Hands Up for Trad, organising body of MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards, has announced the artists and bands shortlisted for 2019’s prestigious awards, with voting opening 10am on Monday 4th November.
A staple in the traditional music calendar, the ceremony will this year take place in Aberdeen Music Hall on Saturday 7th December at 7pm and with tickets flying fast the awards will be broadcast live on BBC ALBA and streamed worldwide at bbc.co.uk/alba.
Presented by Mary Ann Kennedy and Kim Carnie, the high impact evening of awards decided by industry experts will include exciting live music performances by Skerryvore, the current BBC Radio Scotland Young Musician of the year, Benedict Morris, Heisk, Aberdeenshire Youth Band, Kris Drever, Sian and Robyn Stapleton.
Also punctuating the renowned annual Awards ceremony which famously has the audience up on its feet will be Session A9, Mairi Campbell and the Pendulum Band (of Sex and the City’s Auld Lang Syne fame), and Susan MacFadyen Scottish Dance Band.
Event founder and promoter, Simon Thoumire, said: “As always, the Trad Awards amaze me. It shows the strength of the scene, breadth of talent and sheer scale of the industry. We are really excited to announce two new awards this year, each with important recognition; The Trad Video of The Year and Musician of The Year.”
Among the seventeen Awards up for grabs is the mighty Belhaven Bursary for Innovation. The largest cash prize in Scottish music, financially matched only by the Mercury Prize, it rewards innovative musicians with a career-changing investment of £25,000 to support the winning act to progress unique ideas and empower creation. Previous winners were Elephant Sessions in 2017, and Talisk in 2018. On top of this, the award is also accompanied by the brewing of a collaboration ale with the winner’s name, alongside an appearance at the legendary Belhaven Brewery Post Parade Party in New York during Tartan Week. The Belhaven fund is supported by Showcase Scotland Expo, an organisation backing the international development of Scottish-based artists, in association with Creative Scotland, and the bursary is awarded to bands or artists chosen through a panel of industry experts.
Tickets are priced £25 (+ Booking Fee), and Concessions are available via Aberdeen Music Hall Box Office on 01224 641122, or visit their website.
Communications Manager for MG ALBA, Murdo MacSween, said: “It’s a really exciting time for trad music in Scotland and MG ALBA are delighted to support this world-class talent. These acts are all fantastic ambassadors for Scotland, our indigenous languages and our strong cultural identities and it’s fantastic that we can champion them like this.”
Alan Morrison, Head of Music, Creative Scotland said: “I never cease to be amazed by the sheer breadth of talent in every category of the MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards. These are the people who keep Scotland’s musical heritage alive at a grassroots level by kindling the community spirit, the people who put Scotland on the global map by taking our most distinctive music out around the world. Creative Scotland is proud to sponsor the Music Tutor of the Year Award on behalf of the Youth Music Initiative – there’s nothing more exciting than passing our traditions on to the next generation and seeing how they make our age-old music their own.”
Gordon Muir, Marketing Controller at Belhaven Brewery said: “Belhaven are delighted to be supporting the Scottish traditional music scene with the third edition of the Belhaven Bursary. This scene is full of exciting talent and we’re thrilled to be able to help encourage its continued innovation through this prize, which will give another great act a chance to grow their profile and invest in taking new creative risks. The standard of artists on the shortlist is outstanding and we’re really looking forward to working with the winners over the year ahead.”
Stuart Fleming, PRS for Music Senior Membership Manager, Scotland & Northern Ireland, said: “We’re delighted to be partnering the MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards once again. In particular, it’s fantastic that four of our most exciting female composers have been shortlisted for the PRS for Music Composer of the Year Award and I wish them all the best of luck”.
The Shortlist is:
Album of the Year sponsored by Birnam CD
Belhaven Bursary for Innovation
Club of the Year, sponsored by Traditional Arts and Culture Scotland (TRACS)
Composer of the Year, sponsored by PRS for Music
Community Project of the Year
Event of the Year, sponsored by VisitScotland
Gaelic Singer of the Year, sponsored by The Highland Society of London
Musician of the Year, sponsored by The University of the Highlands and Islands
Live Act of the Year, sponsored by Greentrax Recordings
Citty Finlayson Scots Singer of the Year, sponsored by Traditional Music and Song Association Award
Scottish Dance Band of the Year, sponsored by National Association of Accordion and Fiddle Clubs
Scottish Folk Band of the Year, sponsored by Threads of Sound
Scottish Pipe Band of the Year, sponsored by the Gordon Duncan Memorial Trust
Trad Video of the Year
Music Tutor of the Year, sponsored by Creative Scotland’s Youth Music Initiative
Up and Coming Artist of the Year, sponsored by Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
Venue of the Year, sponsored by Musicians’ Union
Ahead of an ambitious project to attract more people to Gaelic, LearnGaelic has today (Thursday 10th October) launched a redesigned website at the University of Glasgow as part of the Embracing change: The Future of Gaelic in a Global & Digital Age seminar for the Royal National Mod.
