BBC Young Tradition Previous Winners Concert

24 Jan 2005 in Gaelic, Music

The Piping Centre, Glasgow, 23 January 2005

THE PIPING CENTRE was the perfect venue for a relaxed Sunday afternoon reprise from all four previous winners of the BBC Young Traditional Musician of the Year competition, first established in 2001. Despite being advertised as being sold out well in advance, there were a few empty seats around – and more than a few people disappointed at not being able to buy a ticket.

It will not be long before this venue is too small for such a performance as the number of winners increases and the space required by the vast array of instruments increases also. Every year, audiences are stunned by the standard and variety of performances from the Young Musicians contenders, and this concert was no exception.

The four winners to date – James Graham (2004), Anna Massie (2003), Emily Smith (2002) and Gillian Frame (2001), together and individually gave beautifully crafted and relaxed performances, demonstrating why they have all been holders of the title.

James Graham, of Lochinver, opened the concert with an immaculate selection of unaccompanied Gaelic songs, taken from his recently released CD “Siubhal” and sung in an apparently effortless fashion. He possesses a voice ideally suited to Gaelic song, capable of communicating the feeling of the song to all, including those who do not speak Gaelic. One member of the audience was heard to say “He would be an ideal person to learn Gaelic song from as his diction was as clear as a bell”.

“…these performers have ‘ the X Factor’ and are capable of holding audiences in whatever discipline they perform”

Gilliam Frame gave a relaxed and sparkling performance on fiddle and Scots song, joined by Emily Smith on backing vocals. Her easy manner on stage belies the work which is involved in maintaining performances of this calibre, even without the additional stresses of surviving a three week stint at Celtic Connections!

Emily Smith from Thornhill was a delightfully warm and easy performer on vocals, box and keyboard, taking the audience from lowland Scots ballads to songs written by herself. Her self penned song telling the life story of her grandmother, Polish born but having lived in Scotland for most of her life, was simplistic in its style, but encompassed the whole gamut of human experience, and left few dry eyes in the house.

Anna Massie from Fortrose kept the audience spell bound with the dexterity and expression from her fingers on the guitar keyboard. Her stories about the tunes were lovely to hear, and were all conveyed to us in the most ridiculously easy fashion, no pretension, just fun, just craic.

The one element that seems to be the common element when watching a collection of performers together like this is their ease of performance and confidence in all areas of stagecraft. Whether this is something inherent in their makeup or something developed over time, given the opportunities that winning the competition gives them, is a great topic for debate.

I suspect that it has to be bit of both – to be able to reach the finals of such a competition is an in indication in itself that these performers have ‘ the X Factor’ and are capable of holding audiences in whatever discipline they perform. If the reactions of the audience are anything to go by, this concert in future years with new winners joining an already impressive line-up, will become of the main highlights of the Celtic Connections calendar [if they can afford the escalating fees! – Ed.]

Fiona MacKenzie is the Mairi Mhor Gaelic Song Fellow, and won her own award as Personality of the Year at the Scots Trad Music Awards in December

The BBC Scotland Young Traditional Musician 2005 is piper Stuart Cassells.