Meet the Team

Lorraine is delighted to be making her return to Fèis Rois to take up the post of Office and Finance Manager, having left in 2007 to pursue a family business venture and to raise her three children. With the children now in school, she is excited to get back to these roots and to pursue the passion she feels of being part of Fèis Rois as the leading traditional music and arts organisation in Scotland.
Lorraine will be responsible for the day-to-day smooth running of the office and finances of the organisation, and is looking forward to putting her Communication Studies degree to good use once more.
In her spare time Lorraine enjoys live music and creative writing – something she has been passionate about since school days.

Teya-Jean graduated from the University of Edinburgh in 2012 with an MA in English Literature and returned in 2014 to complete a MSc in Creative Writing. Her career in the arts was nurtured at Eden Court Theatre, where she assisted the Creative department for two years in a role that taught her everything from how to write a Rabbie-Burns-themed murder mystery from scratch, to composing and playing a live score for a theatre production for Under 5s. In early 2019, she migrated back to her roots in traditional music and joined the Fèis Rois team as the Community Classes Coordinator. As a folk singer-songwriter herself, Teya-Jean can be seen gigging around the Highlands and is also a fledgling writer with a little poetry and short story success. When she’s not tuning her guitar, or zipping around Ross-Shire with various instruments in her Mini, she can be found scouting the local hills with her dog, Limòn.

Fiona is a former Fèis Rois participant who returned home to Ross-shire to take up the post of Chief Executive of Fèis Rois in April 2009. Fiona graduated MA (Hons) Celtic Studies from the University of Edinburgh before going onto build a career in the arts in Scotland. Recognising her contribution to culture and creativity in the Highlands, Fiona was made an Honorary Fellow of the University of the Highlands and Islands in 2022. Named in the 2018 BBC Radio 4 Woman’s Hour Power List, which recognised the top 40 most successful women having an impact on the music we are all listening to, and inducted by the Saltire Society as one of ten Outstanding Women in Scotland in 2019, Fiona has ensured that Fèis Rois is recognised as one of Scotland’s leading arts organisations. In her time at Fèis Rois, Fiona has grown the organisation to have an international reach whilst ensuring its roots are very firmly planted in Ross-Shire. 

Rachael is the Education Manager at Fèis Rois where she manages the organisation’s schools programme. Prior to taking up this post at Fèis Rois in September 2010 she was the Artistic Director of Firefly Arts, a youth arts company based in West Lothian. Rachael started at Firefly Arts as a trainee drama workshop leader, before she went on to the roles of Associate Director for Education and then Associate Director of Youth Theatre. Through the Richter Foundation, she has facilitated theatre workshops across Europe as well as co-delivering training for European youth workers. Rachael has a BA in Theatre and Media Drama from the University of Glamorgan and following the completion of her degree she became one of the first RANK foundation apprentices, where she was a youth worker for the RCDA Youth Service. Rachael was brought up going to the Gordon Gaitherin in Aberdeenshire, where she loved learning traditional music.

After taking part in the Fèis Rois Ceilidh Trail during his music degree at the University of the Highlands and Islands, Christian joined the Fèis Rois team in 2017 to coordinate the Ceilidh Trail behind-the-scenes on a graduate placement. He is now working as Creative Producer for the organisation and is working on performance and showcasing opportunities nationally and internationally. Christian holds an MSc in Equality & Human Rights from the University of Glasgow and outside of his work at Fèis Rois volunteers for LGBT Youth Scotland and LEAP Sports Scotland.

Ruairidh studied Applied Music with the University of the Highlands. Playing the fiddle and accordion, Ruairidh has grown up with Fèis Rois taking part in the Ceilidh Trail and other projects including KIN & the Community and The Boy & the Bunnet. Alongside attending the music school in Plockton, playing with Gizzen Briggs and promoting music with Sutherland Sessions, Ruairidh’s experiences means he has a wide perspective of music in Scotland which will hopefully help contribute towards the continued growth of Fèis Rois.

Lauren is Project Manager for Highland Culture Collective, a project funded by Creative Scotland and involving a consortium of 6 organisations with Fèis Rois as the lead partner. Lauren supports the Highland Culture Collective’s artists and partners, and links the project to our sister Culture Collective projects across Scotland. Lauren is an arts producer based in Dingwall. She has a background in performing and producing contemporary circus and theatre performance. Read more about Highland Culture Collective and our Artists in Residence here.

Tha Karen air a dòigh tòiseachadh le Fèis Rois bhon t-Sultain 2022 mar Oifigear Gàidhlig na buidhne. On a bha I 5 bliadhna a dh’ aois, tha na Fèisean air a bhith na pàirt mòr de bheatha Karen. Chleachd I fhèin bhith a’ frithealadh nam Fèisean mar chom-pàirtiche agus a’ cuideachadh a màthair agus daoine eile air comataidh Fèis na h-Òige  le sgioblachadh (neo a’ feuchainn a bhith cuideachail co-dhiù!) Na inbheach, bha I a’ teagasg, agus bha sia bliadhna sona aice ag obair aig Fèisean nan Gàidheal far an robh I a’ cumail taic do chomataidhean Fèise agus a’ stiùireadh pròiseactan òigridh. Na obair, bidh Karen a’ planadh agus a’ stiùireadh iomairtean a chuidicheas luchd-obrach, oidean Fèis Rois agus òigridh a bhith a’ togail is a’ bruidhinn na Gàidhlig. Am measg a cur-seachadan, ‘s toil leatha a bhith a’ cluich na pìoba bige agus a’ seinn a’ snàmh agus a’ còcaireachd do theaghlach is caraidean. 

Karen joined Fèis Rois in September 2022 as the team’s first Gaelic Officer. She has been involved with the Fèis movement from an early age and has supervised and taught at various Fèisean. Karen was previously a Development Officer at Fèisean nan Gàidheal, supporting a portfolio of Fèisean and co-ordinating youth projects. In her role at Fèis Rois, Karen plans and delivers initiatives to help support the learning and use of Gaelic amongst Fèis Rois staff, tutors and youngsters. Outside work, Karen enjoys playing the small pipes and singing, swimming and cooking for friends and family.