Glasgow, Scotland - Every year at Celtic Connections, the cream of new musical talent perform at Danny Kyle’s Open Stage. A diverse panel of judges – from industry stalwarts to members of the general public – then have the unenviable task of picking just six winners from the eighty-two acts which performed at the festival.

The level of talent on show at the sixteen concerts, which were held in the Exhibition Hall of The Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, was extremely high. The six winners of the Danny Kyle Open Stage 2007 are:

The Rooneys - Mayobridge, Northern Ireland

Sheila Rooney vocals, whistle, bodhran
Linda Rooney whistle, flute
Stephen Rooney guitar, vocals, banjo
Sinéad Rooney vocals, whistle, accordion
Danielle Rooney fiddle
Eamon Rooney bodhran, concertina

The Rooneys comprise six brothers and sisters from Mayobridge, County Down. They have been playing together for seven years and have already released two independently produced albums, and toured Nova Scotia and Denmark.

T-N-T - Dunoon, Glasgow, Inchinnan and Helensburgh

Keith Bowes pipes
Ally Henderson pipes
Kyle Warren pipes
Renee Klemmensen guitar
Tano Martone drums

The New Tradition (T-N-T) describe themselves as a “boyband on pipes”. They are all first year students at Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (RSAMD) and recently won the Pipefactor competition, held at the National Piping Centre. Keith Bowes and Ally Henderson are both members of the ScottishPower Pipe Band, who played in the Celtic Connections torchlit procession.

Lazy Boy Chair – Orkney

Gavin Firth acoustic guitar
Fionn McArthur fiddle
Bob Gibbon accordion
Brian Cromarty banjo, vocals
Chas Milne bass guitar
Erik Laughton drums
Douglas Montgomery fiddle, mandolin
Robbie Thomson percussion

Lazy Boy Chair are an eight-piece band from Orkney, who describe their sound as ‘stomp music from Orkney’. They formed especially to perform at the 2004 Orkney Folk Festival, which they went on to headline in 2006. Douglas and Brian also play in Saltfishforty.

Wingin’ It! - Perth, Oban

Adam Bulley guitar, mandolin
Chas Mackenzie guitar

Wingin' It! are a guitar duo who perform a wide range of styles, from Django-style jazz to bluegrass to pop. They have performed in the Perth Concert Hall, Glasgow Barrowlands and SECC, and have played support slots for the likes of Dougie Maclean and Graeme Duffin. They hope to release their debut album early next year.

Ryan Young – Cardross
Ryan Young fiddle

Aged only 16, Ryan is a fiddler from Cardross. A pupil at the RSAMD Junior Academy, he was the winner of the Associated Board of Music Scholarship in 2005. He was a finalist in the BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Musician Competition at the Union Chapel in London, and has twice been named as the Lomond Young Tradition Musician at the Balloch Folk Festival.

Harriet Earis – Ceredigion, Wales
Harriet Earis Celtic harp

Harriet Earis (26) was classically trained on concert pedal harp, but now specializes in the Celtic harp. She was the 'Harper of All Britain' in 2000 and 2002. Harriet has been studying Irish, Scots Gaelic and Welsh and has a degree in Celtic Studies from Trinity College, Cambridge. She is a member of ‘Siansa’, a six-piece, London-based traditional Irish band that includes several All Ireland Champions.

Danny Kyle was the most passionate supporter of traditional music and constant campaigner for its revival in Scotland who passed away in 1998. The Open Stage has been an integral part of the festival for the last six years. Each night, new musical talent is given the chance to shine under the Celtic Connections spotlight and the six best acts win through to the coveted final night concert that is often attended by agents and promoters keen to spot bright new talent. Created by Danny’s close friends, Gibb Todd and Liz Clark, it has been the launch pad for many now familiar names such as Dochas, Malinky and GiveWay. The Danny Kyle Open Stage is supported by The Evening Times.

Photo: Lazy Boy Chair

Other Celtic Connections 2007 stories:

• Celtic Connections 2007 Launches Tomorrow in Spectacular Fashion with a Torchlit Procession and Opening Concert
• Celtic Connections 2007 Celebrates Gaelic Roots
• Celtic Connections Announce EventScotland Funding
• Celtic and international folk, country and rock music stars on Thursday 18th at Celtic Connections
• Clannad, The Duhks and Bruce Cockburn Highlights of Celtic Connections' Friday 19th Concerts
• Celtic Connections 2007 Youth Concert
• Shooglenifty and Iarla O Lionáird at Celtic Connections 2007 Saturday 20th January
• Maggie MacInnes Presents Her New CD Òran na Mnà – A Woman’s Song at Celtic Connections
• BBC Radio 2 Radio Ballads at Celtic Connections 2007
• Celtic Connections 2007 Features Breton Night Fest, New Galician Folk and Fiddle Legend Frankie Gavin on January 21
• John Cale, Radio Ballads and Music of Scotland at Celtic Connections 2007 on Monday January 22nd
• Songs of Conscience and The McDades at Celtic Connections 2007 on Tuesday, January 23rd
• Master Pipers, Kate Rusby and Bela Fleck at Celtic Connections 2007 on Wednesday 24th January
• Showcase Scotland Concert at Celtic Connections 2007
• Legendary Boys of the Lough at Celtic Connections 2007 on Thursday 25th January
• Scottish Talent, Piper Tribute, Blues and Fiddlin' at Celtic Connections 2007 Friday 26th January
• Celtic Connections 2007 Presents Swedish, Breton and Scottish Acts and Pipe Band Extravaganza on Saturday January 27th
• A successful first week for Celtic Connections 2007
• Catriona Watt Wins BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year Award
• Celtic Connections 2007 events for Monday 29th January
• Ballads of the Book at Celtic Connections 2007
• Live Real World Party at Celtic Connections 2007 in Glasgow
• Flutes of the World and Ballads of the Book at Celtic Connections 2007
• Donegal Connections at Celtic Connections 2007
• Cowboy Junkies, Donegal Connections and Real World Artists at Celtic Connections 2007 on Wednesday 31st January
• The Unusual Suspects and Nashville Showcase at Celtic Connections 2007 Saturday 3rd February
• Transatlantic Sessions and Klezmer Music, Highlights of Celtic Connections 2007 on Sunday 4th February
• Mark Sheridan New Work Showcased at Celtic Connections 2007
• Celtic Connections 2007 Ends with a Resounding Success