Congratulations to the 6 finalists in the BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician Award. They are;
- Clelland Shand – Accordion – Fife
- Ellie Beaton – Voice – Rothienorman, Aberdeenshire
- Laura Penman – Clarsach – Edinburgh
- Miguel Girão – Guitar – Portugal (now based in Scotland)
- Noah Scott – Piano – France (now based in Scotland)
- Roo Geddes – Fiddle – Glasgow
The 12 semi-finalists performed brilliantly in a concert at BBC Pacific Quay. They each performed for 10 minutes each and gave the judges – Jenna Reid, Ciorstaidh Beaton, Emma Gryczka, Robyn Stapleton and Matt Wilson difficult decisions to make.
The 6 finalists will now perform at Celtic Connections festival on Sunday 6th February in the City Halls, Glasgow. It’s always a brilliant event. Get your tickets here.
You can watch the whole programme on the BBC iPlayer. You can listen to the performances on Travelling Folk Thursday 17th October at 8pm (GMT)
The semi-finalists were Anna Robertson (fiddle, Knoydart), Annie Lennox (Scots song, Aberdeenshire), Ariana Black (fiddle, Ellon, Aberdeenshire), Chloë Bryce, fiddle, Easter Ross), Clelland Shand (accordion, Fife), Ellie Beaton, Scots song, Rothienorman, Aberdeenshire), Eoin Cumming (accordion, Gairloch), Finn Macpherson (bagpipes/whistles, West coast Highlands), Laura Penman (clarsach, Edinburgh), Miguel Girão (guitar, Portugal (now based in Scotland)), Noah Scott (piano, France (now based in Scotland)), Roo Geddes (fiddle, Glasgow)
Read about the finalists below. Find out about BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician Award at www.bbc.co.uk/youngtrad
Clelland Shand (Accordion)
Clelland Shand grew up in a family where traditional music was a constant presence. He began accordion lessons at age eight under Keith Dickson, learning various styles including Scottish, Irish, and French traditional music. Clelland formed a band called ‘The Shands’ with his siblings, performing at various gigs and on BBC Radio Scotland. They were awarded the Up & Coming Artist of the year at the 2023 MG ALBA Music Awards. Clelland has been accepted onto the BEd music course at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow. He enjoys composing and has written a jig titled ‘Cleaning The Sambas’. Clelland finds great pleasure in playing to live audiences.
Ellie Beaton (Voice)
Ellie Beaton, from Rothienorman in the North-East of Scotland, is an award-winning singer steeped in the traditions of Aberdeenshire. She grew up immersed in the rich vocal styles of the region. During her studies at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Ellie became the youngest recipient of the MG Alba Citty Finlayson Scots Singer of the Year in 2021. Her music has taken her across the UK and Europe, performing at festivals such as Celtic Connections and Festival Interceltique de Lorient. In 2023, she completed her first international tour across Austria, Italy, and Switzerland. Ellie recently graduated from Classical Vocal Studies and plans to release her debut album in 2025.
Laura Penman (Clarsach)
Laura Penman was introduced to the clarsach at primary school in Edinburgh, where she attended a Gaelic school. She continued her musical journey at the Edinburgh Fèis and later at the RCS Juniors. Laura’s time at Juniors showed her that being a successful traditional musician was a viable option. She recently graduated from the BMus Traditional Music course at the Royal Conservatoire. Laura has performed at festivals including Celtic Connections and The Scots Fiddle Festival. Her recent projects involve performing with singer Beth Malcolm and forming a Gaelic song band called Duan. She also formed an all-female band called Dàna with fellow RCS students.
Miguel Girão (Guitar)
Miguel Girão, originally from Portugal, has been involved in traditional music for over 10 years. He values the deep sense of belonging that comes from contributing to a centuries-old musical tradition. Miguel recently graduated from the BMus Traditional Music course at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, after completing a degree in classical guitar performance in Lisbon. His playing style combines techniques like strumming, flatpicking, and fingerpicking, with influences from classical, traditional, jazz, and contemporary music. Miguel appreciates the sense of community in traditional music and the opportunity it provides to share and gain knowledge about music and its cultural background.
Noah Scott (Piano)
Noah Scott is a traditional musician and composer currently studying piano on the Traditional Music Degree at the RCS. Noah got into traditional music through playing in sessions on the Isle of Skye. He moved from France to Glasgow at age 14 to pursue his aspirations as a Scottish traditional musician. Noah studied at the National Centre for Excellence in Traditional Music in Plockton and the Junior Conservatoire. He has participated in projects such as the Gordon Duncan Experience and Feis Rois Ceilidh Trail. Noah was commissioned to write a piece for the National Youth Pipe Band. He recently formed a Clarinet and Accordion duo (CaN Dubh) with Ciorstaidh Chaimbeul, winning a Danny Kyle Award at Celtic Connections 2024.
Roo Geddes (Fiddle)
Roo Geddes discovered traditional music at age 11 at Alasdair Fraser’s fiddle camp on the Isle of Skye. Growing up in Glasgow, he was exposed to a wide range of musical styles. Roo studied at the Glasgow Folk Workshop and RCS juniors before pursuing Classical violin and becoming the first violinist to study on the RCS’s Jazz Department. He enjoys blending different musical influences in his fiddle playing. Roo is involved in various musical projects, including his duo Roo & Neil, the Americana trio Awkward Family Portraits, and Celtic Rock outfit Jonny Mac and the Faithful. He has recently toured with Rod Stewart and performed in Australia with Dallahan.
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