The aim of the Hands Up for Trad Community Music awards is to showcase and celebrate the outstanding practice and great things going on in Scotland’s community music sector to the wider public and media.
Congratulations to RANT – 4/4 who have been nominated in the Community Music Teacher of the Year category. Vote for them here! We asked Rant the following questions.
Tell us more about yourself.
The release of ‘Reverie’ the much anticipated second album from RANT last year, firmly established the quartet as a huge musical force and a strong, raw, yet vibrant sound on the British folk scene. Nominated in the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards 2014, RANT is the meeting of 4 of Scotland’ s finest fiddle players, two from the Shetland Islands and two from the Highlands.
Bethany Reid, Jenna Reid, Lauren MacColl and Anna Massie join forces to create a sound which is both rich and lush, yet retaining all the bite and spark synonymous with a Scottish fiddle player. Using just their fiddles, they weave a tapestry of melodies, textures, layers and sounds. Known for their work as soloists and with various bands, this is a celebration of the instrument they all have a passion for.
Since the release of their debut album ‘RANT’ in 2013 which won them critical acclaim in the form of a Herald Angel Award for outstanding performance across all the Edinburgh Festivals , the band have made major festival and concert appearances across the UK, Ireland and Scandinavia, and recorded strings for Julie Fowlis on her latest album ‘Gach Sgeul’. Their latest release saw them continue this song strand, collaborating with Fowlis once more, and for the first time, Scots singer Ewan McLennan.
They have recently launched a major youth project ‘RANT 4/4 – A Project for Projection’ and will release a third album in early 2019.
How long have you or your group organisation been involved in this work and tell us a wee bit about how it all started?
‘RANT- 4/4’ was born out of a desire to share our arranging and performance skills with young fiddle players who perhaps don’t the have a chance to explore ensemble playing, or reading scored parts. We first approached Celtic Connections in 2016 and scored 6 pieces of our music for 12 young players of S4-S6 age from the central belt. We premiered this project at the festival in 2017 in Glasgow Concert Hall’s New Auditorium.
What have you or your group/organisation got planned for the next 12 months?
This June we are working with 12 players from the north and staging a Highland version of ‘RANT – 4/4′ in Inverness’ Ironworks on Sun 17th June. We plan to deliver more of these workshops and concerts over the next few years, working with string players in different areas of the country. We are passionate about sharing our music with new audiences and sharing our enthusiasm for the tradition with future generations.
What has been the highlight of your or your group/organisation’s experience to date?
Performing ‘RANT – 4/4’ at Celtic Connections was a massively rewarding experience for the band. The young musicians put in so much work and were outstanding in the concert.
How does it feel to be nominated for this award?
This project is very rewarding for us as musicians. The chance to pass on our skills and passion for ensemble playing, refining music and focussing in on subtle musical nuances is something we as tutors often never get the chance to do in one-off workshops or group lessons.
We are delighted to be nominated for this award and chuffed to see this project recognised in this way!
Read more about RANT – 4/4 at their website
http://rantfiddles.com
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