BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician

The BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician competition has run annually since 2001.[1] It exists to encourage young musicians to keep their tradition alive and to provide performance opportunities, tools and advice to help contestants make a career in traditional music.[2] Former winners include Mohsen Amini, Robyn Stapleton, Shona Mooney and Emily Smith.[3]

BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician
Awarded for	Scottish folk music
Sponsored by	BBC Radio Scotland
Venue	Glasgow City Halls
Country	Scotland
Presented by	Hands Up for Trad
Hosted by	Bruce MacGregor Joy Dunlop
First awarded	2001
Last awarded	2021
Currently held by	Michael Biggins
Website	projects.handsupfortrad.scot/youngtrad/
Television/radio coverage
Network	BBC Radio Scotland BBC Alba

Competition

The competition was started in 2000 by Simon Thoumire, together with fiddler Clare McLaughlin and Elspeth Cowie, national organiser of the Traditional Music and Song Association of Scotland (TMSA), and was first awarded at the 2001 Celtic Connections festival.[4] BBC Radio Scotland started to support the award the following year, and has continued to do so. The award is organised and run by Hands Up for Trad on behalf of BBC Radio Scotland.[1][5]

The usual format of the award is a residential weekend in October at Wiston Lodge, South Lanarkshire for twelve semi-finalists. From there, six are selected to go on to a final concert, where the winner is chosen by a panel of judges.[2]

Since 2007, the final concert has been held in Glasgow City Halls on the last day of the Celtic Connections festival, and broadcast live on BBC Radio Scotland.[6] The presenter was initially Mary Ann Kennedy, replaced by Bruce MacGregor in 2016. The final concert was also televised on BBC Alba between 2012 and 2015, and again in 2020 when Joy Dunlop gave Gaelic commentary alongside MacGregor.[7]

The semi-finals of the 2021 competition took place in October 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead of the Wiston Lodge weekend, the entrants performed in the foyer of the BBC Pacific Quay building, with no audience.[5][8]

The eligibility criteria are that the contestant is aged between 16 and 27, and is normally resident in Scotland or has lived in Scotland for five years.[9] This age range is more extended than the similarly titled BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award. That award is open to all United Kingdom residents, but its age range is just 16 to 21.[10] Hence the contestants for the Scottish award are usually more advanced musicians, often students or graduates of one of the degrees in traditional music such as the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland's BMus with Honours (Traditional music), and already established in a professional career in music.

While the BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award uses the umbrella term "folk", the BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician award is specifically for a Scottish musician performing the music of their own tradition, though not necessarily Scottish traditional music.[11]

The TMSA Young Trad Tour is an annual tour of Scotland by the finalists and the previous year's winner, organised by the Traditional Music and Song Association of Scotland, and supported by Creative Scotland. The destinations include the Celtic Connections festival and the hometowns of each of the finalists. The musicians also make an album together.[12]

Award winners and nominees

Winners are listed first and marked with a blue riband ().

