Shetland is once again prominently represented at this year’s Traditional Music Awards to be held at a ceremony in the Queens Hall, Edinburgh on the 3rd December.

Fiddlers Bid, along with Aly Bain and Phil Cunningham, have both been nominated in the ‘Live Act of the Year’ category while fiddler Jenna Reid has made the short list for ‘Up and Coming Artist of the Year. The ‘Lounge’ has also picked up a nomination in the ‘McEwan’s Session Venue of the Year’ category for their services to the traditional music scene.

Also nominated in the ‘Album of the Year’ category are ‘Blazin’ Fiddles’ for their album ‘Magnificent Seven’. Local fiddle player Catriona Macdonald is a member of the group.

Perhaps the most important element of this year’s event is the introduction of the ‘Scottish Traditional Music Hall of Fame’, this year sponsored by BBC Radio Shetland. Six internationally acclaimed musicians from across Scotland will be the first to be inducted into the Hall of Fame and these include our own revered guitarist ‘Peerie’ Willie Johnson.

Shetland Arts Trust music development officer Davie Gardner said “Once again Shetland continues to punch above its weight at a national level. To have five individual nominees from Shetland, not to mention one of our greatest ever musicians among the very first to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, and all on the same evening, just about says its all. All the nominations are more than well deserved, but I am especially delighted for Willie. He is a very worthy first, but I am sure he will not be the last local musician to have this honour bestowed upon them”.

All the winners are decided via an on-line voting process. To register your vote, go to www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/celticroots  and follow the links from there.

“Obviously because we are such a small community, compared to Scotland as a whole, we are always going to be at a slight disadvantage when faced with a democratic process of this nature” said Davie “However it would be great if everyone in Shetland, whether associated with music or not, could take the time to vote and support our nominees and…… well you never know, we might just produce a well deserved winner”.

For further information contact Davie Gardner on (01595) 694001.