{"id":6214,"date":"2023-08-28T10:00:52","date_gmt":"2023-08-28T09:00:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/projects.handsupfortrad.scot\/scotslanguageawards\/?p=6214"},"modified":"2023-08-27T14:21:11","modified_gmt":"2023-08-27T13:21:11","slug":"scots-language-awards-2023-natalie-chalmers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/projects.handsupfortrad.scot\/scotslanguageawards\/scots-language-awards-2023-natalie-chalmers\/","title":{"rendered":"Scots Language Awards 2023: Natalie Chalmers"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Weel duin tae Natalie Chalmers wha hae bin nominatit in Scots Performer o the Year sponsored by Tracs in the Scots Language Awards. Vote now!<\/a><\/p>\n

The Scots Language Awards are in the Johstone Toon Ha, Johnstone on 16th September at 7pm. Tickets fir the ceremony are available tae buy here: https:\/\/handsup.link\/SLA-BuyTickets<\/a>. <\/p>\n

We askit Natalie Chalmers o Natalie Chalmers thae speirins. <\/p>\n

Tell us aboot yersel or yer ootfit.<\/strong>
\nI\u2019m a singer o the traditional ballads and bothy ballads, entering my first competition fan I was jist 7year auld, at the Buchan Heritage Society in Strichen, jist bain the road fae far I grew up in the Broch (Fraserburgh) in the North-East o Scotland – the hairt of bothy ballad country! As I ventured further afield to concerts and TMSA competitions, I seen foun\u2019 mysel\u2019 surrounded by some of the great tradition bearers like Geordie Murison, Eric Simpson, Gordon Easton and Tam Reid (to name just a twa, three). Wi\u2019 their help and encouragement, I hid a gran\u2019 time singing, and seen added Doric verse to the repertoire, and then storytelling ina, fan I got in tow wi\u2019 some of the greats like Stanley Robertson, Sheila Stewart and Jess Smith.
\nI was afa, afa lucky to have gran\u2019 singing tuition fae Elizabeth Stewart, then fae Christine Kydd and Mick West when I went to the National Centre of Excellence on Traditional Music at Plockton for a year or twa.<\/p>\n

Noo\u2019adays, I\u2019m bidin in Glesgae far I work as a Chartered Quantity Surveyor, but in my spare time, I like naething better than takin pairt at a\u2019 the festivals and concerts I grew up gan til, and faur I\u2019ve made sae many life lang freens, as weel as gain further afield tae the likes o\u2019 Glastonbury and Cambridge Folk Festivals, faur I hae the best time sharing oor sangs and stories. I\u2019m also passionate aboot sharing and keeping the traditions of the North-East gaan, and try to dae my bit by bein\u2019 an active member of the TMSA (Aiberdeen branch) faur wi dae aa we can wi\u2019 a fair puckle gran\u2019 initiatives like working wi bairns at the smashing\u2019 SC&T Youth and co-hosting \u201cTrad Time with the TMSA\u201d on Keith Community Radio.<\/p>\n

Whit wis it got ye involvit wi the Scots leid?<\/strong>
\nWeel apart fae growing\u2019 up in the Broch faur Doric\u2019s \u2018wer natural tongue, I started singing by chance! My sister, Gillian\u2019s a piper, and being a bit aulder than me, I was trailed aroon the Heelan Games and competitions wi\u2019 her. My mither seen got scaunered o me girnin, and haein\u2019 tae spen\u2019 a fortune trying tae keep my quiet at bottle stalls, so she entered my fir i kids races at the Games, and gaared me learn a bothy ballad for that first competition at Strichen\u2026..turned oot I liked singing mare than runnin\u2026..and the rest\u2019s history!<\/p>\n

Why dae ye feel it is important tae use Scots in everyday life?<\/strong>
\nHaein\u2019 mair or less stumbled into sic a strong tradition and culture, the pleasure and opportunities I\u2019ve had from it, the amazin folk I\u2019ve met and pals throu\u2019 it, I\u2019m passionate about daein fit I can tae help others learn aboot, and enjoy, their Scots traditions and culture. <\/p>\n

I get fae my singing, storytelling & verse is the best stress reliever ever, and gies me so much enjoyment – I want abody tae hae the chance tae share this, whether by takin pairt or listening. Fan folk hear ma speakin Doric or fin oot aboot my singing, it\u2019s the greatest conversation starter ever- I\u2019d gang as far as tae say, it\u2019s even helped me get maist of my jobs as every employer has speered ma aboot it on my CV, and newsin\u2019 aboot it fairly brakes the ice. It\u2019s a fair bonus fan it distracts a the mannies I work wi in construction fae speakin non-stop about fitba, golf an Love Island!<\/p>\n

Dae ye hae a favourite Scots phrase or saying?<\/strong>
\nOh me, that\u2019s a hard een\u2026there\u2019s ower mony in Doric that jist get richt tae the p\u2019int but up there has tae be the likes o\u2019 Ian Middleton\u2019s \u201cI\u2019m fair forfochan wi\u2019 frustration\u2026\u201d in his poem the Twa Budgies.<\/p>\n

Is there a Scots speaker who inspires you?<\/strong>
\nThere\u2019s sae mony of them fae the late poet Ian Middleton, & all the singers and storytellers I\u2019ve mentioned, and mony mare besides, but richt noo I\u2019d hae tae gie a special mention tae the late Robbie Shepherd fa did so much tae promote oor tongue and wir culture. Best kint maybe as a radio presenter and for he\u2019s column in the P&J, but for me he\u2019ll aye be the wee, auld mannie at Strichen festival fa encouraged me fae my very first time at 7yr auld, aye tellin\u2019 me tae \u201chaud \u2018er gyan!\u201d<\/p>\n

