ScottishPower are the new principal sponsor of Celtic Connections, the Glasgow music festival. The festival - which will take place in a number of venues in Glasgow City Centre - opened on 17th January and will run to 4th February 2007.

By funding the festival over the next three years, ScottishPower has enabled the festival organisers to continue to bring the leading names in folk and world music to Glasgow.

This year's Celtic Connections has already beaten all previous box office records with many sold out concerts including Clannad, John Martyn, and Idlewild and it has also enjoyed record attendances at school concerts.

Stephen Dunn, ScottishPower's Director of HR and Communications, said:
 
"The sponsorship deal is an extension of ScottishPower’s already substantial commitment to the arts in the UK. The company encourages its staff and the communities it works within to experience and enjoy the arts, and its partnerships reflect the company’s belief in the importance of enabling culture to be accessible for all.”

This year the festival has a distinct Americana strand, with artists such as Eddi Reader, Clannad, Rosanne Cash, Kate Rusby, Phil Cunningham and Mary Chapin Carpenter appearing, it promises to be the most exciting festival to date.

For further information, log on to: www.celticconnections.com