SCOTS TRAD MUSIC AWARDS
Item Posted: Tuesday 27th October, 2009
SCOTS TRAD MUSIC AWARDS
Here is a Homecoming event you can all get involved in from the comfort of your sofa and PC, as you can vote online for your favourite acts – and hopefully support some local groups and musicians.
The finalists are about to be announced for these awards, and you can vote on line for your favourite Trad bands and much more in the MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards 2009. Voting is open until 20th November at www.handsupfortrad.co.uk
Next week we will be profiling some of the local finalists in more detail.
The Park area and Argyll have had their fair share of winners in the past including: Back of the Moon (Best Up and Coming Act); Skipinnish (Dance Band of The Year); Mid-Argyll Pipe Band (Best Pipe Band); and Lochgoilhead Fiddle Workshop (Best Community Project of the Year).
The aim of these Awards is to highlight Scotland's wonderful traditional music in all its forms and to create a high profile opportunity which will bring the music and music industry into the spotlight of media & public attention.
In the 7th year of the awards, and as part of Scotland's Homecoming year, the ceremony will be in Dumfries's DG One venue. The Awards will be part of the final weekend of the Homecoming and for the first time they will be programming a Sunday night concert to celebrate the Scottish Traditional Music Hall of Fame – appropriately for this year held in the land of Robert Burns.
The Awards have become high profile and glitzy, and have done an enormous amount to heighten the profile of the health of traditional music in Scotland, but it is far more than just an awards ceremony. On the 28th November, the Awards and Gala Concert will include an amazing line up of musicians including: Barbara Dickson, Donnie Munro Band, Emily Smith Band, Deaf Shepherd, Scottish Power Pipe Band,
Ross Ainslie and Jarlath Henderson and Ruairidh MacMillian ( the 2009 BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician Award winner). Also on stage will be Koda,
Skipinnish, Lori Watson and Margaret Bennett. A number of these musicians have been brought to the National Park area to play for local communities by Lochgoilhead Fiddle Workshop and their charitable company Fiddle Folk.
Categories which will be decided by public vote include: Album of the Year, Club of the Year, Community Project of the Year, Composer of the Year, Event of the Year, Gaelic Singer of the Year, Trad Music in the Media Award,
Instrumentalist of the Year, Live Act of the Year,Scots Singer of the Year, Scottish Dance Band of the Year, Scottish Folk Band of the Year, Scottish Pipe Band of the Year,Up and Coming Artist of the Year, Music Tutor of the Year, Venue of the Year.
As the finalists were announced after the Park Weekly News print deadline, we will be profiling some of the local finalists and telling you in more detail how you can vote in next week’s issue.