Brighde Chaimbeul

Born in 1998 and raised in Sleat on the Isle of Skye, Brìghde Chaimbeul is part of the revival of the Scottish smallpipes while remaining rooted in the Great Highland bagpipes repertoire. A Gaelic speaker, she first trained on fiddle and piano before taking up the pipes in childhood, studying with Niall Stewart and later Iain Speirs at St Mary’s Music School in Edinburgh. From 2014 Chaimbeul developed work centered on the smallpipes, blending Scottish traditional music with continuous drones and influences from Bulgarian, Irish, Scandinavian and Cape Breton traditions. Her profile rose after the BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award in 2016 and the Horizon Award at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards in 2019. She regularly collaborates with Aidan O’Rourke and has recorded with Ross Ainslie, Steven Byrnes and Colin Stetson. Her discography includes The Reeling (2019), Las (2021, with Ross Ainslie and Steven Byrnes), Carry Them With Us (2023) and Sunwise (2025). Chaimbeul has performed at events such as Celtic Connections, Celtic Colours and Piping Live, and appears as a soloist on Caroline Polachek’s 2023 track "Blood & Butter".