About TAoES
Curating the best of traditional and contemporary folk culture from around the world
From large-scale stadium concerts and intimate acoustic sets to barn-storming ceilidhs, step-dancing workshops, and explorations of Gaelic and Scots language through poetry and song. TAoES embraces Scottish culture as a whole and celebrates our connections with the folk traditions of our global neighbours.
Founded in 2018 The Association of Exiled Scots was originally formed as a creative and cultural community away from home for exiled Scots the world over. Since then we have grown into a leading provider of Traditional and Contemporary Folk Entertainment around the world. From Scotland House to the World Expo in Dubai we curate a celebration of the best of contemporary and traditional Scottish culture and explore the links that can be found in folk cultures the world over.
Work With Us
Curation – Creative Planning – Event Management
We work with partners around the globe to plan entertainment and events from large-scale stadium concerts, to bespoke, intimate acoustic sets. We have an extensive network of performers we work with from Scottish and global folk traditions.
From concerts to conferences, creative brand activations, and celebratory extravaganzas, we can work with you to develop a creative plan that suits your budget and delivers a world-class cultural experience that speaks powerfully and memorably to your clients.
Please get in touch to talk through what we can offer to elevate your plans.
What Folk Means To Us
For us, folk culture is a living breathing thing with a beautiful beating heart that can’t be contained or kept in a museum. It is an ever-changing stream of traditions and possibilities. It tells our stories and celebrates our cultures.
Alongside the culture people think of as idiomatically Scottish – a good solo piper in full dress, a toe-tapping ceilidh dance, a well-known tune on the clàrsach and a natty tartan troo, we create connections across cultural boundaries in celebration of all that folk can be. We love marrying the rhythmic vocal pyrotechnics of traditional Indian konnakol with the mouth-music of Scottish Puirt à beul, or harmonising the evocative whirl of Scottish fiddling with some Icelandic fiðla, or lighting up room with lighting-fast Scottish step-dancing performed to the luminous chimes of Balinese gamelan music.
We believe folk culture gives voice to folk across the world. It is the songs that speak of home, wherever home may be. It is the past, present and future possibility existing side by side.
We can’t wait to share some of our folk with you.