Singer, mandolin & guitar player Calum McIlroy, from Aberdeenshire, is the winner of the coveted title of BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician 2024.
A packed audience in Glasgow’s City Halls watched six finalists vie for the title, in an event which was also broadcast live on BBC Radio Scotland and BBC ALBA on Sunday, 4 February.
The BBC Radio Scotland contest is renowned as one of the biggest platforms for emerging talent in traditional music, encouraging and validating some of the biggest names in the scene, across singing, piping, accordion, fiddle, and piano playing and many other performers within the genre. And it has been a springboard for numerous Scottish traditional music exponents to international acclaim.
Presenter Joy Dunlop said: “Calum is a truly worthy winner of this year’s BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician award – and we hope this recognition which will lead to more success for him. All our finalists performed incredibly this year and they all deserve praise for their contribution to the traditional music scene in Scotland.”
This year’s winner joins a list which includes the 2023 winner pianist Amy Laurenson, as well as other past winners including fiddler Eryn Rae, pianist Michael Biggins, piper Ali Levack, fiddler Benedict Morris and singer Hannah Rarity.
Said Calum: “Winning this prestigious award is incredible. It means a lot to me. This competition has done so much to help foster and develop young talent within the Scottish traditional music sector and I’m proud to be in the company of all the amazing previous winners.”
Scotland’s most talented young musicians competed in the semi-finals of this prestigious traditional music award. Twelve musicians performed for a distinguished jury at BBC Scotland’s Pacific Quay headquarters, only six were selected to go through to the final which will take place on 4 February 2024 in Glasgow’s City Halls as part of the Celtic Connections Festival.
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