The BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician Award will open for entries on the 25th May 2017. We are looking for 12 semi-finalists to take part in our annual event in South Lanarkshire 6-8th October. The closing date is 2nd July 2017 (1 week earlier than usual) so don’t be late! Check back here for information on how to enter.
The 2017 winner was fiddler Charlie Stewart.
TALENTED fiddle player Charlie Stewart was named BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician 2017 last night (Sunday Feb 5) after a rousing winning performance at Glasgow’s City Halls.
Judges were unanimous in awarding the 21-year-old the title, now seen as the premier accolade for young musicians in their field.
Each of the six finalists gave a stirring performance, broadcast live on BBC Radio Scotland as part of Celtic Connections.
But Charlie, of Glenfarg, Perthshire, had the edge during an evening of superb entertainment.
Jeff Zycinski, Head of Radio at BBC Scotland, said: “Charlie is exactly the type of performer we wanted to shine the spotlight on when we launched the search for this year’s winner. His stunning performance was both moving and spirited and really captivated the audience.
“Every year, the judging process becomes more difficult with musicians of such a high calibre coming through the ranks. Our six finalists were magnificent, each one stamping their set with true individuality and flair.
“It was an extremely difficult choice, but Charlie stood out on the night. He will really help to inspire and encourage the next generation of young artists to keep traditional music alive.”
Charlie first picked up the fiddle aged nine. He is now working towards a BMus (Jazz), studying Jazz bass with Mario Caribe and fiddle with Marie Feilding at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow. Currently playing with Dosca, Sketch and Snuffbox, he has performed all over Europe. In 2016 he reached the semi-finals of the BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Awards playing with harpist Becky Hill, and has also won the Danny Kyle award with playing partner Ross Miller.
He said: “I’m amazed and so pleased to win. Everyone performed fantastically well in the finals. To be singled out as winner is such an honour. The BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year is such a well-respected competition. I’m really excited about the doors it will open.”
Charlie wins a recording session with BBC Scotland and one-year membership to the Musicians Union. All finalists get a one-year membership to the Traditional Music and Song Association of Scotland (TMSA) plus the opportunity to take part in the TMSA’s annual Young Trad Tour.
Previous winners of the award who have used their victory as a major springboard to a professional career in music include last year’s winner, concertina virtuoso Mohsen Amini, singer Robyn Stapleton who won in 2014, and talented 2004 winner, multi-instrumentalist Anna Massie.
Organised by BBC Radio Scotland, the Young Traditional Musician of The Year competition has been running since 2001, increasing the profile of Scottish traditional music and recognising rising talent in the genre.
You can watch all the finalists sets here.
The other 2017 finalists were:
Dougie McCance, 24, Erskine, Renfrewshire – Bagpipes
Dougie began playing the bagpipes when he was just 10 and by the age of 14 was a member of the National Youth Pipe Band of Scotland. For the past seven years he’s been part of the Red Hot Chilli Pipers and has just returned from a tour of Saudi Arabia with the band.
Currently studying for a BA in Applied Music at the University of Highlands and Islands, some of Dougie’s career highlights so far include recording part of the soundtrack for animated film How To Train Your Dragon 2, playing at T in the Park and accompanying Ed Sheeran at the MTV EMA Awards. He wants to one day record his own solo album.
Ella Munro, 20, Isle of Skye – Scots Song
After studying for five years at the acclaimed National Centre of Excellence in Traditional Music at Plockton High School, Ella is now studying Scots Song at the RCS. After graduation, she hopes to become a secondary school music teacher.
In 2012, she sang with a specially-formed choir, Youth Music Voices, as part of the London Olympics. She’s also a part of the National Youth Choir of Scotland and toured the US with the group last summer, performing at the Independence Day celebrations in Chicago.
Ella wants to release her own EP this year and is looking forward to some live tour dates.
Grant McFarlane, 26, Paisley, Renfrewshire – Accordion
Grant usually watches the Young Trad finals from the audience – this year he’ll be a performer.
After forming his own ceilidh band when he was only 12, he went on to study at the RCS and has been working as a full-time musician, both performing and teaching, since he graduated in 2012.
