It was a triumph for traditional music tonight (Saturday 3rd December), as Hands Up for Trad celebrated the 14th year of the prestigious MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards with a glittering ceremony held in the Caird Hall, Dundee. Full list of winners below.
Broadcast live on BBC ALBA, BBC Radio Scotland and globally through the BBC ALBA website, the distinguished awards saw stars of the Scottish music scene take to Dundee’s Caird Hall, for the second year in a row, to celebrate and honour the very best of traditional talent. With performances from The Scott Wood Band, Mohsen Amini, Dallahan and many more, the event further showed why it’s hailed as one of the biggest events in Scotland’s cultural calendar.
This year’s notable winners include Breabach, who scooped both the coveted Album of the Year award, sponsored by Birnam CD, for their fifth studio album ‘Astar’, and ‘Folk Band of the Year’ sponsored by Threads of Sound. The band have certainly clocked up the air miles this year, as they travelled to Germany, Italy, Canada and around the UK promoting the album, which has received impressive reviews.
Piping Live! Glasgow’s International Piping Festival scooped the Event of the Year award, after it brought over 40,000 people from around the world to Scotland for a week-long celebration of traditional music in August.
Other winners on the night included songstress, Ellen MacDonald, who beat off tough competition from Callum Ross, Joy Dunlop and Kaela Rowan to clinch the Gaelic Singer of the Year award. Ellen has amassed a huge following for her solo performances as well as her role as the frontwoman of Gaelic band Dàimh, who won Scottish Folk Band of the Year at the 2015 awards.
Greentrax Recording’s Live Act of the Year went to trad heavyweights, Skerryvore, off the back of their Decade celebrations and a string of sell-out shows. The band have recently returned from a tour of the US and Europe and are set to close the year with a number of performances around the UK.
Pipe Band of the Year, sponsored by The Glenturret Single Malt Whisky, went to North Lanarkshire Schools Pipe Band, crowned the Novice A winners at this year’s World Pipe Band championships held in Glasgow Green, beating ten other bands in front of 35,000 fans.
Simon Thoumire, Event Founder and Hands Up for Trad Creative Director, said: “Tonight was, once again, a celebration of the best traditional music talent in and around Scotland. I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who voted and congratulations to all involved in tonight’s ceremony. Tonight showed it’s an exciting time for the Scottish traditional music scene, with a wealth of artists and performers, old and new, being honoured this evening.
“We would also like to thank the Caird Hall for being such fantastic hosts, Dundee City Council for their overwhelming support over the past two years and MG ALBA for their ongoing contribution to the awards and allowing the whole world to tune in and experience the evening with us – we can’t thank you enough for your continued support.
“The exciting news for 2017, we’re delighted to announce that the 2017 Scots Trad Music Awards will be hosted by Paisley, currently bidding for the UK City of Culture title in 2021, home of The Spree, and the birth place of some of Scotland’s finest musical talent.”
The unmissable evening saw performances from some of the biggest names in Scottish traditional music, including The Scott Wood Band, Songs of Separation, Tryst, Mohsen Amini – who was crowned BBC Radio Scotland’s Young Traditional Musician 2016 – and international folk band, Dallahan, before the night was concluded by a brilliant ceilidh.
Iseabail Mactaggart, MG ALBA’s Director of Strategy and Partnership, said: “Tonight’s winners demonstrate the extraordinary richness of the Scottish Trad scene, and we are proud at MG ALBA to enable that to be celebrated, and through BBC ALBA for this talent to be showcased here in Scotland and across the world.”
Stuart Fleming, Senior Manager of event sponsors PRS for Music of PRS for Music, said: “We’d like to congratulate all the PRS members who’ve been honoured tonight in Dundee, and in particular Kris Drever who won our Composer of the Year Award. Once again, the MG Alba Trad Awards have showcased the exceptional and diverse range of musical talent in Scotland”
Alan Morrison, Head of Music at Creative Scotland, said: “Congratulations to all of tonight’s winners, and to a superb set of nominees as well. Across every category there’s living proof that Scotland’s long-standing traditions are being taken forward by world-class talent – no more so than by Breabach, whose double whammy of wins puts them at the top of their game on the stage and in the studio. A special round of applause too for Jim Hunter, our new Creative Scotland Youth Music Initiative-sponsored Tutor of the Year, for dedicating more than 25 years to music education.”
