John Rae and The Northern Telegraph Route

Nordic Viola is delighted to announce our new project for Orkney International Science Festival, John Rae and the Northern Telegraph Route, inspired by the journey of Orcadian Arctic explorer Dr. John Rae.

Four composers will write newly commissioned works for instrumental sextet. They are Stuart MacRae and Ailie Robertson (Scotland), Eli Tausen á Lava (Faroes), and Arnannguaq Gerstrøm (Greenland/Denmark) The programme will be performed for the first time by the combined ensembles of Nordic Viola and our colleagues in Aldubáran (Faroes) on 9th September 2026 at Orkney International Science Festival and on 12^th September at Shetland Museum. Nordic Viola’s followers will, of course, remember Nordic Viola and Aldubáran’s combined performances of Sagas and Seascapes in the Faroe Islands in 2023 and Orkney in 2024 and we are delighted to come together again in this new programme composed especially for us.

Inspired by Dr John Rae’s 1860 journey along a newly proposed northern telegraph route linking Shetland, the Faroe Islands, Iceland and Greenland, the project brings together composers and musicians from the Islands of the North Atlantic in a joint exploration of Dr Rae’s personal observations of the environment aboard The Fox, and of the relationships he created with local indigenous communities. The composers will explore this subject from a historical perspective, drawing on research by Fleur Ward of the University of the Highlands and Islands, alongside poetry by Lesley Harrison and modern reflections from indigenous communities on land use and ecology.

The new pieces will be developed over the coming months, combining themes of journeying, discovery of new landscapes, cultural connections, and the use of Arctic land by other countries for energy and resources. The project connects with Orkney International Science Festival and Shetland Museum’s work on Arctic history and exploration, land use, and relationships with indigenous people, as well as the ongoing work by the John Rae Society to renovate Hall of Clestrain, John Rae’s birthplace in Orkney. Led by four composers hailing from Scotland, the Faroe Islands, and Greenland, John Rae and the Northern Telegraph Route will create space for the exploration and expressing of personal and shared experiences, culture, and heritage through John Rae’s story, firmly cementing the project both as a historical retelling and as a modern exploration of themes and realities relevant to the current day.

Composer Stuart MacRae said:

At a time when we in Scotland are increasingly aware of our relationships with neighbours to the North and the importance of the Arctic in global politics, it’s exciting to be asked to take part in a project highlighting an earlier aspect of these relationships. Inspired by John Rae’s Arctic expeditions in the 19th Century and the attempt to build a transatlantic telegraph linking the Northern countries, I want my piece to reflect on the importance of communication and hopeful aspiration between peoples.

Composer Ailie Robertson said:

It’s an honour to get to be part of this project. The opportunity to collaborate and connect with international artists is incredibly precious, particularly during these uncertain geopolitical times, and I’m thrilled to have the chance to learn more about the musical and personal connections between the countries on John Rae’s Arctic Expeditions.

To follow the project as it develops and to learn more about the composers and writers involved, subscribe here:

Nordic Viola are very grateful for support received from the following organisations: