MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards returned to Dundee’s Caird Hall, live & on screens, for its celebratory 20^th anniversary on Sunday 4^th December 2022.

The popular annual MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards, which recently won a Royal Society of Television Award with MG ALBA & production company BEEZR TV, held a spectacular once-in-a-generation night to remember, including live performances from Elephant Sessions, FARA, Trip, the Eryn Rae Trio (BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician Award Winner 2022), the Gordon Shand Scottish Dance Band, The Auldeners, St. Roch’s Irish Minstrels and Tayside Young Fiddlers, plus a Tribute to James Alexander, Fochabers fiddle teacher and performer, from his former pupils, and a special mention of the Youth Music Initiative, which also celebrated its 20^th anniversary.

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’re particularly happy to see author Anne Donovan recognised with the Janet Paisley Services to Scots Language and fiddler Charlie Mckerron named Music Tutor of the Year. Congratulations to all the winners and nominees, because it’s your passion and pride in Scotland’s heritage that make Na Trads one of the most important cultural events of the year.”

Organiser, and Hands Up For Trad & 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 MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards annual Gala rocks the scene by championing top Scottish traditional musicians of all genres, recognising, and celebrating the wealth of talent via phenomenal performances, which this year was live from Caird Hall in Dundee City Centre, and on BBC ALBA at 9.00pm.

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 20^th anniversary celebration was a night to remember.”

Broadcast in partnership with headline sponsor MG ALBA on BBC ALBA, people voted for their favourites to win the prestigious Awards via the website and links on social media from Monday 7^th November to Sunday 20^th November 2022, which generated 100,000’s of public votes.

Ealasaid MacDonald, Director of Strategy & External Affairs at MG ALBA, said: “MG ALBA are extremely proud to sponsor these awards, which celebrated 20 spectacular years of Na Trads. It’s been a very difficult couple of years for the music industry in Scotland and that’s what makes this recognition for all the impressive innovation and collaboration all the more important.”

Hands Up For Trad supports many aspects of traditional Scottish Music, Arts & Culture, through events, supporting artists, awards, teaching, and fundraising. The Awards give recognition to excellence within Scotland’s thriving traditional musical culture. Encompassing all aspects of making and playing from composing, Gaelic song, folk and Scottish dance music to pipe bands and a host of others in between, each year sees a lively and enthusiastic crowd enjoying some of the biggest names as the industry and audiences join to honour singers, instrumentalists, composers, and songwriters.

For 2022 and the 20^th Anniversary year, the 27 Award Winners are:

1. Club of The Year, sponsored by the Fraser Shaw Trust

• Aberdeen Folk Club

2. Event of the Year, sponsored by VisitScotland

• Hebcelt Festival (Lewis)

3. Venue of the Year, sponsored by Musicians’ Union

• Knoydart Community Hall

4. Live Act of the Year, sponsored by Greentrax Recordings

• Skerryvore

5. Music Tutor of the Year, sponsored by Creative Scotland’s Youth Music Initiative

• Charlie Mckerron

6. Gaelic Singer of the Year, sponsored by The Highland Society of London

• Ruairidh Gray

7. Album of The Year, sponsored by Birnam CD

• For The Night by Elephant Sessions

8. Scottish Folk Band of the Year, sponsored by Threads of Sound

• Breabach

9. Scottish Pipe Band of the Year, sponsored by the National Piping Centre

• Inveraray and District Pipe Band

10. Up & Coming artist of the Year, sponsored by Royal Conservatoire of Scotland

• Valtos

11. Community Music Project of the Year, sponsored by Innes & Campbell Communications

• Isle of Arran Music School

12. Scottish Dance Band of the Year, sponsored by the National Association of Accordion and Fiddle Clubs

• Alan Crookston Band

13. Citty Finlayson Scots Singer of the Year, sponsored by Traditional Music and Song Association of Scotland (TMSA)

• Beth Malcolm

14. Trad Video of the Year

• She Moves Me by Kim Carnie

15. Composer of the Year, sponsored by PRS for Music

• Rachel Newton, Lauren MacColl (Heal & Harrow)

16. Original Work of the Year, sponsored by Gordon Duncan Memorial Trust

• Talamh Beò – Living Land, commissioned by Coigach & Assynt Living Landscape Partnership Scheme

17. Trad Music in the Media , sponsored by Skipinnish

• Heading West: a story about a band called Shooglenifty

18. Musician of the Year, sponsored by the University of the Highlands and Islands

• Megan Henderson

19. The Hamish Henderson Services to Traditional Music Awards, sponsored by Traditional Arts and Culture Scotland (TRACS)

• Caroline Maclennan from HebCelt Festival

20. The Janet Paisley Services to Scots Language, sponsored by Creative Scotland

• Anne Donovan

21. Services to Gaelic, sponsored by Bòrd na Gàidhlig

• Dr Anne Lorne Gillies

The Hands Up for Trad Scottish Traditional Music Production Awards

22. Studio Engineer of the Year
    Keith Morrison (Wee Studio)

23. Lighting Designer of the Year
    Greig Shankland

24. Recording Studio of the Year
    GloWorm Recording (Glasgow)

25. Music Producer of the Year
    Anna Massie

26. Live Sound Engineer of the Year
    Scott Turnbull

27. This year the annual Scottish Traditional Music Hall of Fame is sponsored by Fèisean nan Gàidheal, and the five 2022 inductees are:

Catriona Garbutt

Karen Matheson

Jim Mclean

Mike Whellans

Mick West

Frank and Jean Bechhoffer

The Fraser Shaw Trust, sponsoring the Club of the Year Award, was started after Fraser’s passing from Multiple Sclerosis in May 2015, by a group of friends and family in his honour. Fraser Shaw was a brilliant piper, whistle player and composer from Glasgow. He had started playing the pipes at the age of 6, and at 16 moved to the Isle of Skye to study at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig. The foremost aim of the Fraser Shaw Trust is to raise money for the relief of multiple sclerosis, particularly in Argyll, Scotland, through a series of projects and events celebrating Fraser and his music. The first project was to release his much anticipated Tunebook, along with an album comprised of his music.  Proceeds of the Tunebook go directly towards the MS Care Centre in Lochilphead. Proceeds of the album are used for the advancement of education, arts and culture and for the relief of those living with multiple sclerosis in Scotland, particularly on the Isle of Islay.
Read more at www.frasershawtrust.com/about/

Keep up to date on Twitter @handsupfortrad Instagram @handsupfortrad on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/handsupfortrad

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