Ryan Young from Cardross is a finalist in the BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician 2015. We asked Ryan the following questions:
How did you get involved in Scottish music?
I first started the fiddle at school. I was inspired to learn traditional music after seeing Aly Bain perform on the BBC Hogmanay show and by the playing of Eilidh Steel from Helensburgh, who taught me as part of the Helensburgh and Lomond Junior Fiddlers. I then attended the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (formerly RSAMD) Junior Academy, where I was taught by Sarah-Jane Summers and Kirsty Cotter, before completing a BA Honours (Scottish Music) at the senior school, studying with Alistair McCulloch, Pete Clark and Marie Fielding.
Why did you enter BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician Award?
The Award is an amazing opportunity for young musicians and is a fantastic learning opportunity. I have some friends who have been involved in the Award and it has been very successful in helping to launch their careers. I would love a career as a performer. It would be great to play for people who might not ordinarily want to listen to you to see what they think about what your doing; playing in such a daunting environment will also highlight to me the areas I need to improve and, of course, I think I would learn an awful lot from being around the other competitors. I have also heard that the Young Trad Tour is the ‘best craic!’ and I would really love to take part if I got through to the finals.
What do you hope to gain from the experience?
I am constantly looking to improve. Every time I play I want to do better. I think an experience like this is a fantastic learning curve. It’s fine practicing in the safety of your room but when your on a platform like this, where you really hope to play well, I think it really highlights what stage your at in your development. I imagine the other competitors have the same anxieties I do and it would be great to see how they cope with them so I can learn from what they do.
Do you have any particular musical highlights?
A few years ago I took part in a collaboration project, The Atlantic Seaway, between the RCS, University Of Strathclyde and Berklee College of Music. We played at a series of concerts in France as part of the Lorient Celtic Festival. We had rehearsals every day and then played at a concert most nights, although still found ourselves in the pub every night playing tunes together until we had to stop. It was amazing getting to play with so many great musicians! I often get nervous when I play but everyone was so friendly and played for fun because they love the music. I think this was the first time I ever felt truly relaxed playing.
What are your plans for the future?
I don’t have any immediate plans other than to practice lots and play as much as I can. I would love a career as a solo performer and have dreamt of recording an album since I was wee. I love learning new tunes, particularly very old West Highland ones. I spend a lot of time looking for obscure tunes that nobody knows. The great thing about these tunes is that lots of them have never been recorded which means when I try to interpret them in my own way I don’t feel as guilty about whether I’m playing them ‘correct’ or not.
Why not buy a ticket to hear Ryan Young or any other of the finalists at the Grand Finals on Sunday February 1st at 5pm. The finals are part of Celtic Connections festival. If you can’t make it along the event will be broadcast on BBC Radio Scotland between 5 & 8pm and on the iPlayer afterwards.