Since graduating from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in 1983, Wendy’s interest in jazz and folk music has led her to play and sing at festivals throughout the UK, Europe, the USA and the former Soviet Union.

She has worked and recorded with many top Scottish musicians including Hamish Moore, Billy Jackson, The Pearlfishers, Michael Marra and Phil Cunningham and has two solo albums to her credit.

Theatre work includes The Ship and The Big Picnic (Bill Bryden), John Bett’s adaptation of Burns’ The Jolly Beggars for Wildcat, Catherine Wheels The Story of the Little Gentleman, and Wee Stories Arthur and Tam O’ Shanter, for which she also composed the music.

Other compositions  include film scores A Thief in the Night, Tickets for the Zoo, and Saved shown on Channel 4 and BBC-2. In 2001 a commission from the prestigious Celtic Connections Festival led to the creation of Daybreak on the World’s Edge, poems of William Soutar, set for four cellos and three male voices, and in 2004, another larger scale work based on Lewis Grassic Gibbon’s Sunset Song. The following year saw the creation of Cloud Howe for a similarly large group, with Grey Granite being added to complete the Scots Quair trilogy, performed at the 2007 festival.

Wendy has hosted many workshops in both cello and singing. She is regularly featured in Dr Fred Freeman’s illustrated lectures on Robert Burns, performing alongside Marc Duff (ex-Capercaillie) and John Morran (Deaf Shepherd) and is in demand as singer and cellist at events worldwide. She also teaches cello at the RSAMD, The School of Excellence in Plockton, Newcastle University and the Adult Learning Project Scots Music Group in Edinburgh.

Wendy

Weatherby

The music being played is taken from a live recording, in St Giles’ Cathedral, Edinburgh on 26th October 2008, of Sunset Song.

The music was composed by Wendy with lyrics by David Scott and the orchestra is Philomusica of Edinburgh, leader Lawrence Dunn.

The piece was inspired by the Lewis Grassic Gibbon novel and the song is Sweet and Wild His Kiss, sung by Wendy.