A member of folk band CherryGrove, Grant has toured countries including India and Australia.
His big passion is ensuring the legacy of trad music is handed to the next generation and in 2014, he organised a committee to deliver Fèis Phàislig, the first ever Fèis in Renfrewshire. By last year, nearly 100 children were involved and Grant now delivers year-round tuition.
Iona Fyfe, 19, Huntly, Aberdeenshire – Scots Song
Iona’s family began teaching her Doric poetry when she was only five and by the time she was in primary school, she was regularly competing in traditional ballad competitions and attending events through the Traditional Music And Song Association.
Mid-way through her second year studying for a BMus Traditional Music at the RCS, Iona now lives in Glasgow during term time but her singing style is deeply rooted in the traditions of the North East of Scotland. Her interpretation of material both old and new is contemporary yet sympathetic.
A semi-finalist in the BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Awards in 2015 and now again in 2017, Iona released a six-song CD, East, to great acclaim in 2016 and is currently working on her first full solo album.
Kim Carnie, 23, Glasgow (originally Oban) – Gaelic Song:
Kim was hooked on Scots song from the moment when, aged three, her grandfather taught her to sing Bonnie Wee Jeanie McColl. Although not from a Gaelic-speaking household, when she began to learn Gaelic at school, love of the language grew. With a strong ceilidh culture growing up in Oban, Argyll, she was encouraged to sing at local celebrations and her talent was clear.
Kim, who graduated with a law degree from Strathclyde University last summer, recently joined Hanna Tullikki’s ‘Air Falbh Leis na h-Eòin/Away with the Birds’ project and she has performed at both the Cambridge and Orkney Folk Festivals.
Laura Davidson – mailto:laura.davidson@bbc.co.uk, tel: 07770368553
Pictures: Alan Peebles, mailto:alanpeebles@me.com, tel: 07973 706009
Watch Charlie’s winning performance!
The finals of the BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician Award 2017 will be held at 5pm on Sunday 5th February in the City Halls, Glasgow as part of Celtic Connections festival. As always it will be a brilliant concert with amazing musicianship from some of Scotland’s top young musicians. Why not buy a ticket to the event. 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. We asked the finalists some questions. Click on the links below to read more.
Charlie Stewart, fiddle (Perthshire)
Dougie McCance, bagpipes (Glasgow)
Ella Munro, Scots song (Skye)
Grant McFarlane, accordion (Paisley)
Iona Fyfe, Scots song (Huntly)
Kim Carnie, Gaelic song (Oban)
BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician Award is a BBC Radio Scotland event managed by Hands Up for Trad.
Charlie Stewart from Glenfarg is a finalist in the BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician 2017. We asked Charlie the following questions:
How did you get involved in Scottish music?
Dad listens to and plays traditional music, so I got interested in it through him.
Why did you enter BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician Award?
I thought it might be a good way to meet new musicians, also that it would be a good experience organising sets to play solo rather than as part of a band.
What do you hope to gain from the experience?
I’m hoping to gain experience and confidence in playing solo, and thought it might help with getting some gigs as well.
Do you have any particular musical highlights?
Seeing the Gloaming live this year was definitely a highlight. I’ve also really enjoyed travelling with Dosca and Levack Stewart Irving, two bands which I play in.
What are your plans for the future?
If it’s anything nice to do with music I’ll be happy!
Why not buy a ticket to hear Charlie Stewart 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.
Iona Fyfe from Huntly, Aberdeenshire is a finalist in the BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician 2017. We asked Iona the following questions:
How did you get involved in Scottish music?
I come from quite a musical family and when I was five years old my cousin Benjamin and aunt, Sandra introduced me to Doric poetry and the work of the late Ian Middleton. My family took me to the Buchan Heritage Society and TMSA Keith Festival where I competed in Doric poetry and was introduced to a community of revivalist folksingers who encouraged me to compete in Bothy Ballad and Traditional Ballad competitions. I was taken to folk clubs, singarounds and sessions. My family really nurtured my musical interests and I started learning piano. I dabbled in Musical Theatre and Classical Song throughout secondary school but it became very evident where my heart lay.