Created in 2011, LearnGaelic has become a constant companion for Gaelic learners, with tools and resources useful to all levels of Gaelic proficiency.
With 30,000 unique users currently visiting the site every month, this is expected to grow as a result of developments specifically designed to improve the learning experience.
Users will soon be able to quickly assess their own level of fluency to find the most suitable resources.
All levels of Gaelic learner are catered for, from absolute beginner to advanced fluency, and users can quickly and easily continue their learning journey straight from the website homepage.
LearnGaelic follows the new CLAG proficiency scale which will formally launch in early 2020. Developed by the University of Glasgow as part of the Soillse network and with support from Aberdeen University, the scale will help assess Gaelic speaking abilities for both learners and tutors and will help aid structured learning.
New videos have been produced for the website to aid pronunciation and also to inspire prospective learners to begin their own Gaelic learning adventure.
The site includes videos featuring learners who highlight different learning pathways, providing a roadmap for others who are beginning their journey into Gaelic.
LearnGaelic is a partnership of MG ALBA, Bòrd na Gàidhlig, Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, Bòrd na Ceiltis (Alba) as represented by Glasgow University, the BBC and other organisations with a role in promoting the use and learning of Gaelic. The site is operated by MG ALBA.
For more information visit: LearnGaelic.Scot and give Gaelic a go!
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Donald Campbell, CEO of MG ALBA and chair of the LearnGaelic steering group, said: “LearnGaelic is already a valuable tool for users of Gaelic but now learners at every level will be able to call upon a wealth of resources in a structured and guided manner. Every single learner will have a fantastic opportunity to find resources for them. This relaunch is a huge step in the right direction for the growth of Gaelic.”
Shona MacLennan, Chief Executive of Bòrd na Gàidhlig, said, “We are delighted that LearnGaelic.Scot will follow the CLAG framework as a basis, giving clear guidance to people aiming to strengthen their Gaelic skills and to tutors. Ultimately, we aim to increase the number of people using Gaelic language and in a wider range of settings and LearnGaelic.Scot, with CLAG as a foundation will help to achieve this aim. Bòrd na Gàidhlig, in partnership with the Scottish Funding Council and the University of Glasgow, provided funding to develop the CLAG project. We would like to thank the entire team at Glasgow and Aberdeen Universities for delivering this resource.”
Margaret Mary Murray, Head of Gaelic Services at the BBC, said: “LearnGaelic is a fabulous resource for learners of all ages and stages and this refresh offers a systematic approach to learning and optimal convenience within a very attractive site. As users of LearnGaelic grow in fluency, competency and confidence we will welcome and value contributions to, and interaction with, our broadcast services, BBC Radio nan Gaidheal and BBC ALBA.”
Professor Rob Ó Maolalaigh, Vice Principal and Head of the College of Arts, Professor of Gaelic and PI of the CLAG project said: “My colleague Dr Nicola Carty and I have been delighted to work on this exciting project helping to encourage more people to learn Gaelic. We look forward to releasing new resources in the New Year through LearnGaelic to further support speakers, learners and teachers of Gaelic. By increasing levels of Gaelic proficiency, we will hopefully see more speakers using Gaelic in a wider range of contexts in their daily lives. As well as supporting the development of existing Gaelic skills, we hope that this in turn will encourage others to take up Gaelic and help increase the numbers of speakers.”
Five companies have been selected to receive business development support through a unique partnership between FOCUS and MG ALBA.
FOCUS announced the partnership with MG ALBA in July this year and BBC ALBA suppliers were invited to apply to receive free business support by submitting an application on the FOCUS website.
Following a competitive process, the five final companies selected to take part are Bees Nees Media, Caledonia TV Productions, Corcadal Productions, MacTV and Mast-Ard Studio.
A total of £10k has been allocated to provide fully-funded access to specialist commercial affairs support and mentoring. This will mean an opportunity for the companies to review their company’s contracts or intellectual property, and may involve setting up effective processes and workflows.
