Young Talent Heralds Traditional Music

Winner of 2008 Young Traditional Musician of the Year Announced
After a very close battle of outstanding skill, 23 year old Ewan Robertson from Carr-bridge won this year’s Traditional Musician of the Year Award. Up against another five exceptionally talented young musicians, Ewan topped the bill with a gifted and professional performance.

All six finalists made their mark in a live broadcast of BBC Radio Scotland’s Young Traditional Musician of the Year Awards on Sunday January 27th at City Halls, Glasgow, attended by Linda Fabiani MSP and Scottish Government Minister for Europe, External Affairs and Culture.

Ewan receive the opportunity to make a CD with Greentrax Recordings and Watercolour Music, an international festival appearance with the British Council Scotland, and all the finalists take part in the TMSA Young Trad Tour, one year’s membership of the Traditional Music and Song Association and a session on BBC Radio Scotland’s Travelling Folk programme.

Jeff Zycinski, head of Radio, BBC Scotland, who presented Ewan Robertson with his award noted: “BBC Radio Scotland is proud of its continued support of the Young Traditional Musician of the Year Awards. It provides an excellent opportunity to give our young musical talent a stage.

“This award is all about a well balanced combination of natural musical talent, the confidence to perform and the skill to capture the essence of our culture in Scotland. These finalists have demonstrated that superbly.”

Linda Fabiani MSP continued: “We have a huge pool of young talent in Scotland just waiting to be discovered. The Young Traditional Musician of the Year Award pinpoints some of those gifted individuals and also encourages others to nurture our heritage and strive for excellence in their musical ability. This is the kind of event which keeps our culture very much alive through the generations.”

Radio Scotland has supported the Young Traditional Musician of the Year Awards (which is ran by Hands Up for Trad) since it launched 8 years ago. This award exists to encourage young musicians to keep their tradition alive and to maximise their musical potential.

The live BBC Radio Scotland programme was part of the Celtic Connections Festival which runs until Sunday 3rd February 2008.
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Further Information
Simon Thoumire, Hands Up for Trad 07775 854572.
Kay Aschaber, PR & Events Manager, BBC Scotland: 0141 422 6317

The Winner – Traditional Musician of the Year 2008

Ewan Robertson (24) – Carrbridge (Guitar, song)
Ewan’s original instruments of choice were fiddle and bagpipes, but, whilst studying at the National Centre of Excellence in Traditional Music, a lack of guitar accompanists at the school caused him to become interested in this instrument and to make it his main focus for study. Moving to Glasgow to do his degree in Outdoor Education, he became part of the folk scene, regularly attending sessions and absorbing influences from musicians such as Ross Martin and Kevin MacKenzie. He helped form the band Breabach, wining a Danny Award with them at Celtic Connections Festival in 2005. The band released a CD ‘The Big Spree’ on the Veritical label in 2007.

The finalists

Steven Blake (17) - Livingston (Pipes, whistle)
Steven is a fine young piper with an interest in contemporary Scottish folk music. He is a founder member of the folk band ‘Flow’ so named because their music ‘flows’. He cites amongst his influences, Fred Morrison, Martyn Bennett, Finlay MacDonald, Michael McGoldrick and folk band Back of the Moon. Steven not only plays Highland pipes, Small pipes and Whistle with the band he also enjoys composing tunes for them. The band has only been in existence for a few months and they are working hard to become established on the traditional music scene.

Amy Lord (22) – Dunblane (Scots Song)
Amy started singing in her early teens at Dunblane Folk Club. Greatly influenced by her mother who is also a traditional singer and by Gordeanna McCulloch and Karine Polwart,, Amy obtained a BA Honours degree in Scottish Music at the RSAMD. She has toured in Scotland, Denmark and Germany and performed with folklorist/singer Margaret Bennett at Celtic Connections Festival. Amy teaches Scots Song to a traditional music group in Glasgow and runs her own successful women’s singing group in Dunblane called ‘The Lliltin’ Lassies’. She was the winner of the ‘Women’s Traditional Singing’ cup at Auchtermuchty Folk Festival in 2006.

James Duncan MacKenzie - (18) Isle of Lewis (Pipes, smallpipes, flute, whistles)
James has just completed a year’s study of traditional music with bagpipes at the University of the Highlands and Islands in Benbecula under the guidance of Iain MacDonald of Glenuig. He has won solo bagpipe competitions at both local and national level, the most notable being the Scottish Junior Championship in both 2005 & 2006 when his prize was a two week trip to the USA for master class tuition at the Balmoral School of Piping. James has been invited to perform several recitals throughout Scotland, Ireland and the USA and has performed alongside pipers such as Alasdair Gillies, Duncan MacGillivray and Chris Armstrong.

Robert Menzies – (17) Dumfries (Accordion, piano)
Robert has been offered a scholarship at RSAMD to study on the BA (Scottish Music) course. He has played music since he was 8 years old and has already won many competitions including ‘The Highlands and Islands Accordion Masters’ title this year. He has his own band and performs regularly at festivals and events, locally, nationally and internationally . He is also a member of accordion band Koda and performed with them on three occasions at the prestigious ‘T in the Park’.

Ailie Robertson (23) – Edinburgh (Clarsach)
Ailie began playing Clarsach when she was twelve and quickly became involved in the Scottish harp scene. After graduating from Cambridge University she moved to Ireland where she studied at the World Academy of Music and Dance focusing on the differences in Scottish and Irish harp styles. She has played as a solo artist and with the group Na Clarsairean, and most recently has been touring with "The Outside Track" a band featuring artists from Ireland, Scotland and Canada. Ailie, the winner of the first prize at the London Harp competition and four consecutive Gold Medals for clarsach at the Royal National Mod, is involved in a number of teaching projects and is co-founder with Rosie Morton of the Borders Harp Weekend.

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