SCOTLAND’S trad music awards celebrated their 20th anniversary with a once-in-a-generation night to remember at Dundee’s Caird Hall on Sunday.
The MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards included live performances rom Elephant Sessions, FARA, Trip, the Eryn Rae Trio (BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician Award Winner 2022), the Tom Orr Scottish Dance Band, The Auldeners, St Roch’s Irish Minstrels and Tayside Young Fiddlers.
There was also a tribute to Fochabers fiddle teacher and performer, James Alexander from his former pupils and a special mention of the Youth Music Initiative, which also celebrated its 20th anniversary.
Award winners were: Club of The Year, sponsored by the Fraser Shaw Trust – Aberdeen Folk Club; Event of the Year, sponsored by VisitScotland – Hebcelt Festival (Lewis); Venue of the Year, sponsored by Musicians’ Union – Knoydart Community Hall.
Live Act of the Year, sponsored by Greentrax Recordings – Skerryvore; Music Tutor of the Year, sponsored by Creative Scotland’s Youth Music Initiative – Charlie McKerron; Gaelic Singer of the Year, sponsored by The Highland Society of London – Ruairidh Gray; Album of The Year, sponsored by Birnam CD – For The Night by Elephant Sessions.
Scottish Folk Band of the Year, sponsored by Threads of Sound – Breabach; Scottish Pipe Band of the Year, sponsored by the National Piping Centre – Inveraray & District Pipe Band; Up and Coming Artist of the Year, sponsored by Royal Conservatoire of Scotland – Valtos; Community Music Project of the Year, sponsored by Innes & Campbell Communications – Isle of Arran Music School.
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Scottish Dance Band of the Year, sponsored by the National Association of Accordion and Fiddle Clubs – Alan Crookston Band; Citty Finlayson Scots Singer of the Year, sponsored by Traditional Music and Song Association of Scotland (TMSA) – Beth Malcolm; Trad Video of the Year – She Moves Me by Kim Carnie; Composer of the Year, sponsored by PRS for Music – Rachel Newton, Lauren MacColl (Heal & Harrow).
Original Work of the Year, sponsored by Gordon Duncan Memorial Trust – Talamh Beo – Living Land, commissioned by Coigach & Assynt Living Landscape Partnership Schem; Trad Music in the Media, sponsored by Skipinnish – Heading West: a story about a band called Shooglenifty; Musician of the Year, sponsored by the University of the Highlands and Islands – Megan Henderson; The Hamish Henderson Services to Traditional Music Awards, sponsored by Traditional Arts and Culture Scotland (TRACS) – Caroline MacLennan from HebCelt Festival.
The Janet Paisley Services to Scots Language, sponsored by Creative Scotland – Anne Donovan; Services to Gaelic, sponsored by Bord na Gàidhlig – Dr Anne Lorne Gillies; The Hands Up for Trad Scottish Traditional Music Production Awards; Studio Engineer of the Year –Keith Morrison (Wee Studio).
Lighting Designer of the Year – Greig Shankland; Recording Studio of the Year – GloWorm Recording (Glasgow); Music Producer of the Year – Anna Massie; Live Sound Engineer of the Year – Scott Turnbull.
The awards organising body, Hands Up for Trad, funded by the Scottish Government through Creative Scotland, was formed in 2002 and exists to increase the profile and visibility of Scottish traditional arts, language, culture and music through information, advocacy and education to artists, participants and audiences.
Alan Morrison, head of music at Creative Scotland, said: “The scope and scale of the MG Alba Scots Trad Music Awards is nothing short of astonishing. This year’s winners represent the past, present, and future of Scotland’s traditional music, with artists and organisations hailing from the length and breadth of the country.
“Creative Scotland supports categories that focus on two key priorities – language and education – and so we were particularly happy to see author Anne Donovan recognised with the Janet Paisley Services to Scots Language award and fiddler Charlie McKerron named Music Tutor of the Year.”
Hands Up For Trad and awards founder Simon Thoumire said: “In difficult times bands are getting back out on the road and filling venues across the world, bringing joy to people, and it’s great to be back to celebrate this and showcase all the work that has been taking place to fill people’s lives with music, whilst also remembering that we need to support our clubs and venues.”
The awards were shown live on BBC Alba. Margaret Cameron, director of content at MG ALBA said, “It is always a pleasure to see the incredible wealth of talent we have in the world of Scottish traditional music showcased on BBC Alba, and there are few nights better than Na Trads for doing just that. The 20th anniversary celebration was a night to remember.”
This year’s inductees into the Scottish Traditional Music Hall of Fame is sponsored by Feisean nan Gaidheal, were: Catriona Garbutt, Karen Matheson, Jim McLean, Mike Whellans, Mick West and Frank and Jean Bechhoffer.
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