The Shetland Folk Society is staging the Young Fiddler of the Year Competition in Mareel on Friday 26 and Saturday 27 April. The Auditorium is open from 9.15am both days and the public can attend free to hear the very best young Shetland fiddlers perform for adjudicators Maurice Henderson, Claire White and Peter Gear.

On Saturday night the adjudicators will decide who is worthy of the prestigious title of Young Fiddler of the Year 2013 at the Finals Night Concert. Junior and Intermediate winners will perform as well as all the entries in the Open section. The winning tunes from the Shetland Folk Society Tune Competition will be performed by Bryan Gear and adjudicated by Violet Tulloch and Debbie Scott. The concert will be compered by Valerie Watt.

This year’s competition is being organised by Shetland Folk Society members Valerie Watt and Vaila Grant. They have taken over from Charlie Simpson and Douglas Sinclair who have run the competition voluntarily for many years. Charlie and Douglas still contribute to the running of the competition as office bearers on the committee.

Valerie said: “We are really looking forward to showcasing all our young fiddlers in the Mareel Auditorium. The high quality of fiddle instruction provided in schools across Shetland is something to be proud of.”

Vaila added: “We have over 80 fiddlers competing for six titles over three age groups under the age of 16 over both days. The Finals Concert will be worth seeing!”

Shetland Arts’ Marketing Officer, Lisa Ward, said: “It’s a delight to welcome the Young Fiddler of the Year competition to Mareel for the very first time. The competition and concert are a Shetland institution, and we are very excited to hear the talented young fiddlers playing in Mareel’s Main Auditorium.”

Tickets for the Finals Night Concert on Saturday cost £6 (£4 concessions) and are available via Shetland Box Office in Mareel & Islesburgh, over the phone on 01595 745 555, or online at www.mareel.org and www.shetlandboxoffice.org

Source: Shetland Arts