For more information, quotes, interviews and images, contact Wire Media: Gillian Lamont | gillian@wire-media.co.uk | 07738 271 568 | 0141 648 9610
The full winners list for this year’s MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards:
Album of the Year – Sponsored by Birnam CD – Astar by Breabach
Club of the Year – Sponsored by Traditional Arts and Culture Scotland – Stonehaven Folk Club
Composer of the Year – Sponsored by PRS for Music – Kris Drever
Community Project of the Year – Sponsored by the Gordon Duncan Memorial Trust – Feis Rois Life Long Learning Project
Event of the Year – Sponsored by VisitScotland – Piping Live! Glasgow International Piping Festival
Gaelic Singer of the Year – Sponsored by Macmeanmna – Ellen MacDonald
Instrumentalist of the Year – Sponsored by the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society – Rachel Newton
Live Act of the Year – Sponsored by Greentrax Recordings – Skerryvore
Citty Finlayson Scots Singer of the Year – Sponsored by the Traditional Music & Song Association of Scotland – Lori Watson
Scottish Dance Band of the Year – Sponsored by the National Association of Accordion and Fiddle Clubs – Trail West
Folk Band of the Year – Sponsored by Threads of Sound – Breabach
Scottish Pipe Band of the Year – Sponsored by The Glenturret Single Malt Whisky – North Lanarkshire Schools Pipe Band
Trad Music in the Media – Sponsored by Skipinnish – BBC Radio Scotland’s Take the Floor
Music Tutor of the Year – Sponsored by Creative Scotland Youth Music Initiative – Jim Hunter
Up and Coming Artist of the Year – Sponsored by the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland – Ryan Young
Venue of the Year – Sponsored by the Musicians’ Union – The Glad Café, Glasgow
EDITOR’S NOTES
The Scots Trad Music Awards are produced by Hands up for Trad and supported by:
MG ALBA
MG ALBA is the operating name of Seirbheis nam Meadhanan Gàidhlig (Gaelic Media Service). MG ALBA works in partnership with the BBC to deliver BBC ALBA. Find out more about MG ALBA and the partnership at www.mgalba.com or visit www.bbcalba.co.uk for scheduling and programme information.
FMG ALBA
Is e MG ALBA ainm-gnìomh Sheirbheis nam Meadhanan Gàidhlig. Tha MG ALBA ag obair ann an co-bhanntachd leis a’ BhBC airson BBC ALBA a’ libhrigeadh. Airson barrachd fiosrachaidh mu MG ALBA agus mun cho-bhanntachd faic www.mgalba.com no tadhal air www.bbcalba.co.uk airson fiosrachadh mu chlàran agus phrògraman
GLENFIDDICH
To find out about our Classic, Explorers and Pioneers Tours, please visit www.glenfiddich.com. Follow us @GlenfiddichSMW and www.facebook.com/Glenfiddich
CREATIVE SCOTLAND
Creative Scotland is the public body that supports the arts, screen and creative industries across all parts of Scotland on behalf of everyone who lives, works or visits here. We enable people and organisations to work in and experience the arts, screen and creative industries in Scotland by helping others to develop great ideas and bring them to life. We distribute funding provided by the Scottish Government and the National Lottery. For further information about Creative Scotland please visit www.creativescotland.com. Follow us @creativescots and www.facebook.com/CreativeScotland
TÀLANT NA TRADS AIR AN COMHARRACHADH ANN AN DÙN DÈ
WINNERS ANNOUNCED FOR MG ALBA SCOTS TRAD MUSIC AWARDS 2016
’S e oidhche air leth a bh’ann do cheòl traidiseanta na h-Alba. A nochd (Disathairne, 3mh latha den Dùbhlachd) bha Hands Up for Trad a’ comharrachadh ceithir bliadhn’ deug de dhuaisean MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards le glitz gu leòr anns a Chaird Hall, Dùn Dè. Chì sibh co bhuannaich na duaisean gu h-ìosal.
Air a chraoladh beò air BBC Alba, BBC Radio Scotland agus air feadh an t-saoghal tro làrach-lìn BBC Alba, chunnaic na duaisean sònraichte seo runnagan cheòl tradiseanta na h-Alba còmhladh ann an aon àite. Airson an dàrna bliadhna, ’s ann sa Chaird Hall an Dùn Dè a chaidh an tàlant às fhèarr a tha an Alba a chomharrachadh. Chuala sinn cuideachd an Scott Wood Band, Mohsen Amini, Dallahan agus gu leòr eile. Bha e foilleasach fhaicinn carson a tha daoine a dhèanamh fiughair ris Na Trads gach bliadhna.
