Musician, record producer and composer Donald Shaw is to become the Artistic Consultant for Celtic Connections 2007.

Glasgow Cultural Enterprises who run the festival decided that to ensure continued success and development of the thirteen year old festival fresh artistic input was needed. The festival is a massive highlight in Scotland's cultural calendar and is a significant force in roots music globally.

Louise Mitchell (Director for Glasgow Cultural Enterprises) said "Connections are our core and the fundamental aim of the festival is to make links through traditional music and culture. Donald is immersed in the Scottish traditional music scene and is a natural choice to take our festival forward."

Donald Shaw joins the Celtic Connections team for the next eight months to develop all the artistic elements of the festival programme.

Donald is widely known as the founder of Celtic band Capercaillie, with whom he still writes, produces and performs. His work on the commission Harvest for Celtic Connections 2004 involved 100 musicians from all regions of Europe and included some of Scotland's best young traditional musicians aged between 13 to 18.

In the last 20 years Donald has produced and recorded on more than 150 albums for artists in all areas of music, and collaborated with high profile artists as diverse as Nanci Griffiths, Peter Gabriel, Ornette Coleman, Dulce Pontes, Bonnie Raitt, Donal Lunny, Jerry Douglas and Soul II Soul. It was with this vast experience that 5 years ago he launched the independent record label 'Vertical Records', which has gone on to release more than 30 critically acclaimed albums by artists such as flute player extraordinaire Michael McGoldrick, vocalist Karen Matheson and cross-over favourites Shooglenifty.

He was musical director for the BAFTA winning BBC arts show 'Tacsi', in which he produced collaborations with more than 200 of the finest musicians working in Scotland from jazz maestro Tommy Smith to piping legend Martyn Bennett along with many of the most respected musicians in world music (such as Ayub Ogada, Mercedes Peon, Geoffrey Oryama and Hijas del Sol).

Colin Hynd who has programmed the festival for the last thirteen years is now leading several projects for Glasgow Cultural Enterprises in new areas including artistic development for the recently refurbished City
Halls and The Old Fruitmarket.

Celtic Connections 2007 runs from Wednesday 17th January until Sunday 4th February.