Photo by Dave Donaldson
Congratulations to Evergreen who won the Young People Award (under 25s) category. We asked them the following questions.
Tell us more about yourself / the choir
Evegreen have been singing and promoting dialect singing since they were in P4 – they are now all in S4. (The dialect singing project was funded by Creative Scotlands YMI fund). They continue to inspire me as their group leader. They are a group of 5 girls who are now all nearly 16.
They have taken part and performed at many charity events including; Cancer Support Christmas concerts, Stroke Support Group, RVS lunch clubs. Their singing makes the day brighter for many people and they are regularly asked back to perform in places again.
They have also performed at our prestigious Shetland Folk Festival for several years now which they greatly enjoy and are proud to be part of. They were part of the Shetland Hamefarin celebrations welcome concert back in 2010 (where exiles from all over the world returned to Shetland). In 2013 they were asked to represent Shetland at the Our Islands, Our Future conference in Orkney. They performed along with musicians from the three island groups – Western Isles, Orkney and Shetland – this was a very special moment indeed. They have performed at various Schools Music Festivals and won the Dialect prize for Best Dialect Song Overall. Individually they have all won Golds for solo and for duet performances. They continue to grow and flourish as a group and continue to be an inspiration.
It is so important to keep the local dialect alive here in Shetland. It helps preserve the precious way of life we enjoy here. Evergreen do just that by keeping the songs alines and spreading their love of dialect singing throughout the isles.
How long has the choir been singing together?
Evergreen have all individually been attending my dialect singing workshops in schools since they were all in P4 and are now in S5. Evergreen choir was formed in 2010.
What have has the choir got planned in the next 12 months?
We have performances at RVS lunch clubs in Lerwick and Whalsay coming up, local Lifeboat Gala Day and other local charity events. We are in the planning stages of organising a trip to form links through traditional music with a school in Aberdeenshire.
What has been the highlight of your / the choir’s singing journey?
Lots of special moments!: representing Shetland at the Our Islands, Our Future conference in Orkney; singing at the welcoming ceremony of the Shetland Hamefarin celebrations; winning the most outstanding dialect entry in the schools music festival; going down to Aberdeen to take part in the Big Big Sing Event where the choir were asked to perform a dialect song in the Aberdeen Music Hall with its great acoustics.
What got you singing in the first place / why did the choir first start singing together?
On a personal level I was surrounded by music and dialect singing when I was growing up; my dad, Eddie Barclay is a local singer/ songwriter and a great inspiration to me. I always was encouraged to sing with him and try new dialect, folk and country songs. I was delighted when I returned to Shetland after a time living on the mainland and was asked to set up a dialect singing project in Shetland schools back in 2006. A dialect singing project has been funded by Creative Scotland’s Youth Music Initiative since then. From this I became a Singing Instructor in Shetland Schools visting all the schools in Shetland and I could pass on my love of dialect songs to primary pupils through fun dialect workshops. Over time I was being asked regularly to take larger school choirs to concerts and thought it would be nice to set up a smaller group too. So Evergreen was born!
How does it feel to be the first winner of the award?
It is a great honour for the choir to be nationally recognised. We are all absolutely delighted!
What are your favourite songs?
So many to choose from but Whit Shetland Means to Me by Eddie Barclay is one of the first songs that the group were taught. It tells of the natural beauty of Shetland. It remains a favourite along with the song Evergreen by Rhoda Bulter (we decided to name the group after her beautiful poem which my father, Eddie Barclay set to music). Blowin in the Wind by Bob Dylan, Country Roads by John Denver and the Scottish traditional favourite, Wild Mountain Thyme are also favourites.
What styles of singing do you / the choir enjoy most?
They enjoy singing in the dialect and have a broad repertoire built up over the years. They also enjoy singing modern country songs like, Wagon Wheel and Country Roads.
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