Ailis Sutherland from Kirriemuir is a finalist in the BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician 2023. The finals will be held at Celtic Connections Festival on 5th February 2022 at 5pm. Buy a ticket here or listen live on BBC Radio Scotland.
We asked Ailis the following questions:
How did you get involved in traditional music?
I started learning the chanter at home, from my dad. He took me along to the local pipe band and I ended up being a competition piper for about 10 years. I was also a member of the National Youth Pipe Band of Scotland which was very much a concert band and an enjoyable experience where I met loads of other young pipers. For my 18th birthday, I got a set of smallpipes, which finally allowed me to play in sessions and gigs with other musicians, and I started playing whistle around this time, too. This lead to me joining the BA Applied Music course at UHI where I studied flute and pipes in Benbecula.
Why did you enter BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician Award?
I’ve followed the competition for a long time, and I’ve seen a lot of people go on to performance more frequently, as a result. I suppose it’s about gaining more experience, meeting new people, and playing under the pressure of a live audience, a judging panel, and on live radio and TV. There’s something about the snapshot in time that the competition provides that’s enticing.
Who has been the biggest inspiration/influence on your music-making and why?
I do come from a musical family. My dad and my sister also play in the bands and my cousin plays piano. My grandpa used to sing in choirs, too. A big part of why I have been able to make a living from music though, is because of my mum. She never had the opportunity to learn how to play an instrument and so has always been a massive supportive. She also saved up so that she could buy me the sets of pipes that I’ll be playing on the night, and she’s always encouraged me to be happy and to enjoy myself. Fair play to my dad as well, he had the patience to teach me from scratch.
Are there any moments in your career so far that you particularly cherish and why?
I often think about being on a flight to Australia to play at a festival, and realising that the only reason I was going was because I could play the pipes. I thought about learning Donald MacLean’s Farewell to Oban at the kitchen table, and I was really emotional about how far the discipline of playing an instrument had taken me. It’s something that I’m really passionate about passing on to other people.
What are your plans and aspirations for the future?
I’d love to see more of the world and learn more about other cultures through music and language. There are definitely some festivals on my bucket list and I’d like to record some of my own tunes.
When you are not playing music what else do you enjoy doing?
I work at The National Piping Centre, where I lead the Youth and Community Development programme. It’s a really rewarding role and I was given almost a blank canvas to try out new things. I also enjoy going for walks up hills and in the South Side of Glasgow (where the cafes and cute dogs live). I’m learning Gaelic and Spanish, too, so there’s never nothing to be getting on with. It’s good to have purpose, and I feel very grateful to have found it.
Find out more about the BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician Award at www.bbc.co.uk/youngtrad Why not buy a ticket to hear Ailis Sutherland or any other of the finalists at the Grand Finals on Sunday 5th February 2023 at 5pm. The finals are part of Celtic Connections festival.
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