Shetland's Heritage Fiddlers

Shetland's Heritage Fiddlers

Shetland’s Heritage Fiddlers are all pupils of the late Dr. Tom Anderson who have played together since their youth.

Pauleen Wiseman, Angela Manson, Mairi Jamieson, Valerie Watt, Christine Murchison, Clare Balfour and Kriss Moulder all play fiddle. They are joined by pianist Dana Stewart and brave lone male, Gary Smith, on guitar. Pauleen Wiseman brings a new dimension to the traditional sound of the group with her flute, an instrument that blends beautifully with the fiddles. Whilst they play mostly traditional Shetland music, they also throw in some tunes from elsewhere and contemporary Shetland music too, including some compositions by Pauleen Wiseman.

The group was originally known as Shetland’s Young Heritage and was founded by Tom Anderson in 1983. Dr. Anderson was keen for the traditional music of Shetland to be saved and passed onto younger generations. He became the first traditional fiddle tutor employed in Shetland schools and many of his pupils have gone on to be great fiddlers or tutors in their own right.

This enthusiastic group have performed locally at concerts, charity events and festivals and have travelled far and wide to Norway, Turkey, USA, Indonesia, Canada and New Zealand. More recently they have performed at festivals in Orkney, Kelso and Alnwick. In November they were delighted to play with Old Time Fiddler Bruce Molsky during the official launch of Mareel, Shetland’s new music and cinema venue.