ICONIC songstress Karen Matheson OBE - the voice of one of Scotland's most successful bands, Capercaillie - will take to the stage at Loch Lomond Shores Sea Life Centre this month. She will be performing in the auditorium alongside talented youngsters from two of Scotland's Gaelic tuition festivals, known as 44 F�isean, at a special performance along with her own band.

The concert next week aims to promote Gaelic music within the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park, highlighting opportunities for youngsters and showcasing the young talent that is emerging from the local area.

Legendary actor Sean Connery described Karen as having "a throat surely touched by the hand of God" while Billboard magazine declared her to be "the finest Gaelic singer alive today".

But this tells only part of the remarkable story of a singer at the forefront of the Celtic music scene. Hailing from Taynuilt in Argyll and Bute, Karen has never forgotten her roots and remains inspired by the traditional Gaelic songs with which she grew up and with which she has mesmerized audiences throughout the world during her career.

As a solo performer, Karen has been involved in collaborative projects including the award-winning BBC series "Transatlantic Sessions", where she recorded tracks with Emmylou Harris, The McGarrigle Sisters, Nanci Griffith, Rufus Wainright and a host of respected musicians.

Her concerts at festivals across the world regularly attract full houses.

Supported by F�isean nan Gaidheal, the F�isean aim to teach young people about Gaelic language, music and culture. F�is Fhoirt is the Stirling and Falkirk branch and translates as "Festival of the Forth".

It runs two F�isean every year, one in Stirling in March and one in Falkirk in September, as well as beginners' Saturday morning classes and an annual adult F�is in Callander.

A number of the 44 F�isean run summer C�ilidh Trails which perform at over 160 ceilidhs across Scotland. Karen will be joined at Loch Lomond by two of the C�ilidh Trails groups - F�is Fhoirt's Stirling and The Trossachs C�ilidh Trail and F�is Lochabair's Lochaber C�ilidh Trail.

Siobhan Anderson of F�is Fhoirt said: "Karen Matheson has been the lead singer of Capercaillie for 30 years, and has performed across the globe at many prestigious events. Karen and her husband, fellow band-member and Artistic Director of Celtic Connections Donald Shaw, have been great supporters of the F�is movement and have inspired countless young people to take an interest in Gaelic culture. This is one of the few opportunities in 2013 to catch Karen performing live." Arthur Cormack, F�isean nan G�idheal's chief executive, added: "We are delighted that Karen Matheson has agreed to perform in a show alongside some of our F�is C�ilidh Trails. Seeing professional performers in action is an essential part of training and getting the opportunity to perform alongside someone of Karen's calibre will be an inspiring experience for the C�ilidh Trailers." Karen Matheson will appear with F�is Fhoirt and F�is Lochabair in the Sealife Auditorium at Loch Lomond Shores on Wednesday July 17 at 7.30pm. For more information visit www.feisean.org/ceilidh and to book check out www.ticketmaster.co.uk.