The BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician competition has run annually since 2001. 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. Former winners include Hannah Rarity, Mohsen Amini, Robyn Stapleton, Shona Mooney and Emily Smith.
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. 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.
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.
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. Between 2012 and 2015 the final concert was also televised on BBC Alba. The presenter was initially Mary Ann Kennedy, replaced in 2016 by Bruce MacGregor. From 2020 the final concert was again televised on BBC Alba with Joy Dunlop giving Gaelic commentary alongside MacGregor.
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.
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. 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. 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.
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.
Award winners and nominees Winners are listed first and marked with a blue riband (). YearNameHomeplaceInstrumentHigher music education2026Rachel GrovesAberdeenshireLever HarpUniversity of Edinburgh, Berklee College of Music (Valencia)Calum McGregorGlasgowPiano, accordionCraig HarrisonCounty ClareFiddleIona FyfeAberdeenshireVoiceRoyal Conservatoire of ScotlandEwen RorieOrkneyFiddleGregor NivenGlasgowAccordionUHI North, West and Hebrides2025 Ellie BeatonRothienormanVoiceRoyal Conservatoire of ScotlandRoo GeddesGlasgowFiddleRoyal Conservatoire of ScotlandMiguel GirãoPortugalGuitarEscola Superior de Música de Lisboa and Royal Conservatoire of ScotlandLaura PenmanEdinburghClarsachRoyal Conservatoire of ScotlandNoah ScottFrancePianoRoyal Conservatoire of ScotlandClelland ShandDunfermlineAccordionRoyal Conservatoire of Scotland2024 Aberdeenshire Guitar, mandolin & voice Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Perthshire Bagpipes Royal Conservatoire of Scotland South Uist Voice Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Skye Voice Royal Conservatoire of Scotland London Fiddle Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance Stirling Voice, step dance percussion Royal Conservatoire of Scotland2023 Shetland piano Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Oxfordshire accordion Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Islay Gaelic song Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Orkney voice, guitar Royal Conservatoire of Scotland New England, USA fiddle Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Kirriemuir, Angus smallpipes University of the Highlands and Islands2022 Scottish Borders fiddle Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Glasgow fiddle Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Glasgow clarsach Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Inverness Gaelic song Sabhal Mòr Ostaig Skye pipes Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Glasgow piano Royal Conservatoire of Scotland 2021 Newcastle upon Tyne piano Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Aberdeenshire lever harp Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Huntly voice Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Orkney fiddle Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Rothienorman voice Aberdeen City Music School County Down bagpipes Royal Conservatoire of Scotland 2020 Dingwall whistles, pipes Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Aberdeenshire guitar, mandolin, voice Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Perthshire fiddle Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Aberdeenshire Scots song Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Lewis Gaelic song Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Uist accordion Edinburgh University and Maynooth University2019 Glasgow fiddle Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Dipton, County Durham guitar, voice Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Stonehaven fiddle Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Linlithgow bagpipes Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Skye Gaelic song Coatbridge flute 2018 West Lothian Scots song Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Glasgow bagpipes Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Keith, Moray Scots song University of Aberdeen and Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Drumbeg, Sutherland piano Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Maryburgh, Ross-shire whistles, pipes Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Dipton, County Durham guitar, voice Royal Conservatoire of Scotland2017 Glenfarg fiddle Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Paisley accordion Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Huntly Scots song Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Erskine bagpipes University of the Highlands and Islands Skye Scots song Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Oban Gaelic song 2016 Glasgow concertina Lochaber fiddle Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Orkney clarsach Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Lismore accordion Benbecula College Edinburgh fiddle Benbecula College Cardross fiddle Royal Conservatoire of Scotland 2015 Dumfries song Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Cardross song Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Shetland fiddle Dunblane clarsach Cardross fiddle Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Skye fiddle 2014 Stranraer voice Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Bishopton piano Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Tiree accordion Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Edinburgh guitar, song Fochabers fiddle Strathclyde University Kilchoan fiddle Strathclyde University2013 Glasgow accordion Connel piano Royal Northern College of Music and Eastman School of Music Inverness fiddle Royal Northern College of Music Paisley accordion Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Dunkeld fiddle Erskine pipes, whistle Royal Conservatoire of Scotland2012 Oban fiddle Lewis Gaelic song Glasgow fiddle Irish World Academy of Music and Dance Orkney fiddle Royal Northern College of Music and Royal Academy of Music Glasgow fiddle Strathblane Scots song 2011 Orkney fiddle Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Strathblane song Duns accordion Carradale pipes Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama Skye Gaelic song and clarsach Berklee College of Music Glasgow piano 2010 Inveruriefiddle Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Glasgow accordion, harp Skye harp Berklee College of Music Carradale pipes Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama Glasgow harp Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Helensburgh pipes Royal Conservatoire of Scotland2009 Nairn fiddle Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama Edinburgh guitar Carradale pipes, whistle Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama Lewis Gaelic song Buckie fiddle Inverurie fiddle Royal Conservatoire of Scotland2008 Carrbridge guitar, voice Livingstone pipes, whistle Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Dunblane Scots song Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Isle of Lewis pipes, smallpipes, flute, whistles Dumfries accordion, piano Edinburgh clarsach 2007 Lewis Gaelic Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama Isle of Skye Gaelic song Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama Nairn fiddle Garmouth wooden flute Monifieth pipes, whistles Glasgow accordion 2006 Borders fiddle Newcastle University Glasgow fiddle Melrose accordion Skye Gaelic song Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama Grantown on Spey flute, piano, Scots song Berklee College of Music Islay pipes, whistle Sabhal Mòr Ostaig2005 Falkirk bagpipes Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama Edinburgh clarsarch, song Nairn fiddle Skye song Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama Skye fiddle Strathclyde University Glasgow song Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama and Sabhal Mòr Ostaig2004 Lochinver Gaelic song Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama Huntly voice, fiddle Edinburgh clarsach, voice Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama Skye fiddle, voice Strathclyde University Lanark accordion Shetland fiddle, piano, voice Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama2003 Fortrose fiddle, guitar Strathclyde University Huntly song Inverness fiddle Shetland fiddle Glasgow flute Borders fiddle, voice Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama2002 Dumfries and Galloway Scots song Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama Aberfoyle fiddle Strathclyde University Golspie harp Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama Grantown on Spey voice, guitar Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama Borders fiddle Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama Bridge of Earn smallpipes, whistle, Highland pipes 2001 Arran fiddle Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Perthshire fiddle Royal Northern College of Music Glasgow flute Achiltibuie pipes, accordion Arbroath Scots song Glasgow banjo Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama
See also Celtic Connections Music of Scotland Scottish folk music
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