Why did you enter BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician Award?
Coming from a competitive singing background, I think the feedback you can get from competitions is so valuable long term. I think playing for a panel of professional musicians who will give you feedback will be a great learning experience.
I think that the competition has really made me think quite deeply about my performance practice – what songs? why? what is the message i want to get across? I think the competition really pushes you to take authorship of your creative decisions.
What do you hope to gain from the experience?
I hope to promote the song repertoire, heritage and culture of my native Aberdeenshire and represent the North East as an exponent of the Doric vernacular.
I hope to also broaden my musical taste and ability. I’m really excited to get to spend some time making some nice arrangements with our accompanists and to be involved with the TMSA Trad Tour and collaborate with such a versatile group of musicians!
Do you have any particular musical highlights?
One of my musical highlights was playing Swallow in an am-dram production of Whistle Down The Wind. I absolutely loved the musical and was chattering in a deep south accent for weeks after! It was very different and great to work on!
In 2014, I was part of a project called “Where You’re Meant to Be”, a tour and film about folksong and culture. I met Sheila Stewart and was lucky enough to share a stage with her at a packed Barrowlands as well as other singers who I looked up to such as Danny Couper and Joe Aitken. An experience the then-16 year old me would never forget!
The band are heading to perform at The Royal Albert Hall in London as part of Music for Youth Proms in November – I think that will be quite a highlight!
What are your plans for the future?
I plan on performing quite a bit and recording a new CD – this time a full album with my band! After university at The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland I’d love to spend more time back in Aberdeenshire to do some region-related research. I’d also like to do a wee bit of teaching! I’d really love to travel to Appalachia and spend some time learning about Ozark song traditions and its link with British folksong!
Why not buy a ticket to hear Iona Fyfe 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.
Dougie McCance from Glasgow is a finalist in the BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician 2017. We asked Dougie the following questions:
How did you get involved in Scottish music?
I have been playing the bagpipes for over 14 years; receiving tuition from Donald McPhee, Roddy MacLeod (MBE) and now currently from Chris Armstrong. At the age of 14, I joined ‘The National Youth Pipe Band of Scotland’ and have performed onstage with the biggest names in Scottish music such as Carlos Nunez, Phil Cunningham and Fred Morrison. My biggest influence is my cousin Phil Smillie, who is an original member of the folk trailblazers ‘The Tannahill Weavers’.
Why did you enter BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician Award?
I have been touring with the ‘Red Hot Chilli Pipers’ for the past 7 years and am now looking to broaden my musical experiences and challenge myself by performing solo.
What do you hope to gain from the experience?
So far, from attending the semi-finals weekend, I have met many talented musicians. I hope to continue this networking and hopefully one day, record my own solo album and showcase my own compositions to the world.
Do you have any particular musical highlights?
Some of my notable piping highlights are recording on the soundtrack to the Dreamworks film ‘How To Train Your Dragon 2’, playing on the MainStage at Scotland’s biggest music festival ‘T in the Park’, and performing with Ed Sheeran at the EMA Awards.
What are your plans for the future?
I hope to graduate from the UHI with a degree in BA Applied Music, perform with my own band, meet/collaborate with new musicians, continue to write music and record a solo album!
Why not buy a ticket to hear Dougie McCance 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.
Grant McFarlane from Paisley is a finalist in the BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician 2017. We asked Grant the following questions:
How did you get involved in Scottish music?
In the early years of my accordion playing, my focus was on classical and continental music competing across Scotland and further afield. However, I was always much more keen to take part and listen to the traditional competitions and quickly formed my own ceilidh band at the age of 12. After being accepted to the Conservatoire, and under the guidance of Ian Muir and John Somerville, my ability and repertoire developed greatly as I was able to immerse myself in the world of traditional music.
Why did you enter BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician Award?
The competition has been an amazing opportunity to meet other musicians, learn new material and spend some focused time on my playing. As a full-time musician, I’ve been very lucky to keep busy with various different projects over the last few years but spending time on my own playing often ends up being pushed to one side. I’m looking forward to spending more time on my playing over the next few months leading up to the finals.