Year		Name	Hometown	Instrument	Higher music education
2021[13][3]		Michael Biggins	Newcastle upon Tyne	piano	Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
		Lucie Hendry	Aberdeenshire	lever harp	Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
		Iona Fyfe	Huntly	voice	Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
		Graham Rorie	Orkney	fiddle	Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
		Ellie Beaton	Rothienorman	voice	Aberdeen City Music School
		Bradley Parker	County Down	bagpipes	Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
2020[14][15][16][3]		Ali Levack	Dingwall	whistles, pipes	Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
		Calum McIlroy	Aberdeenshire	guitar, mandolin, voice	Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
		Mhairi Mackinnon	Perthshire	fiddle	Royal Conservatoire of Scotland[17]
		Cameron Nixon	Aberdeenshire	Scots song	Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
		Josie Duncan	Lewis	Gaelic song	Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
		Padruig Morrison	Uist	accordion	Edinburgh University and Maynooth University[18]
2019[19][20][21][3]		Benedict Morris	Glasgow	fiddle	Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
		Luc McNally	Dipton, County Durham	guitar, voice	Royal Conservatoire of Scotland[22]
		Cameron Ross	Stonehaven	fiddle	Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
		Ross Miller	Linlithgow	bagpipes	Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
		Catherine Tinney	Skye	Gaelic song
		Sarah Markey	Coatbridge	flute
2018[23][24][3]		Hannah Rarity	West Lothian	Scots song	Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
		David Shedden	Glasgow	bagpipes	Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
		Amy Papiransky	Keith, Moray	Scots song	University of Aberdeen and Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
		Rory Matheson	Drumbeg, Sutherland	piano	Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
		Ali Levack	Maryburgh, Ross-shire	whistles, pipes	Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
		Luc McNally [lower-alpha 1]	Dipton, County Durham	guitar, voice	Royal Conservatoire of Scotland[22]
2017[25][26][27][3]		Charlie Stewart	Glenfarg	fiddle	Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
		Grant McFarlane	Paisley	accordion	Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
		Iona Fyfe	Huntly	Scots song	Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
		Dougie McCance	Erskine	bagpipes	University of the Highlands and Islands
		Ella Munro	Skye	Scots song	Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
		Kim Carnie	Oban	Gaelic song
2016[28][29][3]		Mohsen Amini	Glasgow	concertina
		Hannah Macrae	Lochaber	fiddle	Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
		Jessica Burton	Orkney	clarsach	Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
		Murray Willis	Lismore	accordion	Benbecula College
		Robbie Greig	Edinburgh	fiddle	Benbecula College[30]
		Ryan Young	Cardross	fiddle	Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
2015[31][3]		Claire Hastings	Dumfries	song	Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
		Ainsley Hamill	Cardross	song	Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
		Gemma Donald	Shetland	fiddle
		Heather Downie	Dunblane	clarsach
		Ryan Young	Cardross	fiddle	Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
		Séamus Ó Baoighill	Skye	fiddle
2014[32][3]		Robyn Stapleton	Stranraer	voice	Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
		Alistair Iain Paterson	Bishopton	piano	Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
		Ian Smith	Tiree	accordion	Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
		Jack Badcock	Edinburgh	guitar, song
		Mhairi Marwick	Fochabers	fiddle	Strathclyde University
		Neil Ewart	Kilchoan	fiddle	Strathclyde University
2013[33][7][3]		Paddy Callaghan	Glasgow	accordion
		Andrew Dunlop	Connel	piano	Royal Northern College of Music and Eastman School, New York
		Graham Mackenzie	Inverness	fiddle	Royal Northern College of Music
		Grant MacFarlane	Paisley	accordion	Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
		Hannah Fisher	Dunkeld	fiddle
		Scott Wood	Erskine	pipes, whistle	Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
2012[34][35][3]		Rona Wilkie	Oban	fiddle
		Kirsty Watt	Lewis	Gaelic song
		Katie Boyle	Glasgow	fiddle	Irish Academy of Music and Dance
		Catriona Price	Orkney	fiddle	Royal Northern College of Music and Royal Academy of Music
		Roisin Anne Hughes	Glasgow	fiddle
		Alistair Ogilvy	Strathblane	Scots song
2011[36][3]		Kristan Harvey	Orkney	fiddle	Royal Conservatoire of Scotland[37]
		Alistair Ogilvy	Strathblane	song
		Andrew Waite	Duns	accordion
		Lorne MacDougall	Carradale	pipes	Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama[38]
