Madeleine Stewart from Epsom, New Hampshire, USA 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 or watch on BBC ALBA.
We asked Madeleine the following questions:
How did you get involved in traditional music?
There’s a great traditional music scene in New Hampshire, and my family came across it when we went to a trad concert at the local music school. My dad, my brother and I shared a mandolin for a bit, and I ended up taking fiddle lessons at the Concord Community Music School with Lissa Schneckenburger. I also briefly played bagpipes, taking lessons with Lezlie and Gordon Webster. As a teenager, I joined a folk ensemble, which became my first band. I went to contra dances, concerts, festivals, and fiddle camps every chance I got, and occasionally ventured into some sessions in the local restaurants. Eventually, I moved to Scotland, and here we are now!
Why did you enter BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician Award?
Ever since I moved to Glasgow, I think I’ve gone to the Young Trad finals every year. I’ve had a bunch of friends who have competed over the years, and I always thought it looked like a fun challenge to come up with a set for a competition that’s both a performance and an expression of musical personality. I’m also excited to show how wide-reaching this music is, since I’m one of many people who have moved to Scotland for its music.
Who has been the biggest inspiration/influence on your music-making and why?
The biggest influence for me was probably my teacher of many years, David Surette. His music was the reason my family found traditional music in the first place, and I took mandolin lessons from him for a while and eventually joined the “folk ensemble” he taught. He was great at showing us new things to learn while also encouraging us to be creative. In his performing he did a lot of solo guitar arrangements of trad tunes, and he was a great backer as well. So he was a huge inspiration for me in performing and teaching.
Are there any moments in your career so far that you particularly cherish and why?
There have been a few!
– Playing with my trio at my dad’s brewery. I don’t get to go home much and it was really lovely to do a show at home for people I grew up with.
– Recording the Routes Quartet album! (Which we’ll be releasing on the 3rd!) We spent a week in the middle of nowhere doing basically nothing but playing and recording music. It was the most intense week I’ve ever had, in a really good way; I learned so much from everyone there.
– Putting on our first community ceilidh with The Folks’ Music Project. So lovely to see students, families and members of the community dancing together or just enjoying the music!
– Playing a set with Liz Carroll at the Scots Fiddle Festival, which was amazing since I’ve been playing her tunes and listening to her albums since I was a kid.
What are your plans and aspirations for the future?
I’m looking forward to releasing an album with my trio and doing some shows to support that – and the same with Routes as well! The idea is to tour in the UK and the States, so I can get back more frequently (or at all) to see friends and family. Broadly speaking, though, being able to support myself over the last year with my fiddle has been absolutely amazing. 2022 was my first year as a full-time musician; it’s been a long time coming, with everything from visa to injury to global pandemic getting in the way. I’m so lucky to be able to work with friends, playing and teaching music. If the future brings more of that I’ll be happy!
When you are not playing music what else do you enjoy doing?
I like cooking, listening to podcasts, reading books and playing videogames, nothing too interesting really! I like a list, so here’s a list of favourites – but I’m also really indecisive so it’s a top 2 list.
Top 2 favourite…
…foods to cook: Chinese dumplings & “CH” stew (chicken/chorizo/chickpea)
…podcasts: Lingthusiasm (it’s about linguistics) & 99% Invisible (about design)
…books: Dune (the sci-fi classic) & The War of Don Emmanuel’s Nether Parts (definitely not just cause it’s got a funny title)
…videogames: Celeste & Mariokart Wii
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 Madeleine Stewart 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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