Fiddle player Daniel Thorpe named Young Traditional Musician of the Year
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Fiddle player Daniel Thorpe named Young Traditional Musician of the Year
A battle between five exceptional finalists has resulted in
Daniel Thorpe, 23, from
Inverurie, Aberdeenshire, being
named Young Traditional Musician of the Year 2010.
The competition, which was held as part of the Celtic Connections
festival in Glasgow on 31
January, is held by BBC Radio Scotland every
year and has been running for 10 years. The award offers the winner
numerous high-profile performance opportunities and the chance to
record his or her own CD.
Thorpe, a previous finalist, is a graduate of the Royal
Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (RSAMD). In winning
the competition, he follows in the footsteps of Gaelic singer James
Graham, who won in 2004, and 2008's victor, guitarist Ewan
Robertson. He is the second consecutive fiddler to win the award -
fiddler Ruairidh Macmillan won in 2009.
'I am absolutely delighted and surprised',
Thorpe told BBC Radio Scotland, which broadcast the event live on
the night. 'I'm still coming to terms with winning,
I've got a permanent smile on my face and I think it'll be
there for the next three weeks!'
Thorpe began playing the fiddle aged seven. He currently
performs with ceilidh band Heuch and Canterach, and has previously
played with the Garioch Fiddlers and the National Children's
Orchestra of Scotland.
'All the previous winners have gone on to enjoy great success
and I'm certain that will be true for Daniel', said Jeff
Zycinski, head of BBC Radio Scotland. Culture secretary Fiona
Hyslop also offered her congratulations. 'This award is hugely
important in making sure we recognise and nurture the talent of
young traditional musicians in Scotland', she added.
The other five finalists were Paddy Callaghan
(accordion, harp) from Glasgow, Mairi Chaimbeul
(harp) from Sleate, Lorne MacDougall (pipes) from
Carradale, Hannah Phillips (harp) and Kyle
Warren (pipes) of Helensburgh.
All of the finalists receive one year's membership of the
Traditional Music
and Song Association (TMSA), a tour of Scotland organised by
the TMSA and a session on BBC Radio Scotland's
Travelling Folk programme.
The BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year
contest was founded to maintain interest in and appreciation of
traditional music. To find out more and find out about next
year's competition, visit the
website.








chris
musicdirektor
