Fèisean nan Gàidheal are sponsors of the MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards 2024 and are sponsoring Scottish Traditional Hall of Fame. We asked them some questions about their experience of sponsoring the Trad Awards. If you would like to come to the MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards you can buy tickets here or watch on BBC ALBA from 9pm on Saturday 30th November.
Thanks to Arthur Cormack from Fèisean nan Gàidheal for answering these questions.
Why have you chosen to sponsor Na Trads, and what importance does the event hold for your sector?
Fèisean nan Gàidheal has supported Na Trads almost since their inception. The awards are an opportunity to recognise the great work being done by everyone involved in traditional music be they volunteers, community groups, professional musicians, promoters or those who service the sector. The awards ceremony is a great way to showcase our music and those involved in making and supporting it. In difficult times, music is one of the things which ensures mental wellbeing and it is important to recognise that and put a spotlight on the contribution Scottish traditional music makes to Scotland’s economy.
What makes your organisation tick?
Fèisean nan Gàidheal exists to support the network of local Fèisean which, for nearly 45 years, have been transforming communities and young people’s lives, through engagement with traditional music and Gaelic arts. The Fèis movement has created a generation of traditional musicians, some of whom are making a living, and promoting Scotland and its culture, across the globe.
A career in music is something followed by only a small proportion of those who have taken part in Fèisean. Crucially, Fèisean have played a part in building demand for traditional music, evident in the audiences which fill venues in Scotland and overseas and our music is viewed as a vital part of Scottish culture and heritage by 88% of those who responded to a recent VisitScotland survey.
The Cultural, Social, Economic, Linguistic and Wellbeing Impacts of the work supported, and delivered, by Fèisean nan Gàidheal have been well documented over the years and we don’t stop. Recently, we engaged in a consortium, with 12 other European partners, which secured €4m of EC funds and our share will support more work for tutors and further opportunities for young musicians.
Everything we do as an organisation – whether that be running the Blas Festival, supporting Cèilidh Trails or teaching traditional music, Gaelic drama or Gaelic language in schools – is geared towards supporting Fèisean and their participants, creating opportunities for young people to engage with Gaelic culture or to support the employment of musicians as performers or tutors.
What are you most looking forward to about the Trad Awards or do you have a favourite moment from over the years?
As usual, through sponsorship of the Traditional Music Hall of Fame, we look forward to honouring those who have given so much to Scottish traditional music; the people who have promoted it, and Scotland, across the world and who have kept our traditions and languages alive and relevant in modern times.
What would you say to anyone who is considering entering, voting in, watching or attending the MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards?
In a world where elements of a global culture are increasingly to the fore, protecting the cultural heritage of individual nations is critical. Na Trads is a platform to highlight the importance of promoting traditional arts and Scotland’s languages as unique and defining assets that contribute to Scotland’s distinctiveness. Above all, enjoy the night and remember those who have worked to give us the opportunity to be able to celebrate a thriving Scottish music scene rooted in the country’s traditions.
Visit their website: https://www.feisean.org/en/
Performing at the MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards are Skipinnish, Julie Fowlis, An Dannsa Dub, Laura Wilkie and Ian Carr, Young Highland Musicians and much more! Buy your tickets here.
