At the end of October last year an event was held at Blair Castle in Perthshire to mark the end of the Glenfiddich Fiddle Championship. This competition, run for over twenty five years under the sponsorship of Glenfiddich Malt Whisky, owned by the Grant family, consisted of an invitation-only opportunity for the cream of the world’s traditional fiddle players to come to Blair and compete for the Glenfiddich Trophy.
Over these passing years there have been many memorable winners, some who have gone on to make music their careers and establish themselves at the top of their profession.
It was felt the competition as an annual event must not be allowed to die, so an independent group set about creating a successor to the competition with fresh ideas and a fresh outlook. The new Governors of the competition have been drawn from business, and the top levels of Scottish traditional music, and offer both unrivalled playing knowledge but also experience of competition and of administration.
The remit we set ourselves was to develop the competition to include juniors, create an organisation that would not be subject to the financial vagaries of sponsors, and to utilise the magnificent and unique setting of Blair Castle, which has hosted the competition since its inception.
Our mission statement is to integrate all the styles of traditional Scottish fiddle playing both at home and internationally and to create a competition which attracts the finest musicians that can be found, showcasing them in a truly iconic setting, and giving them the opportunity to perform and develop their talents in the company of other fellow competitors, but also enjoying the advice and mentorship of the adjudicators.
And so The Niel Gow Scottish Fiddle Awards were born.
Details about the competition can be found here.