The BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician Award 2015 semi-finalists have been announced. As usual we have a fantastic lineup of young musicians from all over the country. The finalists are:
Lucie Hendry – clarsach (Laurencekirk)
Ryan Young – fiddle (Cardross)
Claire Hastings – Scots song (Dumfries)
Heather Downie – clarsach (Dunblane)
Rhoda Naomi Welsh – voice / piano (Stornoway)
Grant McFarlane – accordion (Paisley)
Ainsley Hamill – voice (Helensburgh)
Louise Bichan – fiddle (Orkney)
Gemma Donald – fiddle (Shetland)
Alexander Levack – whistle /pipes (Maryburgh)
Suzanne Houston – piano (Golspie)
Seamus O’Baoighill – fiddle (Skye)
Each semi-finalist will perform for 10 minutes in Coulter Hall, Coulter, South Lanarkshire on October 4th. Their performance will be listened to by 5 music professional judges and 6 musicians will be chosen to go through to the finals at Glasgow’s Celtic Connections festival on Sunday 1st February. Buy a ticket for the semis here.
Simon Thoumire, Creative Director of Hands Up for Trad says “As every year passes I’m always astounded by the amount of talented musicians we have in Scotland. This year is no different and the judges are going to have the hardest time ever trying to separate 6 musicians for the 2015 finals.”
If you would like to feature any of the semi-finalists in your media please contact us and we will pass their details on to you.
The BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician Award exists to encourage young musicians to keep their tradition alive and to maximise their musical potential by the pursuit of a career in traditional music. Each year the winner is provided with high profile performance opportunities and the necessary tools and advice they require to launch a career in traditional music.
The ‘Award’ takes the form of a competition which includes a fun residential weekend in October at Wiston Lodge, South Lanarkshire for 12 semi-finalists. The weekend includes workshops and advice on all aspects of working in the traditional music business plus a public concert with performances by the semi-finalists. From this concert, six finalists are chosen by a panel of judges to go forward to the grand final. This is held each January at a prestigious concert at Celtic Connections Festival in Glasgow where one of the six is judged to be BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician Award winner for that year.
The competition is organised and run by Hands Up For Trad for BBC Radio Scotland. Hands Up for Trad are an organisation dedicated to increasing the profile and visibility of Scottish traditional music through information, education and advocacy.
Ends
This is the fifteenth year of the BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician Award.
A list of the previous winners can be seen here http://projects.handsupfortrad.scot/youngtrad/previous-winners/
Singer Robyn Stapleton (2014 winner) will be performing at the BBC Scotland Proms on the 13th September.
For more information contact Hands Up for Trad, Melville House, 70 Drymen Road, Bearsden, Glasgow G61 2RH 07775854572 info@handsupfortrad.co.uk