What do you hope to gain from the experience?
I’m very excited to perform at the City Halls for the finals having sat in the audience for the last few years. Most of my performing experience so far has been as part of groups so I’m looking forward to the challenge of preparing my own set for such a huge stage! I hope the experience will provide further opportunities to play and work with other musicians.
Do you have any particular musical highlights?
Playing with folk band, CherryGrove, has given me some incredible opportunities over the last few years. We have been very luck to be able to travel to countries like India and Australia whilst making music with great friends. Experiencing this side of performing and the amazing places we have seen has been one of my highlights.
I have always been grateful for the opportunities given to me as a young person to play music and have been keen over the last few years to try and pass that on. In 2014, I organised a committee to deliver Fèis Phàislig, the first ever Fèis in Renfrewshire. In 2015, we had our first Fèis week which was hugely successful and gave 55 young people from across Renfrewshire the opportunity to try traditional music. This grew in 2016 to 94 children and we now deliver year round tuition with weekly lessons in accordion, fiddle, guitar and singing. To see so many young people being given the opportunity I was given to play music has been an amazing highlight for me and I hope to see some of them inspired to take up traditional music as a career in the future.
What are your plans for the future?
As well as carrying on my work for the Fèis in Paisley and teaching across Scotland, I’d like to work on more of my own music, both performing and composing. In the immediate future, I better get practising for the finals…
Why not buy a ticket to hear Grant McFarlane 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.
Kim Carnie from Oban is a finalist in the BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician 2017. We asked Kim the following questions:
How did you get involved in Scottish music?
I have been drawn towards Scottish traditional music from a young age. My grandfather is a beautiful Scots singer and taught me my first song, Bonnie Wee Jeanie McColl, when I was 3 years old. Learning from my grandfather, and the love he had for the tradition, I became aware of the importance of traditional song when I was a young child.
I gradually moved from Scots song towards Gaelic song when I started Gaelic education. As is well known, the Gaelic culture is grounded in oral tradition, and as such, my Gaelic education was filled with storytelling, poetry and songs. And naturally, I loved the stories about fairies and songs about mermaids, and I grasped any opportunity in which someone would share with me what they knew.
Combine this with growing up in Oban, a town with a strong ceilidh culture, in which I was encouraged to sing at local ceilidhs and celebrations, you’ll find me now as a 23 year old, still singing about fairies and mermaids. And while I was raised in a non-Gaelic speaking household, my love for Gaelic song and my involvement in Scottish Music is really all down to my very supportive and encouraging mother.
Why did you enter BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician Award?
The BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician Award is a great opportunity to meet other musicians who have the same passion for traditional music. It’s also a great opportunity to meet people in the business who have vast experience in making a career in traditional music, from radio producers to other musicians.
What do you hope to gain from the experience?
This experience has already taught me so much. Being asked to perform for 10 minutes initially seemed like an easy task. However, after deeper consideration, those 10 minutes needed to represent me as the musician I am and want to be, a much more daunting task than I first realised. A realisation I will carry with me to the final and thereafter.
Do you have any particular musical highlights?
I love singing in harmony, in particular, with other female voices. And therefore, I was delighted when asked to join Hanna Tullikki’s ‘Air Falbh Leis na h-Eòin / Away with the Birds’ project. The composition was written for a female vocal ensemble which ‘is made from weaving together fragments of traditional songs and poems that imitate or emulate birdsong’. The project is really beautiful and I am delighted to be a part of it.
What are your plans for the future?
My plans for the near future include performances with the ‘Air Falbh Leis na h-Eòin’ project. Since I graduated from my Law degree in summer 2016, I have been enjoying the freedom to sing and research songs, new and old to me, as well as learning from Iseabail T NicDhòmhnaill, a woman with a wealth of knowledge, who is always only too happy to share.
Why not buy a ticket to hear Kim Carnie 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.
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.
Don’t miss the recorded highlights of the BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician Award semi-finals on last Sunday’s Travelling Folk. It sounds great – you would think you were there – and there are lots of inciteful interviews. Follow the link below to listen!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07z2n7k
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