NEXT month multi award-winning Scottish singer Emily Smith returns to the road with her hugely popular Christmas show Songs For Christmas. Now in its eighth year the show is bringing seasonal cheer to castles, churches and theatres across the land. A winner of BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year, Scots Singer of the Year and BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards Nominee, Emily has established herself as one of the finest singers to come out of Scotland in the last 15 years. She has toured all over the world and alongside her solo career has collaborated with musical greats such as Richard Thompson, Barbara Dickson, Jerry Douglas and Mary Chapin Carpenter. Television appearances include BBC Four’s Transatlantic Sessions and BBC One’s Songs of Praise.

The tour's accompanying album Songs For Christmas (released 2016) is a beautifully crafted album of original and traditional material drawn from Emily’s folk background. The result is a collection of songs that inspire and celebrate Christmas and the winter season. The album release single Find Hope (written by Emily) was selected as part of the official BBC Radio 2 playlist. At the live show audiences are invited to sing along with traditional carols, tap their toes to upbeat instrumentals or simply close their eyes and let Emily’s evocative voice help them dwell on the joy and peace that Christmas can bring.

Hear for yourself, Emily, with Jamie McClennan and Anna Massie on guitars, fiddles and vocals and Ross Hamilton on bass and vocals, appears at Threlkeld Village Hall, Threlkeld, on Friday, December 7.