FOCUS is a two-year pilot project that provides expert sector specific business support to screen production companies working in Scotland. By investing in targeted, sector specific business support the project aims to create a stronger, more resilient screen sector, with companies well equipped to take advantage of the evolving opportunities for content creators in a changing market. FOCUS is delivered by Film City Futures in partnership with Scottish Documentary Institute, and supported by Screen Scotland partners Creative Scotland and Scottish Enterprise.
In recent years, MG ALBA has negotiated new content for BBC ALBA through innovative international deals led by its suppliers. A series of agreements created £5.2m worth of high-quality programmes for Scotland’s Gaelic-language television channel.
Broadcast consultancy collective The Televators, run by Kirstie McLure and Nikki Tilley, have been contracted to deliver business affairs support to the participating companies. The Televators will now start work with the five companies to help them take advantage of the evolving opportunities for content creators in an ever-changing market. The result may mean growing international networks and the possibilities of further business in other territories, as well as the domestic market.
Iseabail Mactaggart, MG ALBA’s Director of Strategy and Partnership, said: “Working closely with our suppliers and FOCUS means that we can further strengthen the internationalisation of the BBC ALBA supply sector. This strategy gives BBC ALBA access to great content but also enables our suppliers to build networks in other other markets that could benefit our sector economically. These co-production and co-finance agreements are crucial for stimulating growth and expanding our creative horizons.”
For more information, visit: https://www.filmcityfutures.com/mgalba
A BBC ALBA documentary was last night screened at FIN Atlantic Film Festival in Canada.
Filmed over 3 years by independent company TrixPixMedia, San Fhuil / It’s in the Blood is an intimate portrait of the crofting calendar on the Hebridean island of South Uist, both past and present.
Film-maker Beatrix Wood has made a name for herself by creating documentaries based on the people, culture and nature of the islands and especially the close harmony with the land.
Beatrix said: “Sculpting stories to work for local, national and international audiences and for interest groups has been at the centre of my work ever since I left film school. We had a hugely enthusiastic response to the original series when it was broadcast on BBC ALBA and are excited to see this film make its way out into the international market.”
In the documentary, the contemporary action is interwoven with archive film and photographs, offering a rare insight that evolves like the layers of memory and life stories that the main characters share.
FIN Atlantic International Film Festival is an eight-day celebration of film and media from around the world. It’s a festival that turns Halifax—a charming and historic coastal city—into an international mecca for the arts, abuzz with film lovers and filmmakers alike.
Only two weeks ago BBC ALBA’s animation Tha thu air Aigeann m’ Inntinn was screened at the Cannes Short Film Festival and the channel saw great success at the recent RTS Scotland awards, winning four prizes.
Iseabail Mactaggart, Director of Strategy and Partnerships at MG ALBA, which operates BBC ALBA in partnership with the BBC, said: “This demonstrates the resonance that BBC ALBA’s content has internationally. We have stories that can only be told in our communities and through the medium of Gaelic. These awards and festival appearances help to spread that message and in turn increase the opportunities for international funding and co-productions.”
A fascinating documentary about President Trump’s Scottish mother is one of several programmes screening this Autumn which demonstrate BBC ALBA’s confident transition into its second decade.
The documentary, Màthair a’ Chinn-suidhe: Trump’s Mother, uncovers the story of Mary Anne MacLeod Trump’s early life, and her emigration from the Hebridean island of Lewis to the ‘land of the free’.
The feature-length documentary includes unprecedented access to correspondence with her childhood pen-pal Agnes Stiven, which reveals the adversity overcome by Gaelic-speaking Mary Anne MacLeod Trump.
The popularity of Gaelic medium education in urban Scotland is seeing a new generation of Gaelic speaking millennials which the mini-series Na Millenni-Gaels has captured.
Across four programmes the channel follows seven next generation Gaels over six months, experiencing life-changing rites of passage like parenthood, learning to drive and even dabbling in a little pole-dancing.
Strong and engaging factual programmes are a hallmark of BBC ALBA’s schedule. The award winning Trusadh series resumes with an exploration the challenges of living in rural and small-town Scotland for the LGBTQ+ community.
BBC ALBA continues to highlight inspirational sporting life stories with an emotionally charged programme on the life of Elena Baltacha, the British No1 tennis star who died from liver cancer in 2014 aged just 30.
The documentary will feature contributions from Elena’s mentor, Judy Murray as well as family and friends.
BBC ALBA’s trail-blazing coverage of Scottish women’s sport will deliver regular coverage of domestic and international women’s football fixtures charting the progress of Scotland’s teams in the Champion’s League and Euro Championship qualifiers.
