Hands Up for Trad’s Women in Music and Culture 2026 list has been announced to celebrate just some of the women working in Scotland.
Launched as part of International Women’s Day 2026, we shine the spotlight on 12 women who all contribute towards Scotland’s cultural landscape through their work. Read the 2026 list here.
We asked Ellen Smith to tell us more about their work, influences and ambitions for the future.
How did you first get involved in the arts and who were your early influences?
I’ve always sang since I was a peerie lass and it’s something my Mam always encouraged. I’ve always loved listening to music too – there was always something playing on somebody’s CD player in the house.
My sisters and I did Baton Twirling, and although my skills in that particular department never really took off, I do remember that my favourite thing about it was the diverse range of music it entailed. I would sit and sing along to everything we did routines to, from Shania Twain to Freddie Mercury and Monserrat Caballé’s iconic collaboration on ‘Barcelona’ – I remember that one especially, it fascinated me that someone could sing like that!
We were lucky at school to have free instrumental tuition, and although I learned piano at first, it was always choir I was most excited about – this is something which hasn’t changed! In my teens I began singing with the National Youth Choir of Scotland (NYCoS) and was able to do some amazing concerts with them over the years. NYCoS was the start of what has become a true passion for choral singing.
When I wasn’t singing, I was playing guitar or double bass in local trad sessions, or even different jazz groups. At school, we were always putting bands together so we could perform at various local music festivals, the Shetland Folk Festival being the big one! I loved meeting and jamming with the different musicians in the club after the concerts too, learning about their different styles. I’m sure my parents just loved having to run me everywhere with my instruments… I hope they know how grateful I am that they did though!
In a time when many artists and creative professionals are facing significant challenges, how have you developed and evolved your creative practice over the past few years?
I love both singing and playing a variety of different styles. Whilst my main focus during my studies was on opera, I still found ways to include nods to the different influences I had growing up. My folk roots run deep, and even in the classical side of things, I love working with other musicians to create interesting mixes of genres – the more eclectic the better! I’m always looking for more unusual works to include in my recitals, and I’ve developed a knack for managing to include an Austrian Yodelling number in every one – however tenuous it is to the theme, I’ll make it work! It seems to be working though, and believe it or not, I have had people reach out asking if I am able to yodel at different things…
I’ve been fortunate to work with some really fabulous collaborative pianists on different projects – Ailsa Aitkenhead, Hebba Benyaghla and Elizabeth Haughan. Elizabeth and I have been working together on a lot of folk-influenced classical pieces of late which have been really well received. I feel in this sense, I’m beginning to ‘find my voice’ as it were, and I’m excited to see where it leads.
I think when there are so many classical singers all competing for the very few jobs available in the UK, having other styles you’re able to branch out into and collaborate with is becoming increasingly vital.
Who or what interests you creatively?
I am loving exploring the pieces of classical music which have been influenced by the folk music and folklore of different countries. I love that you can hear the nods to different traditional instruments or tunes in pieces from the likes of Dvořák, Humperdinck, and even our very own James McMillan. It really drives my choice of rep and it’s also something which feels very personal too.
I have always been fascinated by learning about the different ways they make music farther afield too, particularly Indian Music. I was fortunate enough to have lessons in Carnatic classical singing when I studied at the Birmingham Conservatoire (RBC), and was subsequently roped into their Indian Music Ensemble, which is now in its 3rd year and still growing. It’ such a curious mix of western classical, jazz, folk, Indian Carnatic, Bollywood and even a bit of pop – we had Ed Sheeran’s ‘Sapphire’ in our last project. We develop everything as an ensemble, and it really brings me back to my school days, when we’d put together stuff for whichever festival we had coming up. Thankfully mam doesn’t have to run me everywhere with the double bass anymore!
Community music making is a huge part of what I do. A lot of how I developed as a musician is thanks to the various ensembles and clubs we had in Shetland, and it’s something which should never be undervalued. I have done a fair bit of outreach and workshop leading over the years, but my proudest achievement in this regard is forming Quoir: Glasgow’s Queer Choir with my friend Ryan Flay. It has quickly become such a diverse community, where anyone who identifies as LGBTQIA+ can come and enjoy the many benefits of ensemble singing. We’ve never wanted there to be any barriers for anyone to join, and as such, we don’t audition, folks can come when they’re able and we work on a pay what you can or pay it forward scheme. I love hearing what everyone manages to achieve each session, and our rehearsals are undoubtedly the highlight of my week!
What are your plans for the next year or so and/or what are your longer term creative ambitions?
Having just about finished up my studies, my immediate plans are centred around finding gigs and contracts to help keep things ticking over. Small concerts, the odd recital or two in between the seemingly endless process of auditioning to start filling out the CV a bit more!
I have also been able to devote more time to Quoir recently, which has really begun to pay off! I am excited to see how we grow; I have so many different arrangements flying around my head and I can’t wait to try them with everyone!
In the longer term though, there is a project very close to my heart which I am particularly excited about: with my local Shetland dialect now officially recognised as a language – Shaetlan – I am in the process of engaging local poets and musicians to help develop Shaetlan translations of those folk inspired classical works I have loved learning so much. Whilst Shetland has an amazing folk scene, I would love to see the same passion develop towards classical music – I am hoping these translations will make it more accessible.
There are also large number Shaetlan folk songs which are nowhere near as widely performed as our fiddle tunes. As such, I am currently engaging fellow musicians to arrange these into standalone pieces for voice and piano. I really want to give these songs, many of which my mam would sing to me, the audience they deserve. It’s a project very much in its infancy, but it really is something I am eager to get my teeth sunk right into – watch this space!
Find out more about Ellen Smith here.
Read the Hands Up for Trad’s Women in Music and Culture 2026 List
Hands Up for Trad are an organisation who work with Scottish traditional music, language and culture. If you would like to support our work you can donate here.