Music

Co: Down singer/harper, Brona McVittie, began singing along to Dolly Parton records as a child. She took up clarinet aged nine on account of being the only child in the school who could utter a noise through the instrument, and later picked up the saxophone, learned a few tunes on the tin whistle, and was taught bodhran by the Sands family of Rostrevor. Her piano teacher was a local eccentric, who used to teach in a different room of his house dependent on the season. There was something of the Norman Bates about him. His mother was always there, but you never saw her.

Brona left the emerald isle to read Biological sciences at St-Hilda’s College, Oxford. Inspired by her boyfriend at the time, who wrote her a love song with his guitar, she appropriated a fretted instrument and began to write songs herself. These were initially performed in the pubs and clubs of Oxford town in guitar/bass duo, The Balance, with fellow biologist and good-for-nothing, Joe Mossman. They moved to London to explore the pub/club circuit and later disbanded on account her departure from the angsty histrionic songs she’d been producing, to a more uplifting, upbeat style.

Shortly thereafter she formed the band, Forestbrook, with then partner, Alastair Dant. And although it took them four years to make the debut album, As The Crow Flies, on account of it being a very bad idea to try any such thing with your partner, the result is surprisingly pleasant and the fact that they’re both still alive, a stroke of luck. The live outfit brought together the extremely talented trumpeter: Hutch Demouilpied, cellist: Jo Quail and drummer: Marius Rodrigues. Their last concert at the Union Chapel in 2008 saw the rise of Brona’s next project, the Forestbrook Gaelic Choir, later branded Rún. And the same concert also prompted the London Lasses to invite her to be their new singer. All this was hot on the heels of her introduction to  the Celtic harp, which she borrowed from luthier friend, Keith Beechey, and couldn’t bring herself to return.

Currently lead singer/harper for stalwarts of the London Irish music scene, The London Lasses and Pete Quinn, allegedly “the best female group in Irish music” (Irish American News), she also directs Celtic acapella outfit, Rún, described by the Irish World “refreshingly different”. Brona has performed at the Royal Opera House (Clore Theatre), Royal Festival Hall and Queen Elizabeth Hall foyers, Royal Albert Hall (Cafe Consort), the Union Chapel, the National Theatre Foyer and Camden Irish Centre. Festival appearances include Cambridge Folk Festival, Celtic Connections, the Festival of Britain and Glastonbury. She has had several radio broadcasts through BBC Radio Ulster and her music has been licensed for TV.

For details of recent and forthcoming performances, visit the live page. For recorded material, try the records or video pages.

Qualifications: Dip mus: University of London, Birkbeck

Instruments: Voice, Celtic harp, Guitar, Clarinet, Saxophone, Tin Whistle, Bodhran, Glockenspiel, Kalimba, Ukelele, Spoons