MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards 2016: CatStrand

Congratulations to CatStrand who have been nominated in Venue of the Year sponsored by Musicians' Union in the MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards 2016. Vote now!

We asked Simon Davidson of CatStrand the following questions.

Tell us about yourself
CatStrand opened in 2007 as an arts and community centre serving the Glenkens, a remote area of Galloway. We are a professional multi-arts venue hosting a variety of contemporary music, theatre, dance, and cinema though the venue has become synoymous with folk, trad, roots, americana, and country as we have developed a large core audience for these genres. We have a year-round programme which features many of the top artists in the trad music scene and we now attract audiences from all over the UK and beyond. We are a charitable organisation supported by Creative Scotland and as we enter our the year of our tenth anniversary are operating sustainably, both financially and environmentally.

Why are you involved in Scottish music?
CatStrand has a strong commitment to promoting and developing Scottish music. There are two key creative aims which underpin all our work here. In the first instance, to make Scottish traditional music accessible to all by bringing the finest trad/folk acts to rural Galloway and secondly to encourage our communities to pursue their own musical aspirations.

Any particular career highlights?
We have hosted some of the finest trad/folk acts in the world here at CatStrand, quite an achievement for such a small venue! Some international highlights include The Unthanks, Bella Hardy and the Dardanelles. Past Scottish highlights include Kris Drever, Karine Polwart, Claire Hastings, Robyn Stapleton, Blazing Fiddles, Mairearad and Anna, RANT and Saltfishforty.

What are your plans for the future?
We are programmed up to July 2017 and we're looking to expand our Scottish quota during spring and summer. We already have Mike Heron & Trembling Bells booked in December and next year we're welcoming the likes of Rab Noakes and Siobhan Miller, the latter of which will be launching our second Words from the Glenkens Festival which this year is focusing on "the spirit of place". We're also planning to venture into Galloway Forest Park for a special show of songs, projections and star-gazing with Alasdair Fraser and Donald Lindsay [Brittle Light of Stars].

If you would like to come along to the MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards in Dundee’s Caird Hall call the Caird Hall box office on (01382) 434940 or buy online.