A mandolin player whose interest in the instrument was sparked when he joined his school’s ceilidh band has been crowned BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the year.
Calum McIlroy, from Aberdeenshire, who also sings and polys guitar, was named winner of the coveted title in front of a packed audience in Glasgow’s City Halls on Sunday night.
Six finalists performed in the competition, which was broadcast live on BBC Radio Scotland and BBC ALBA.
The contest is renowned as one of the biggest platforms for emerging talent in traditional music which has set the stage for some of the biggest names in the scene as they embarked on their careers, and provided a springboard to international success.
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As winner of the BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician 2024 award, Calum wins a recording session with BBC Scotland, an opportunity to perform at the Scots Trad Music Awards later in the year, plus a one-year membership to the Musicians Union.
After leaving school he went on to play with the North East Folk Collective and took part in the Fèis Rois Ceilidh Trail in 2016/2017.
Gaining a diploma in music in Aberdeen, he moved to Glasgow to study on the BMus Traditional Music Course at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.
As well as tutoring through various organisations Calum also plays in his own trio as well as alongside many major names.
Calum said: “Winning this prestigious award is incredible. It means a lot to me. This competition has done so much to help foster and develop young talent within the Scottish traditional music sector and I’m proud to be in the company of all the amazing previous winners.”
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Among the other finalists this year were deaf/hard of hearing singer and step dancer Evie Waddell, who - in a first for the event – used British Sign Language in her performance, bagpipe player John Dew, fiddle player Matt Tighe, and singers Ruairidh Gray and Ella Munro.
Presenter Joy Dunlop said: “Calum is a truly worthy winner of this year’s BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician award, and we hope this is recognition which will lead to more success for him.
“All our finalists performed incredibly this year and they all deserve praise for their contribution to the traditional music scene in Scotland.”
Organised by BBC Radio Scotland, the Young Traditional Musician competition has been increasing the profile of Scottish traditional music and recognising rising talent in the genre since 2001.
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