Emily Smith and Ger O Donnell

Emily Smith is back at The Barony Hall on Saturday 16 January, part of this year's Celtic Connections. It's an anniversary show, and the timing is the whole point: it marks 25 years since she was named BBC Radio Scotland's Young Traditional Musician of the Year. She's returning to the festival where it all began with a set that looks back at the people, places and music that have shaped her career.

Smith is one of Scotland's most distinctive folk voices, a tradition bearer who loves portraying heritage and history, mixing contemporary influences into her interpretations and original songs. Much of that comes from the landscape and stories of her home region, Dumfries and Galloway, and her music carries a deep sense of place. Her voice has been described as "simply entrancing", with an emotional range that moves from intimate delicacy to moments of greater power. Since forming her band in 2002, she's toured internationally, playing alongside some of the folk scene's finest musicians and sharing stages with her own heroes. For this show, she's joined by a band of familiar and new faces, with Ger O Donnell supporting.

The venue is The Barony Hall, the University of Strathclyde's graduation hall on Rottenrow, a neo-gothic building in red sandstone. It's a bit of a departure from the usual folk club or concert hall, and that fits the occasion—this is a career-spanning performance rather than a standard tour date.

Tickets are £22.40, which includes the booking fee, and the show starts at 7.30pm.