An impressive array of new Gaelic talent has contributed, on screen and in the production of, the rich mix of BBC ALBA’s autumn programmes.
Actor Màiri MacLennan stars in headline shows Trump’s Mother, and in the eagerly anticipated new series of Bannan, alongside Lana Pheutan, who also appears in the Royal Television Society of Scotland award-winning comedy sketch show FUNC.
The hit comedy FUNC has become must-see TV for the BBC ALBA audience, and with its rambunctious young cast and flourishing writing team, fans can expect the new series to be a runaway success on TV and social media.
Margaret Mary Murray, BBC ALBA’s Head of Service, said: “It is really inspiring to see this next generation of talent in front and behind the camera, creating fabulous content for BBC ALBA. I hope audiences will enjoy the thrilling drama, the landmark documentaries and the continuing brilliance of FUNC, all of which will be on offer this autumn on ALBA.
BBC ALBA’s new autumn programmes start from Monday 16 September and Màthair a’ Chinn-suidhe: Trump’s Mother will broadcast at 9pm on Tuesday 17 September.
Cannes Short Film Festival has screened a BBC ALBA short film on the glitzy French Riviera.
Tha thu air Aigeann m’ Inntinn (You are at the bottom of my mind) commemorates the 100th anniversary of the Iolaire Disaster, one of Britain’s worst maritime disasters.
In the early hours of 1 January 1919, the naval yacht HMY Iolaire, carrying sailors returning from the war, sank after hitting rocks on its approach to Stornoway, tragically killing over 200.
Commissioned as part of BBC ALBA’s Hogmanay schedule last year, the hand-drawn animation was a labour of love for the Dutch-based Scottish animator Catrìona Black.
Catrìona said: “BBC ALBA gave me the opportunity to tell this story for its audience, and that it’s now gaining international interest is wonderful recognition for the film. It’s a hugely important story, one that’s not even well known in Scotland, so to be showcased on the European stage like this obviously means a lot.”
BBC ALBA has had an impressive year, earning multiple plaudits at the Royal Television Society of Scotland annual television awards, including nods for the channel’s first sketch-comedy show, FUNC.
As the home of Scottish women’s sport, BBC ALBA’s schedule will include a broad selection of live sport including international, European club and domestic football, international rugby and domestic shinty and curling.
To mark this announcement, four of the biggest names in Scottish women’s sport – curling’s Eve Muirhead, football’s Nicola Docherty, rugby’s Rachel McLachlan and shinty’s Kirsty Deans – met at Scotland’s iconic Forth Rail Bridge to highlight the strength of BBC ALBA’s commitment and the collective potential to transform the profile of women’s sport.
The channel’s announcement follows a fabulous year of coverage of women’s sport, including the Women’s Six Nations, and landmark coverage of Scotland in the FIFA Women’s World Cup – the culmination of a journey BBC ALBA has shared with Scottish women’s football over the past decade.
The latest action kicks off on Friday 30th August with Scotland v Cyprus in the qualifiers for Euro 2021 – the team’s first competitive fixture since the World Cup. At European club level, Hibs Ladies’ and Glasgow City’s UEFA Womens Champions League home fixtures will be screened, with Hibs facing Slavia Prague live on BBC ALBA on 11th September at Easter Road, and Glasgow City’s home leg against Russian side Chertanovo a fortnight later.
Coverage of the women’s domestic league continues in September with Forfar vs Motherwell on 20th September, with BBC ALBA continuing its coverage of the SWPL Cup and the SSE Scottish Women’s Cup Final.
In rugby, BBC ALBA will continue its coverage of the Women’s Six Nations, broadcasting all of Scotland’s home fixtures. Discussions are also underway to look into covering key domestic fixtures as well.
Coverage of shinty will feature the Valerie Fraser Camanachd Cup final on BBC ALBA on Saturday 7th September as Badenoch Ladies defend their title from Skye Ladies challenge. Curling is planned for early in 2020, with 10 teams competing across 4 days at the Perth Ladies International event in the beginning of January.
Iseabail Mactaggart, Director of Strategy and Partnerships at MG ALBA, which operates BBC ALBA in partnership with the BBC, said: “As the home of Scottish women’s sport, BBC ALBA offers a platform that raises awareness and exposure not only to the individual sports but also to the Gaelic language. We’re privileged to be a broadcast partner in women’s football, rugby, shinty and curling – and we’re committed to working as hard as we can with all of our partners to raise the profile of the games, encourage participation and attendance, as well as growing our TV audience and through that, opening the door to Gaelic.”
