Nominations are open for the 2018 MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards.

Hands Up for Trad have opened nominations for this year’s MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards. The public have until Sunday 14^th October to nominate in each of the eighteen categories which include Composer of the Year and Album of the Year.

The MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards celebrates excellence in traditional music. Honouring artists, instrumentalists, composers and singer-songwriters plus phenomenal performances from some of the biggest names in traditional music, the ceremony recognises outstanding musical talent from all over Scotland.

We’re delighted once again to sponsor the Trad Album of the Year.  The award shines a light on the traditional recording industry and showcases the vast number of albums released each year in the trad and folk music genre.

The 2018 longlist of 25 albums :

• Air Fàir an Là by Niteworks
• alterum by Julie Fowlis
• Bare Knuckle by Chris Stout and Catriona McKay
• Ellipsis by Fourth Moon
• EVO by SKERRYVORE
• Glasgow by Findlay Napier
• In Praise of Home by Rura
• Inyal by Inyal
• Notes from the boat by Mike Vass
• Pipes by John Mulhearn
• Punch by The Poozies
• Sanctuary by Ross Ainslie
• Sandwood by Duncan Chisholm
• SOLO by Sarah-Jane Summers
• Some Other Land by Adam Sutherland
• Sròmos by James Duncan Mackenzie
• Symbiosis II by Ross Ainslie and Ali Hutton
• Tales From The North by Calum Stewart
• The Key by Blazin’ Fiddes
• The Morning Tempest by Josie Duncan & Pablo Lafuente
• The Pipe Slang by Jamie MacDonald & Christian Gamauf
• The Railway by Hamish Napier
• The Rough Bounds by Daimh
• The Seer by Lauren MacColl
• Undersong by Salt House

The longlist will be whittled down to a shortlist of ten albums which is decided by 50% industry panel and 50% public. The winners will be unveiled at Perth Concert Hall on 1^st December 2018.

For more information and to nominate please visit:

https://projects.handsupfortrad.scot/scotstradmusicawards/nominations-are-open-for-the-2018-mg-alba-scots-trad-music-awards-tell-us-who-you-think-should-be-nominated/

Tickets for the Trad Music Awards ceremony are available from Horsecross Threatre.

https://www.horsecross.co.uk/whats-on/the-mg-alba-scots-trad-music-awards-35002

For box office call 01738 621031 or email box@horsecross.co.uk.

BBC Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the year 2019 is open to individual musicians aged between 16 and 27 years (as at Friday 6^th July 2018) and must currently reside in Scotland and must have resided in Scotland for 5 or more consecutive years. Entrants under 18 years of age will need parental permission to enter.

Entrants can only enter individually and only one entry per person is permitted. Bands are not eligible.

To enter the competition, entrants must submit:

• a 10 minute recording of themselves playing traditional Scottish music
• a short written biography of their traditional music experience
• a list of songs/tunes submitted and any relevant details of their source/background
• a 1 min home video of themselves performing in domestic or concert setting.

Closing date for entries is 5pm on Friday 6^th July 2018.

For more information, please visit: www.bbc.co.uk/radio-scotland-young-trad-musician-2019

Scottish Jazz Awards 2018 – voting open.

Scottish Jazz Awards – celebrating Scotland’s vibrant jazz scene. Glasgow Jazz Festival have announced the nominations for the 6th Scottish Jazz Awards. The awards bring together the best in Scottish jazz to honour some of the most talented and revered musicians in the industry.

The Birnam team are delighted to be involved with the Scottish Jazz Awards and are once again sponsoring the ‘Best Album Award’, further nomination categories include: Best Vocalist Award, Best Instrumentalist Award, Rising Star Award, Best Band/Ensemble Award. A Lifetime Achievement Award will also be presented at the awards ceremony. Previous winners have included Carol Kidd, Bobby Wellins, Tam White, Ronnie Rae and Jim Mullen.

The awards ceremony, in association with Hands Up For Trad, will take place at St Luke’s in Glasgow on Sunday 3 June.

Tickets can be purchased by visiting www.jazzfest.co.uk/tickets  or calling 08444 539027

To vote in the 6th Scottish Jazz Awards, visit www.jazzfest.co.uk/awards . Voting closes at 5pm, Thursday 24th May.

The full list of nominations are as follows:

Best Vocalist Award – Sponsored by Jazz from Scotland

Ali Affleck – Georgia Cecile – Luca Manning – Maggie Nicols – Rachel Lightbody – Seonaid Aitken

Best Instrumentalist Award – Sponsored by ESP Music Rentals

Alyn Cosker – Brian Kellock – Colin Steele – Fergus McCreadie – Graham Costello – Konrad Wiszniewski

Rising Star Award – In association with Help Musicians Scotland

David Bowden – Fergus McCreadie – Joe Williamson – Liam Shortall – Luca Manning – Pete Johnstone

Best Band/Ensemble Award – Sponsored by The Blue Arrow

Fat-Suit – Mezcla – Rose Room – Scottish National Jazz Orchestra – Square One – Graham Costello’s Strata

Best Album Award – Sponsored by Birnam CD

Alan Benzie, Little Mysteries – Alyn Cosker, KPF – Colin Steele, Diving for Pearls – Glasgow Improvisers Orchestra, The Word for it Now – Graham Costello’s Strata – Tommy Smith, Embodying the Light

To vote in the 6th Scottish Jazz Awards, visit www.jazzfest.co.uk/awards . Voting closes at 5pm, Thursday 24th May.