Lochaber fiddler joins national musical tour

EIGHT of Scotland’s finest young folk musicians are about to embark on a tour of their home towns and record an album together thanks to the Traditional Music and Song Association of Scotland (TMSA).

The finalists and winner of the BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year competition 2016 will start the tour in Helensburgh on Tuesday May 30 before visiting Lismore, Fort William, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Orkney.

The youngsters will then be in the studio in June with an album due for release in July.

Lochaber talent Hannah MacRae, who is studying for a BMus in traditional music at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, is part of the line-up.

For fiddler Hannah, traditional music has been in her family for generations. She has taken time to establish her own personal style and varies her repertoire by playing with accomplished musicians from different places and backgrounds. Hannah is a strong believer in keeping up tradition – in particular the culture of traditional music and Gaelic – and has been teaching fiddle for the past year.

TMSA convener Fiona Campbell said: ‘The annual TMSA young trad tour and album is always a great opportunity to showcase the rising starts of Scotland’s traditional music scene. The project allows young musicians, often at the start of their music careers, to hone both their solo and collaborative skills at some amazing venues across the country.’

The group will be at the Nevis Centre on Wednesday June 7.