Cancer patients who were attending the day care lounge in Roxburghe House, Dundee, have been given an exclusive concert by Monifieth’s international Celtic rock star Laura McGhee.
The 23-year-old fiddle player’s appearance came ahead of a charity concert in the city along with world-renowned violinist Nicola Benedetti, expected to raise thousands of pounds in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support, which funds buildings and services at Roxburghe House.
The young stars will be accompanied by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra at the event in the Caird Hall on Saturday.
Before Laura gained an international reputation, she performed numerous concerts for patients at Roxburghe House.
Her dad is a volunteer driver who takes patients between their homes and the Macmillan Day Care Lounge at the palliative care unit in the grounds of Royal Victoria Hospital.
The talented musician, who flew in from Nashville, Tennessee, for the show, said, “The Arbroath Suite is one of the pieces I’ll be performing on Saturday night and it’s a musical journey of Scotland’s history, but the piece itself was originally written for Roxburghe House and was premiered there.”
Nicola (23) said, “Like most others around the world, my family have been hugely affected by cancer and I’m delighted to be able to raise money for Macmillan through this concert.
“I am really looking forward to playing in Dundee’s Caird Hall and I hope the event raises lots of money to help Macmillan support people with cancer and their families.”
Laura’s last album spent 10 weeks in the US Americana Top 40.
Laura, who has recorded a track with Shane McGowan and played alongside Rod Stewart, added, “I am really excited about the City of Discovery Charity Concert for Macmillan.
“Not only do I get the opportunity to perform my traditional concerto, the Arbroath Suite, for the first time with the RSNO, but I also get the chance to help a charity which is close to my heart.”
The City of Discovery Charity Concert takes places every two years to raise money for charity.
This year the concert organisers decided to hold the event in aid of Macmillan to mark the charity’s 100th anniversary.
Around 190,000 people in Scotland have been diagnosed with cancer and this is set to double over the next 20 years.
Macmillan wants to be able to help everyone with the illness, providing services including specialist cancer nurses, financial advice and grants for cancer patients with money problems.
Tickets for the concert are available at www.dundeebox.co.uk or by calling 01382 434940.