Scots Trad Music Awards 2006 Nominations page 2 Pages 1, 2, 3, 4

Event of the Year sponsored by VisitScotland
Blas
Blas is a 9 day festival in September with an accent on traditional Highland culture. The festival, now in its third year, is an event involving many of the Highland communities, and features young people from the Feis movement working alongside their professional musician mentors.

Mull of Kintyre Music Festival
This is a mid August weekend festival with lots of action, outdoor events, kids stuff, parades, club as well as concerts and ceilidhs.The Festival takes place in Campbeltown, the largest town in the peninsula of Kintyre and third largest in Argyll.

Scots Fiddle Festival
Edinburgh's stately Assembly Rooms in George Street is the venue for this annual festival - the largest celebration of Scots fiddling anywhere in the world. A feast of concerts, ceilidhs, recitals, sessions, workshops, master classes and talks, drawing in a total attendance of around 3000 over its three day duration.

World Pipe Band Championships WINNER
The premier competition in the global, traditional piping calendar. The competition, which has been associated with Glasgow since 1948 is organised by the Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association. Some 250 bands and 8000 pipers from Europe, Australia, Canada, USA and New Zealand come to Glasgow in August and the main competition takes place on Glasgow Green.

Gaelic Singer of the Year sponsored by Macmeanmna
Calum Alex MacMillan
Calum Alex from the Isle of Lewis, is one of Scotland's leading young Gaelic singers and a double Mod Gold Medalist, scooping both the An Comunn Gold Medal and the Traditional Gold Medal. He is both a singer and a piper and has been steeped in Gaelic music all his life.

Fiona Mackenzie
Fiona, a native of Morayshire, has lived in Dingwall for the last 18 years and after working in Gaelic Medium Education for 5 years, now works as the Màiri Mhòr Gaelic Song Fellow for Highland Council. She won the Premier award for Gaelic Singing in Scotland, The Ladies Gold Medal, for fluent speakers, at the Royal National Mod in Stornoway in 2005.

Kathleen MacInnes WINNER
Kathleen was born and brought up on South Uist, Western Isles, in a Gaelic speaking home, and has enjoyed an interesting career in television, as an actress, presenter and singer. She sings a combination of traditional and contemporary material. Kathleen has been a regular guest on music programmes such as MacTV's 'Bard nan Orain', BBC's award-winning series 'Aig Cridhe ar Ciuil' and Mike Alexander's 'Columba Sessions'

Rachel Walker
Rachel Walker was introduced to Gaelic song after moving from south of the border to Kinlochewe, Wester Ross, at age eight. She has released two albums to critical acclaim and is much in demand as a teacher throughout the Highlands. Rachel performed among the top names in Gaelic song at events such as the Flower of the West concert in the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, the Blas festival, and the Annual Comunn na Gaidhlig concert.

Instrumentalist of the Year sponsored by Temple Records
Aidan O’Rourke WINNER
Top fiddler Aidan O’Rourke performs with the sensational Blazin’ Fiddles. He is also a member of the exciting new trio ‘Lau’ alongside Martin Green and Kris Drever. A sought after musician and composer, Aidan is currently musician-in-residence at the The Tolbooth, Stirling. His new commission, ‘Forward’ was premiered as part of The Blend Festival in the Tolbooth in March 2006.

Catriona McKay
Catriona became harp champion at the O'Carolan International Harp Festival (Keadue, Co. Roscommon) when leaving school. A desire to master harp techniques to an advanced level took her on to study pedal harp, Celtic harp and electro acoustic composition at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama where she gained a first class honours BA and several solo and chamber music prizes. When not performingsolo, she works with acclaimed Shetland band Fiddlers Bid and in a duo with fiddler Chris Stout.

Iain MacDonald
Iain MacDonald, a superb piper from a family of amazing pipers, has been steeped in the Gaelic tradition throughout his life. A former member of Ossian and Battlefield Band, he is currently on the staff of the Gaelic College Sabhal Mor Ostaig on the Isle of Skye. Over the years Iain has played and recorded with many musicians such as Aly Bain, Ricki Skaggs, Jerry Douglas, Tim O’Brien and Phil Cunningham. More recently, Iain has produced albums for Blazin' Fiddles, Daimh, Anne Martin and Dochas.

Jennifer Wilson
Jennifer Wilson is an exceptional pianist whose sparkling accompaniments raise spirits and inspire dancers. With her sympathetic understanding of the class situation, teachers are delighted to work with her because they know the music will be superb and exactly what is required. She is always willing to encourage new musicians and share her knowledge with them. Jennifer devotes much time and energy to promoting Scottish music and her name is known to Scottish dancers the world over.

Live Act of the Year sponsored by Greentrax Recordings
Phil Cunningham & Aly Bain
Aly and Phil are two of Scotland's most loved and best known traditional musicians. Their pedigree goes back many years and spans many horizons. Aly is regarded as Scotland's supreme traditional-style fiddler while Phil a classically trained accordionist, was a leading light of seminal folk band Silly Wizard. Aly and Phil, a highly entertaining duo of two virtuoso musicians.

Salsa Celtica
The group's mix of all things salsa with its signature of Scottish folk sounds an unlikely mixture, yet has fascinated listeners across the globe, as much in the salsa homelands of Latin America and New York as in the Celtic countries. With up to eleven musicians from countries as diverse as Scotland, Venezuela, Ireland and Cuba , playing a unique mix of instruments that includes brass, celtic pipes and congas, Salsa Celtica create an experience that looks as good as it sounds.

The McCalmans WINNER
The McCalmans are Scotland's foremost and best-loved Folk Song Trio. Formed in 1964, they have continued to record and tour without interruption. Their performance is based on searing three part harmony, humour and a respect for the tradition of song in Scotland. They have performed all over Europe, and in the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Bermuda, Kenya, Belize and the Falkland Islands.

The Vatersay Boys
Hailing from the Island of Vatersay, the most southerly populated isle of the Outer Hebrides, The Vatersay Boys have taken the Scottish Hebridean music scene by storm, and in Glasgow too, playing to a sellout crowd at the Barrowlands. Raw, high-spirited Gaelic dance music featuring Michael Campbell (accordion) and Donnie MacNeil (drums).

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