Ella Munro from Isle of Skye is a finalist in the BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician 2017. We asked Ella the following questions:
How did you get involved in Scottish music?
Growing up in the Scottish highlands, I was surrounded by traditional music and I quickly fell in love with Scots song. After gaining a place at the National Centre of Excellence in Traditional Music, I became even more involved in every aspect of Scottish music and soon realised it was a passion I had to pursue.
Why did you enter BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician Award?
I entered to Young Traditional Musician competition to challenge my love of performing Scots song at a whole new level and to gain invaluable feedback from industry professionals, my peers and many other people. I also did it for the performance opportunity, with the very nature of my degree preventing me for performing at the level and frequency I wanted, every opportunity was something I thrived on and the competition offered a fantastic opportunity. Last but not least, I did it to improve and become the singer that I know I can be but need help to get there and I knew that the competition could help me massively.
What do you hope to gain from the experience?
When the competition finishes, I hope to be a much stronger musician, not just in terms of my singing but in terms of knowledge of the trade and how to market myself and my music. I hope to carry my music forwards and use the exposure the competition has given me to my benefit meaning that over the next few years I can immerse myself in performing Scots song across the country and maybe even further.
Do you have any particular musical highlights?
One of my absolute musical highlights was travelling to London for the 2012 olympics to be a part of the Cultural Olympiad and sing with a chord, Youth Music Voices, specially formed for the olympics. We were tutored by amazing singers and met so many other talented young people. Travelling to the USA this summer with the National Youth Choir of Scotland and performing at the Independence Day celebrations in Chicago was also an incredible experience.
What are your plans for the future?
Over the next few years, I’m planning on completing my studies to be a secondary school music teacher whilst continuing to perform in Scotland and further afield. I’m hoping to release an EP next year and already have some small tour dates booked so hopefully 2017 will be my busiest year yet. Regardless of any of this, I plan on continuing to sing.
Why not buy a ticket to hear Ella Munro or any other of the finalists at the Grand Finals on Sunday February 5th at 5pm. The finals are part of Celtic Connections festival. If you can’t make it along the event will be broadcast on BBC Radio Scotland between 5 & 8pm and on the iPlayer afterwards.