A short film which visualises the terror and drama facing soldiers in one of Britain’s worst maritime disasters has been selected for the Cannes Short Film Festival.
The BBC ALBA short animation Tha thu air Aigeann m’ Inntinn (You are at the bottom of my mind), based on the Iolaire Disaster, is set to a poem of the same name by acclaimed Gaelic bard Iain Crichton Smith.
In the early hours of 1 January 1919, the naval yacht HMY Iolaire, carrying sailors returning from the war, sank after hitting rocks on its approach to Stornoway, killing over 200.
Commissioned as part of BBC ALBA’s Hogmanay schedule commemorating the 100th anniversary of the disaster, the short film was a labour of love for the Dutch-based Scottish animator Catrìona Black.
Catrìona said: “We have very little visual record of the Iolaire disaster and it was a deeply emotional experience to create one. I’m pleased that the film is finding its way out into the world to share this important story with as many people as possible.”
The programme also earned Am Bocsa, Catrìona Black’s production company, a nomination at the RTS Scotland Awards for Animation & VFX.
The Cannes Short Film Festival takes place from 5-8 September. For more information click here.
Live coverage of Belladrum returns to BBC ALBA with Scotland’s friendliest music festival welcoming headliners Elbow, Jess Glynne and Chvrches.
Fans can catch much of the weekend festival action live on BBC ALBA, hosted by Fiona MacKenzie and Niall Iain MacDonald, from Thursday 1st through to Saturday 3rd August, with festival highlights also available on the new BBC Scotland channel on Friday and Saturday nights.
The 16th annual festival takes place in the Scottish Highlands, on the Belladrum Estate near Inverness. The festival’s main stage, in the estate’s idyllic Italian walled garden is the central location for three nights of lively music and festival colour which will be broadcast live on BBC ALBA. Coverage will also include some very special acoustic sets and on-site interviews with many of the headlining artists.
Belladrum’s reputation as the festival hot ticket with an eclectic line-up sees the rootsy folk machine Skerryvore rubbing shoulders and sharing stages with Johnny Marr, Tom Odell, Dodie and the fabulous Lewis Capaldi and Jess Glynne, bringing a great final evening to a close.
BBC ALBA has broadcast live from Belladum since 2011 and this year partners with the new BBC Scotland channel to offer more coverage than ever before across the two channels.
BBC ALBA’s Head of Service, Margaret Mary Murray: “Belladrum lies at the heart of BBC ALBA’s summer schedule and is much anticipated and greatly appreciated by audiences. We are delighted that this year’s music festival collaboration with BBC Scotland, which started so successfully at TRNSMT, continues at Belladrum and will offer enhanced and extended coverage, which we are sure music fans will love.”
Thursday 1 August
BBC ALBA, 9.30pm – 11.00pm
Friday 2 August
BBC ALBA, 9.00pm – 11.00pm
BBC Scotland, 11.05pm – 12.00am
Saturday 3 August
BBC ALBA, 9.10pm – 11.00pm
BBC Scotland, 11.05pm – 12.00am
MG ALBA has requested an urgent review of Gaelic broadcasting whilst launching its 2018-19 Annual Report.
The organisation that operates Scotland’s Gaelic-language television channel in partnership with the BBC has called upon the BBC, Ofcom, the Scottish Government and the UK government to engage in a dialogue aimed at reaching a new settlement for Gaelic broadcasting.
Currently, BBC ALBA is severely challenged by a 75% repeat rate, whilst 50% is the expected limit for BBC Scotland; and is available only in standard definition (SD) on television.
Writing in his Chair’s Message, Allan MacDonald states that “there is no acceptable basis for Gaelic speaking viewers to have a second-class service.”
MG ALBA has called upon its BBC partner to ensure that BBC ALBA enjoys the same opportunity and quality of provision as the new channel and the other minority language services of the UK.
In 2017, the BBC publicly announced up to 100 hours of additional programmes per year for BBC ALBA coming in the wake of the new BBC Scotland channel investment.
Allan MacDonald has sought assurances on the delivery of this ambition: “We will encourage the BBC to be open and transparent about the principles and protocol on which it bases its allocation of resources to Gaelic broadcasting, and how it ensures parity of approach between the indigenous minority languages which are part of its overall cultural responsibility across the UK.”
BBC ALBA celebrated its 10th anniversary last year and announced some momentous achievements, including the launch of its award-winning sketch comedy show FUNC and in establishing itself as the Home of Women’s Sport in Scotland.
