOLK MUSICIANS ANNOUNCED FOR HOMECOMING SCOTLAND SUITE

On January 25th, the 250th anniversary of Robert Burns birth, Celtic Connections will stage the Homecoming Scotland Suite - a suite of brand-new commissions by leading contemporary composers, the performance of which promises to be a momentous evening of cross-genre collaboration, with the bringing together of celebrated classical, folk and jazz musicians. A who's who of folk musicians will perform alongside the Royal Scottish National Orchestra at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, including Shooglenifty's James Mackintosh, David Milligan, Martin O'Neill, Alyn Cosker, Duncan Lyall, Ali Hutton, Jarlath Henderson, Martin O'Neill and Catriona McKay. They will perform new commissions by the likes of Aidan O'Rourke, Greg Lawson, Chris Stout and Steve Forman.

The centrepiece of the night will be the US tenor saxophonist Branford Marsalis performing the premiere of Sally Beamish's newly rewritten Under the Wing of the Rock, which she rescored especially for him after hearing his performance of her concerto The Imagined Sound of Sun on Stone. Marsalis will visit the UK especially for this one-off show (and for a round of golf on The Old Course at St. Andrews, which he has been challenged to by Scottish saxophonist Tommy Smith, who also premieres a new commission in the Homecoming Suite)

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2ND EDDI READER SHOW ADDED DUE TO OVERWHELMING DEMAND

The festival has added an extra date of Eddi Reader Sings the Songs of Robert Burns after her first concert sold out. Due to overwhelming demand, Eddi will perform a 2nd show with the Orchestra of Scottish Opera on Monday 19th January at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall.

SOLD OUT SHOWS

Numerous shows have sold out, including both nights of Transatlantic Sessions, Nanci Griffith, The Wilders, Genticorum, Mary Gauthier, Saint Andrew and the Rare Wee Helps, many of the Celtic Connections workshops and A Highland Fiddler featuring Bruce MacGregor, Duncan Chisholm and Iain MacFarlane.

A number of other shows have limited ticket availability including Dougie MacLean, Karine Polwart and Flight of the Arctic Tern. Auld Lang Syne at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall and the Jerry Douglas Band at the Old Fruitmarket have standing tickets only left, and all dancing tickets for the Homecoming Scotland All-Star Ceilidh have sold out.

Tickets can be booked at:www.celticconnections.com or 0141 353 8000.