		Mairi Chaimbeul	Skye	Gaelic song and clarsach	Berklee College of Music[39]
		Tina Rees	Glasgow	piano
2010[40][3]		Daniel Thorpe	Inverurie	fiddle	Royal Conservatoire of Scotland[41]
		Paddy Callaghan	Glasgow	accordion, harp
		Mairi Chaimbeul	Skye	harp	Berklee College of Music[39]
		Lorne MacDougall	Carradale	pipes	Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama[38]
		Hannah Phillips	Glasgow	harp	Royal Conservatoire of Scotland[42]
		Kyle Warren	Helensburgh	pipes	Royal Conservatoire of Scotland[43]
2009[44][45][3]		Ruairidh MacMillan	Nairn	fiddle	Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama
		Adam Holmes	Edinburgh	guitar
		Lorne MacDougall	Carradale	pipes, whistle	Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama[38]
		Kenneth Nicolson	Lewis	Gaelic song
		Jack Smedley	Buckie	fiddle
		Daniel Thorpe	Inverurie	fiddle	Royal Conservatoire of Scotland[41]
2008[46][3]		Ewan Robertson	Carrbridge	guitar, voice
		Steven Blake	Livingstone	pipes, whistle	Royal Conservatoire of Scotland[47]
		Amy Lord	Dunblane	Scots song	Royal Conservatoire of Scotland[48]
		James Duncan MacKenzie	Isle of Lewis	pipes, smallpipes, flute, whistles
		Robert Menzies	Dumfries	accordion, piano
		Ailie Robertson	Edinburgh	clarsach
2007[49][6][50][51][3]		Catriona Watt	Lewis	Gaelic	Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama[52]
		Darren MacLean	Isle of Skye	Gaelic song	Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama[53]
		Mike Vass	Nairn	fiddle
		Calum Stewart	Garmouth	wooden flute
		Calum MacCrimmon	Monifieth	pipes, whistles
		Martin Hunter	Glasgow	accordion
2006[54][55][3]		Shona Mooney	Borders	fiddle	Newcastle University[56]
		Kirsty Cotter	Glasgow	fiddle
		Christopher Keatinge	Melrose	accordion
		Darren MacLean	Skye	Gaelic song	Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama[53]
		Hamish Napier	Grantown on Spey	flute, piano, Scots song	Berklee College of Music[57]
		Fraser Shaw	Islay	pipes, whistle	Sabhal Mòr Ostaig[58]
2005[59][3]		Stuart Cassells	Falkirk	bagpipes	Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama[60]
		Rachel Newton	Edinburgh	clarsarch, song
		Mike Vass	Nairn	fiddle
		Darren Maclean	Skye	song	Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama[53]
		Sarah Naylor	Skye	fiddle	Strathclyde University[61]
		Maeve Mackinnon	Glasgow	song	Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama and Sabhal Mòr Ostaig[62]
2004[63][3]		James Graham	Lochinver	Gaelic song	Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama
		Shona Donaldson	Huntly	voice, fiddle
		Rosie Morton	Edinburgh	clarsach, voice	Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama
		Sarah Naylor	Skye	fiddle, voice	Strathclyde University
		Tom Orr	Lanark	accordion
		Jenna Reid	Shetland	fiddle, piano, voice	Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama
2003[64][3]		Anna Massie	Fortrose	fiddle, guitar
		Shona Donaldson	Huntly	song
		Sarah-Jane Fifield	Inverness	fiddle
		Mark Laurenson	Shetland	fiddle
		Kevin O'Neill	Glasgow	flute
		Lori Watson	Borders	fiddle, voice	Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama[65]
2002[66][3]		Emily Smith	Dumfries and Galloway	Scots song	Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama
		Ruaridh Campbell	Aberfoyle	fiddle	Strathclyde University[67]
		Jennifer Port		harp	Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama[68]
		Findlay Napier	Grantown on Spey	voice, guitar	Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama[69]
		Lori Watson	Borders	fiddle	Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama[65]
		Ross Ainslie	Bridge of Earn	smallpipes, whistle, Highland pipes
2001[70][71][72][3]		Gillian Frame	Arran	fiddle	Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
		Patsy Reid	Perthshire	fiddle	Royal Northern College of Music[73]
		Kevin O'Neill	Glasgow	flute
		Mairearad Green	Achiltibuie	pipes, accordion
		Steve Byrne	Arbroath	Scots song
		Celine Donoghue	Glasgow	banjo	Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama[74]

See also

• Celtic Connections
• Music of Scotland
• Scottish folk music

Notes

1. Unable to perform due to injury.

References

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External links

• BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician at BBC Programmes
• BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician part 1 (BBC Alba, 2020) and
  BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician part 2 (BBC Alba, 2020)
• BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician (BBC Alba, 2015)
• BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician (BBC Alba, 2014)
• BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician (BBC Alba, 2013)
• BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician (BBC Alba, 2012)