Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo 2022: The Highland Divas to take Edinburgh Castle crowds on thrilling musical journey

Crowds at this year’s Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo are set to be taken on a thrilling Scottish musical journey by one of New York’s leading vocal groups at the 2022 showcase, Voices.

The Highland Divas will making their debut on the Edinburgh Castle Esplanade this August, showcasing their talent and sharing three incredible voices.

The group are made up of Marla Kavanaugh, originally from Dunedin, New Zealand, and now living in LA, Margaret Kelly, originally from Falkirk, now residing in New York, and Georgia Johnson from Edinburgh, who is now based in Massachusetts.

With a collective ambition to share traditional Scottish music with the world and honour Scottish culture, the trio were formed in 2012.

Crowds at this year’s Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo are set to be taken on a thrilling Scottish musical journey by The Highland Divas. Photo: The Highland Divas

They’ve headlined New York City Tartan Week in recent years and have performed at iconic venues – including Madison Square Garden, Carnegie Hall and the Lincoln Centre.

The performance at the Tattoo will wow audiences with its musical journey that spans the folk music of Scotland and New Zealand.

From Celtic ballads, through to exciting, harmonised interpretations of both pop and classical music, the Highland Divas’ performance will have something for everyone.

One of the singing trio, Marla Kavanaugh, said: “We really want our performance to speak to the hearts of everyone whose lives have been disrupted or changed forever because of the challenges of the past two years.

“We want to bring hope and joy to the Tattoo this year with our performance and our voices. We’re spending a lot of time together just now rehearsing and learning the Scots Gaelic we need over a nice wee cup of Scottish Blend tea.

“We’re so excited and humbled to have the opportunity to perform in front of such amazing fans from around the world who will descend on Edinburgh this summer.”

The group have all grown up as huge fans of the Tattoo and have watched the performances from afar over the years.

Their set will include traditional Celtic songs, as well as a nod to New Zealand, creating a wow moment on the Esplanade and give a heartfelt expression of this year’s Tattoo theme, Voices.

Michael Braithwaite, Creative Director of The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo said: “We’re thrilled to be welcoming The Highland Divas to the Tattoo, fresh from their recent performances at Carnegie Hall and Madison Square Gardens in New York City.

“World-class vocalists of this calibre are an exciting new addition to our lineup and are the perfect fit for this year’s show, Voices.

“We have some special surprises planned when The Highland Divas take to the Esplanade of Edinburgh Castle and can’t wait to share the magic with our audiences.

“If you haven’t booked tickets already, then I’d urge people to get moving. It’s going to be an incredible show.”

This year’s Tattoo performance will represent the collective power and connection of voice through a spectacular combination of music, dance, and military precision from some of the world’s leading armed forces and cultural performers as it returns with a bang this August 5-27.

Tickets are on sale and can be purchased at edintattoo.co.uk/tickets or on the phone on 0131 225 1188.