MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards: Robyn Stapleton

Congratulations to Robyn Stapleton who has been nominated in Citty Finlayson Scots Singer of the Year sponsored by TMSA in the MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards 2014. Vote now!

We asked Robyn Stapleton the following questions.

Tell us about yourself
Robyn is BBC Radio Scotland’s Young Traditional Musician of the Year. She began performing at the age of 7 in her hometown of Stranraer, singing the traditional songs of her Scottish and Irish heritage. Robyn later went on to study at the Royal Conservatoire where she was tutored by celebrated Scots singers Gordeanna McCulloch, Anne Neilson and Rod Paterson. She is described as having one of the finest voices in Scottish music, with a uniquely pure tone, wonderful control and an empathy and sensitivity for traditional songs.

2014 has been a fantastic year for Robyn, with performances on BBC television and Radio, at the Commonwealth Games, Scottish Parliament and at BBC’s Proms in the Park.

Passionate about community singing, Robyn is also building a strong reputation as a song leader and tutor. She is committed to sharing her love of singing and traditional music to others and this year she launched SongRoots, an intergenerational singing project that aims to preserve song traditions and encourage singing in her local community.

Robyn performs as part of a vocal duo with fellow Scots singer Claire Hastings. ‘Robyn & Claire’ joined the charity Live Music Now in 2013, and have since been performing to isolated groups across the country.

Why are you involved in Scottish music?
‘I love being able to express my own culture, identity and language through music and song. I’m extremely proud of the Scots language and Scotland’s vast music tradition and I feel privileged to be able share that with others.’

Any particular career highlights?
‘This has been an incredible year, filled with great memories and successes. Winning BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year really turned things around for me, giving me the opportunity to launch a career in music. There have been many highlights: singing with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra at Proms in the Park was a dream, and it was fantastic to be able to perform as part of the Commonwealth Games celebrations.’

What are your plans for the future?
Having just finished recording her debut album, Robyn is looking forward to its release this winter. 2015 promises to be an exciting year, with performances throughout Scotland and tours in the UK and in Scandinavia. Robyn will be joining a group of musicians including Emily Smith and Aaron Jones for a new project which explores the songs of collector William Macmath. She is also looking forward to continuing her work with Live Music Now and the growth of her SongRoots project in the year to come.

Buy a ticket for the MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards on Saturday 13th December in Inverness Leisure, start time 7pm. You’ll have a great time!