Fhuair Breabach, an duais aithnichte ‘Clàr na Bliadhna,’ air a chuir air bonn le Birnam CD, leis a’ chòigeamh clàr aca ‘Astar’, agus ‘Còmhlan na Bliadhna’ a bharrachd, air a chuir air bonn le Threads of Sound. Tha iad air a bhith air deagh astar cuideachd! Am bliadhna chithear iad anns a Ghearmailt, san Eadailt, an Canada agus air feadh Bhreatann a’ sanasachd an clàr ùr, a tha air deagh mholaidhean fhaidhinn anns na meadhannan.
Bhuannaich Piping Live! Glasgow’s International Piping Festival an duais airson ‘Tachartas na Bliadhna’. Tha an fhèis sgoinneil a tha seo a’ tarraing 40,000 duine dh’Alba airson seachduin làn ceòl tradiseanta anns an Lùnastal.
Bha ceathrar de fìor dheagh sheinneadairean againn airson ‘Seinneadair Gàidhlig na Bliadhna agus b’ e Ellen NicDhòmhnaill a bhuannaich. Tha Ellen air a bhith trang a’ sèinn air feadh na dùthcha agus tha i cuideachd anns a chòmhlan Dàimh, a bhuannaich ‘Còmhlan Albanach na Bliadhna’ aig Na Trads 2015.
Chuir Greentrax Recording air bonn an ath dhuais a chomharraich Skerryvore, nan còmhlan bèo a b’fhearr anns a bhliadhna mu dheireadh. Tha iadsan trang, trang a cuir air dòigh fèill an deich bliadhna agus a’ deanamh cuireaman air feadh an àite. Tha iad dìreach air tilleadh bho Americaidh agus às an Roinn Eòrpa agus tha iad air cuir crìoch air a bhliadhna a’ cluich ann an Breatann.
Chaidh ‘Còmhlan Pìoba na Bliadhna’, a th’air a chuir air bonn le The Glenturret Single Malt Whisky, gu North Lanarkshire Schools Pipe Band, a tha a nis aig ìre Foghlainne A. Fhuair iad an t-urram seo aig Farpais Chòmhlan Pìoba, Na Worlds an aghaidh 10 còmhlan eile, air beulaibh 35,000 neach-amharc ann an Glaschu.
Simon Thoumire, Event Founder and Hands Up for Trad Creative Director, said: “Tonight was, once again, a celebration of the best traditional music talent in and around Scotland. I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who voted and congratulations to all involved in tonight’s ceremony. Tonight showed it’s an exciting time for the Scottish traditional music scene, with a wealth of artists and performers, old and new, being honoured this evening.
“We would also like to thank the Caird Hall for being such fantastic hosts, Dundee City Council for their overwhelming support over the past two years and MG ALBA for their ongoing contribution to the awards and allowing the whole world to tune in and experience the evening with us – we can’t thank you enough for your continued support.
“The exciting news for 2017, we’re delighted to announce that the 2017 Scots Trad Music Awards will be hosted by Paisley, currently bidding for the UK City of Culture title in 2021, home of The Spree, and the birth place of some of Scotland’s finest musical talent.”
The unmissable evening saw performances from some of the biggest names in Scottish traditional music, including The Scott Wood Band, Songs of Separation, Tryst, Mohsen Amini – who was crowned BBC Radio Scotland’s Young Traditional Musician 2016 – and international folk band, Dallahan, before the night was concluded by a brilliant ceilidh.
Iseabail Mactaggart, MG ALBA’s Director of Strategy and Partnership, said: “Tonight’s winners demonstrate the extraordinary richness of the Scottish Trad scene, and we are proud at MG ALBA to enable that to be celebrated, and through BBC ALBA for this talent to be showcased here in Scotland and across the world.”
Stuart Fleming, Senior Manager of event sponsors PRS for Music of PRS for Music, said: “We’d like to congratulate all the PRS members who’ve been honoured tonight in Dundee, and in particular Kris Drever who won our Composer of the Year Award. Once again, the MG Alba Trad Awards have showcased the exceptional and diverse range of musical talent in Scotland”
Alan Morrison, Head of Music at Creative Scotland, said: “Congratulations to all of tonight’s winners, and to a superb set of nominees as well. Across every category there’s living proof that Scotland’s long-standing traditions are being taken forward by world-class talent – no more so than by Breabach, whose double whammy of wins puts them at the top of their game on the stage and in the studio. A special round of applause too for Jim Hunter, our new Creative Scotland Youth Music Initiative-sponsored Tutor of the Year, for dedicating more than 25 years to music education.”