MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards: Duncan Chisholm

Congratulations to Duncan Chisholm who has been nominated in Album of the Year sponsored by Birnam CD in the MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards 2014. Vote now!

We asked Duncan Chisholm the following questions.

Tell us about yourself
I was born and brought up near Inverness in the Highlands of Scotland and have spent most of my life developing my unique musical voice as a fiddle player. A mixture of textures, tones and atmospheres are always at the forefront of my creative process while composing and arranging my music and I endeavour to fully represent this power during my live performances. I have released all of my recorded material, including ‘The Strathglass Trilogy,’ on my own label Copperfish Records.

Why are you involved in Scottish music?
Coming from Scotland, I feel privileged to be able to express myself through my music while being part of the wider musical tradition of my country. I can both portray who I am and where I come from through playing the fiddle and representing that sense of people and place, is very important to me.

Any particular career highlights?
Recent career highlights include;
I feel privileged to have my BBC Radio 2 session included within the best of ‘The Mark Radcliffe Folk Sessions 2014’.
Duetting with violin virtuoso Nicola Benedetti at the Guildhall, London.
Sharing the stage with many of Scotland’s finest musicians as we performed at the Opening Ceremony of the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow 2014.
Performing my ‘Strathglass Suite’ at a sold out Kelvingrove Art Gallery as part of the Celtic Connections Festival.
Concluding part of my ‘Strathglass Trilogy’ being included within world music magazine Songlines ‘Top 10 Best Albums of 2012’.
Performing with Julie Fowlis and Nicola Benedetti at the Closing Ceremony of the Ryder Cup 2012 in Medinah, USA.

What are your plans for the future?
I have really enjoyed presenting my music in new and exciting ways over the years. Through multi-media productions like ‘Kin’ or releasing the three individual but very much connected recordings that made up my ‘Strathglass Trilogy’ or mixing the traditional with classical as I performed the ‘Strathglass Suite’ with an orchestral ensemble.

I hope to carry on learning and developing as I explore and release new musical productions and continue to offer my audiences new sounds from traditional Scotland.

Buy a ticket for the MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards on Saturday 13th December in Inverness Leisure, start time 7pm. You’ll have a great time!