Do you hear Scots spoken regularly in your local area? Have you noticed any changes over time?<\/strong>
\nWeel, Doric\u2019s oor everyday language spoken by mair or less abody at hame, in Aiberdeenshire, faur I come fae, though even \u2018ere there\u2019s a fair variation atween different areas, an fishin or fairmin fowk.
\nThere was a lang time though, fan ye werena allowed tae spik it at a school. Noo, slowly bit surely, the schools seem tae be starting\u2019 tae wakin up tae the importance o\u2019 keepin oor tradtions & culture alive. There\u2019s still a lot of work tae be daen though, but we can a\u2019 help by daein wir bit throu\u2019 a the great initiatives and bodies we have gaun jist noo – folk like ma\u2019sel working with the TMSA, the SC&T Youth and mony mair\u2026nae least, of course, being Hands Up for Trad and the Scots Language Awards!<\/p>\n

Ony particlar career heighlichts<\/strong>
\nRicht noo, I\u2019m fair chuffed and verra grateful tae hae been nominated for Scots Performer of the Year at the Scots Language Awards, and nominated ina in the Scots Project of the Year, as co- host of \u201cTrad Time with the TMSA\u201d on KCR radio.<\/p>\n

Then there\u2019s the moments ye aye mine, like takin\u2019 the Alford Cattle Show tae Celtic Connections wi\u2019 the music school and being a finalist at the Bothy Ballad Championships in Elgin. And it was an honour to be asked to co-host the Celtic Connections\u2019 House o\u2019Sang, with Scott Gardiner and Amy Lord, when Doris Rougvie retired. <\/p>\n

Bit sometimes it\u2019s the wee things that really stick wee ye, like the wee quinie faa heard me, & ma pal Pauline Cordiner, singing Billy Connelly\u2019s Welly Boot sang at Glastonbury, sung it non stop a\u2019year, and couldnae wait tae hear it again the followin\u2019 year!<\/p>\n

Wha’s yer plans fir the days aheid?<\/strong>
\nI\u2019ll keep enjoying\u2019, learnin\u2019 and sharin ma sangs and stories, working with the TMSA and sic like, daein fitever I can tae tae pass oor langauge and culture on tae mair folk and, especially, the next generation o\u2019 bairns. There\u2019s nae much can beat the feeling, a arriving it Glastonbury ivery year tae perform daily for bairns in the Kidz Field and in the Green Futures Field.<\/p>\n

In short, I\u2019ll list jist dae fit I was telt a those years ago, and \u201chaud er gyan!\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more about Natalie Chalmers<\/a>
\n<\/a>
\nFacebook: http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/NatChalmers\/<\/a>
\nTwitter: http:\/\/www.twitter.com\/NatzChalmers<\/a>
\nInstagram: http:\/\/www.instagram.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n

The Scots Language Awards are in the Johnstone Toon Ha, Johnstone on 16th September at 7pm. Tickets are available to buy here: https:\/\/handsup.link\/SLA-BuyTickets<\/a> There wull be some grand entertainmint oan the nicht tae, includin a recital fae Renfrewshire\u2019s poet laureate Shaun Moore,wha wis appointit as the region\u2019s Tannahill Makar last year. talks fae weel regairdit Scots scrievers Cat Cochrane an Shane Strachan, alang wi musical performances fae celebratit multi-instumentalist brithers Euan and Lewis McLaughlin, an sangster Iona Fyfe. <\/p>\n

If you would like to support Hands Up for Trad in their work with Scottish trad music and musicians please consider supporting our Patreon<\/a> campaign. We have 3 tiers starting at $1 a month and everything helps support us in our work. Read more at www.patreon.com\/handsupfortrad<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Weel duin tae Natalie Chalmers wha hae bin nominatit in Scots Performer o the Year sponsored by Tracs in the Scots Language Awards. Vote now! The Scots Language Awards are in the Johstone Toon Ha, Johnstone on 16th September at 7pm. Tickets fir the ceremony are available tae buy here: https:\/\/handsup.link\/SLA-BuyTickets. We askit Natalie Chalmers […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":6215,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[74],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-6214","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nominee-2023","8":"entry"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/projects.handsupfortrad.scot\/scotslanguageawards\/files\/2023\/08\/Natalie-Chalmers-2023-Rev-A.png","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/phaZzh-1Ce","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/projects.handsupfortrad.scot\/scotslanguageawards\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6214","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/projects.handsupfortrad.scot\/scotslanguageawards\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/projects.handsupfortrad.scot\/scotslanguageawards\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projects.handsupfortrad.scot\/scotslanguageawards\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projects.handsupfortrad.scot\/scotslanguageawards\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6214"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/projects.handsupfortrad.scot\/scotslanguageawards\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6214\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6295,"href":"https:\/\/projects.handsupfortrad.scot\/scotslanguageawards\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6214\/revisions\/6295"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projects.handsupfortrad.scot\/scotslanguageawards\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6215"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/projects.handsupfortrad.scot\/scotslanguageawards\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6214"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projects.handsupfortrad.scot\/scotslanguageawards\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6214"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projects.handsupfortrad.scot\/scotslanguageawards\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6214"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}