Sòlas, Gaol, Sìth, Dòchas
Camryn Ruthven
Uniting her passions for music and history, Camryn (she/her) explores the Gaelic lineage through song, reclaiming the Scottish traditions of her ancestors and tending to their embers to honour the ancient ways through this modern-era. She believes that it is critical that we work towards decolonizing ourselves and reclaiming the ancestral teachings within our lineages so that we might become aligned allies for harmonious cross-cultural connections, collective healing, and sustainable ways of life. Language and music, as living cultural traditions, have the power to carry these teachings and share their resonant power with others. Camryn weaves the medicines of earth-centredness and Gàidhlig traditions into her own creative tapestry through poetry, song-writing, vocal improvisation, and instrumentation (primarily piano/guitar/bodhrán). Her distinctive vocal style draws its inspirations from the raw, highly-ornamented, earthy qualities of waulking songs, as well as the influences of Gàidhlig musicians such as Griogair Labhruidh and Kathleen MacInnes.
Photograph by Zak Erb, 2023
Music
Chì Mi na Mòrbheanna (Performed by Camryn Ruthven)
Past Performances
Beaver Valley Pipes and Drums St. Andrew's Day Ceilidh - Clarksburg, Ontario - Featured Performer and Pianist
Summerfolk Music Festival - Owen Sound Ontario - Youth Discoveries Artist
Noon Hour Concert Series - Owen Sound, Ontario
Vinestock - Blue Mountains, Ontario
2021
Sweetwater Music Festival: Next Wave Showcase - Digital Festival - Showcase Finalist
2019
2024
Music As Medicine: An Evening of Therapeutic Soundscapes - Thornbury, Ontario - Co-facilitator and Improvisor
Pub Night on the Patio at the Marsh Street Centre - Clarksburg, Ontario
Dreaming in the Valley Retreat - Kimberley, Ontario - Singer and Workshop Leader
Vinestock 2024 - The Blue Mountains, Ontario - Vocalist/Guitarist (The Ruthven Sisters)
Sundae Sunday Fundraiser - Thornbury, Ontario - Vocalist/Guitarist (The Ruthven Sisters)
OMFA Provincial Music Festival Award - Virtual - Vocalist/Guitarist (The Ruthven Sisters Trio)
Drumhead Service - Thornbury, Ontario - Bagpiper (Beaver Valley Pipes and Drums)
Open Ears Music Festival: CREEK - Schneider Creek Amphitheatre, Waterloo, Ontario - Vocalist (Nu Ears Ensemble)
Grey County Kiwanis Festival of Stars Awards Concert - Owen Sound, Ontario - Vocalist/Guitarist (The Ruthven Sisters Trio)
Beaver Valley Pipes and Drums Tartan Day Concert - Clarksburg, Ontario - Solo Performance, Bagpiper
ICE End-of-Year Devised Opera: "Entropy" - Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Ontario - Vocalist and Percussion
"Kreative Keyboards" Concert - Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Ontario - Selected Performer (Dùthaich MhicAoidh)
Pub Night at the Marsh Street Centre - Clarksburg, Ontario
Beaver Valley Pipes and Drums Burns Night Supper - Clarksburg, Ontario - Solo Performance, Bagpiper, and Haggis-Bearer
2023
Laurier Faculty of Music End-of-Year Gala - Waterloo, Ontario - Vocalist (ICE Ensemble)
"The Scottish Gaelic Diaspora" at the Blue Mountains Public Library - Thornbury Ontario - Performer
Marsh Street Centre Pub Night - Clarksburg, Ontario
Deep Roots Ceilidh - Guelph, Ontario - Gàidhlig culture/language/song sharer/speaker, Collaborative Bodhrán Player
Marsh Street Centre Pub Night - Clarksburg, Ontario
Our Roots Are Showing - Owen Sound, Ontario - Featured Performer
Homeshare Fundraiser at the Marsh Street Centre - Clarksburg, Ontario
Beaver Valley Pipes and Drums Tartan Day Concert - Clarksburg, Ontario - Featured Performer and Pianist
Lion's Club Trivia Night and Concert at the Marsh Street Centre- Clarksburg Ontario
Beaver Valley Pipes and Drums Burns Night Supper - Clarksburg, Ontario - Featured Performer and Collaborative Pianist
2022
Vinestock - The Blue Mountains, Ontario